Let Biden go ballistic against Trump at the debate
Opinion by
Columnist
September 28, 2020 at 5:01 a.m. CDT
If bed-wetting were
an Olympic sport, Democrats would have a lock on the gold, silver and bronze
medals. The latest example of this annoying affliction surfaced in a story in
The Post with the anxiety-inducing headline “Trump readies a
debate onslaught — and Biden allies worry.”
The TL;DR version of the
story is that because President Trump is a hissing feral cat who will say
anything to get under Joe Biden’s skin, some argue that the Democratic
presidential nominee must keep his anger in check at their Tuesday debate in
Cleveland. The key quote came from John Morgan, a Florida trial lawyer and
major Biden donor:
“When you go at
[Biden’s] family, he becomes hotter than hell, which is part of the thing I
worry about,” Morgan said. “I think what Biden has to be careful about is not
letting his Irish temper blow when that happens.”
Biden should ignore
this guy — and anyone else who adheres to this defeatist posture. As I’ve written before,
Biden is never more clear, direct or impassioned than when he focuses on the
disaster that is Trump and the moral authority of the office. Those issues
should be front and center on the debate stage at Case Western Reserve
University.
No matter what low
blows and lies Trump throws at him, especially if they involve his family and
his son Hunter in particular, Biden should let that “Irish temper blow.” But he
should do it with purpose. Every time Trump goes low, the former Delaware senator
should absolutely get angry and use it for fuel to say something like this:
You’re a liar. At
least 204,000 Americans are dead, and about 26 million Americans are claiming
unemployment insurance because you intentionally lied about how dangerous the
coronavirus is. You told The Post’s Bob Woodward how serious this pandemic
would be and how it would spread, and you did nothing.
You’re a thief.
Voters have already begun to choose the next president, and you’re stealing a
Supreme Court seat. And by doing that, you’re putting more lives at risk by
nominating someone who would in all likelihood strip 29.8 million Americans of
health care in the middle of the pandemic by ruling in favor of repealing the
Affordable Care Act.
So, I’m damned angry that you would
personally attack me, my son and my family. But I’m also angry about what your
pathetic display signifies. You have no rationale for a second term except your
own personal interest in staying out of jail.
I want Biden to
deliver this message with his characteristic “C’mon, man” indignation.
Whatever anger bubbles up, I want him to put it to work for the American people
by going ballistic on their behalf. We’re exhausted by the chaos and the
incompetence of a man who has used the bully pulpit of the presidency to
browbeat the nation for nearly four years. Trump is woefully unfit for the
awesome office he holds. And Biden must hammer this point home without apology
every chance he gets it.
