There is No Secret Master Plan
Like the inept businessman he is, Trump showed no tact, restraint, or strategic foresight last night. In the first live debate, he showed his hand to the political world. It was a dangerous mix of division, violence, and antidemocratic bullying. Biden's performance was adequate, but the Democratic Party and Joe Biden must do more - and quickly.
Most politicians try to be subtle in making their predetermined talking points. For Trump, each one was obvious. But let's recap.
Cards on the Table:
- Divide the left. At least four times last night, Trump exclaimed how Biden's moderate position is going to alienate the left. Politics is not just about your strength, but about your opponent's weakness. His not-so-clever traps went like this: "Do you support the [progressive policy]?" If yes, "You're a communist!" if no, "You're abandoning the progressives, none of them will vote for you now!"
- Be the alpha. Trump doesn't interrupt because he lacks focus. He doesn't interrupt because he is offended. He interrupts to show power. Plain and simple. By talking over Biden and the moderator, he demonstrates a convoluted concept of being the, "alpha male."
- Attack Hunter Biden. Trump brought up how the Mayor of Moscow allegedly paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million a half dozen times. Obviously some pollster told him this was a winning topic for him.
- Sow distrust. By amplifying the fantasy of voter fraud, Trump creates distrust of the process among his followers. This is an obvious precursor to him claiming the election was rigged.
- Rally the racists. By painting a picture of American cities as "under siege" by violent antifa groups and BLM "thugs," Trump sets the stage to justify violence. He has been doing this for some time, but took it to the next level last night in two ways. First, he explicitly instructed his followers to show up and "watch the polls." Second, he explicitly told the Proud Boys to, "Stand By." This is incredibly dangerous and creates a real possibility of election day intimidation or violence. Recent altercation between Trump supporters and voters at a polling place in Virginia may be a preview of things to come.
That's it. In some sense it is a relief how simplistic his playbook is. But we cannot relax yet. Idiots can start civil wars and incompetent morons are more than capable of blowing a country up from within.
What Should Joe Biden Do?
Trump's strength and weakness are his ego. Allow him to pretend he's the alpha and he will continue to project confidence to his followers. Biden must play a delicate balance of shattering Trump's ego without alienating the swing voters. Here's my advice to the Vice President:
- #StopSmilingJoe. It's big, bright, and beautiful. Personally, I love it. It is undoubtedly responsible for a large part of his political success. But Mr. Biden must put his smile on the shelf, for now. Dozens of times throughout the debate, he responded to Trump's nonsense by looking down and smiling or chuckling to himself in disbelief. This is the exact reaction Hillary had - and it does not work. For the Obama-Trump voter who sees value in Trump's perceived authenticity, the smile comes off as condescending. You're not laughing at Trump, you're laughing at them. For the progressive voters, it shows a lack of seriousness. Save it for the inauguration.
- Treat him like a child. Don't smile at his bad behaviour. Don't laugh. When he makes an outlandish accusation, there should be only two courses of action: ignore him, or call him out forcefully. There is a reason, "will you shut up, man?" is trending today. People want to see him put in his place. Lean into it. He is a child, so treat him like one.
- Regarding Hunter - be empathetic once and then attack. When Biden talked about Hunter's struggles with addiction, it was humanizing. It was something millions of Americans can relate to. When it comes up again - and it will - mention addiction once and then quickly counter-punch with something like, "That's my boy and I'll be damned if I'll listen to him be bad mouthed by a two-bit failed businessman who spends $70,000 to have a horse tail taped to the side of his balding head. Grow up. This isn't about my boy. This is about the American people. And they deserve better than a tiny-handed narcissist who can't get his head out of his own ass long enough to realize that people are hurting. People are dying."
- Describe his eviction. People are worried that Trump will not leave. Mr. Biden should paint a picture of how exactly he will be forced from office. "When I win, and you're reduced to being a scared old man tweeting from your bunker, I'll only ask nicely once. Our military - the people you called losers - will be happy to assist me in dragging you kicking and screaming from the office you've spent four years defiling."
To be clear, I don't like this. Politics should be better. But we can no longer afford to live in a world of ideals. Reality shows us that Trump is a fascist who will use violence if he thinks it can help him win. Joe Biden must do the dirty work of putting him in his place verbally to save us all from the very real danger of physical confrontation.
What Should I do?
It is easy to feel helpless, but you're not. You still live in a free country, and there are things you can do to keep it that way,.
- Prepare for the worst. If some of the worst case scenarios play out, you will be safer and better able to contribute if you've planned ahead.
- Talk to your family. Until their vote is cast, do not assume that anyone in your family is beyond saving. If you have family in Michigan, Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, or North Carolina, call them and listen. Listen to their fears and to how they intend to vote. Try to gently convince them to vote for Biden. If they, "just can't," make sure you tell them all about Jo Jorgenson, the Libertarian candidate.
- Use your vacation time. There will be rallies, there will be marches, and we may even need to take a trip to Washington. If you are lucky enough to be employed, tell your employer now that you will need the week of November 3rd off. We will need every person we can get - and that means you.
