An honest Trump-Biden post-debate analysis no one wants to hear

By Ray Hanania

It’s hard to believe anything you read about the first debate between Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden because America is polarized so deeply the “middle ground” is empty.

Biden supporters are cheering Biden and Trump supporters are cheering Trump. If you try to say something about one or the other, you will get slammed by both sides.

But here it is because I love to take the “bull” by the horn, no pun intended.

When I was young, I watched the debate on TV between candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The issues were substantive and each side was respectful because being respectful used to be a reflection of good leadership. If you can be respectful to someone you despise or oppose, it means you have the diplomatic skills to navigate a tough world.

I was young, but I watched the debate because my mom and dad watched it. My parents felt satisfied the important issues were addressed. There was no screaming at the black & white TV screen. No anger in the household. At school that week, our class voted on who should win. Kennedy's looks made him popular.

Nixon lost because of the sweat on his upper lip and forehead and Kennedy won because he was better looking. Yet still, they talked about issues that mattered, not personalities.

We’ve come a long way from that classy debate but you can’t blame today's troubles Just on one side. You have to blame both sides. The animosity between the two, Trump and Biden, was palatable. There was no hiding it. Biden called Trump a loser, a clown, a racist, a liar, reminding me of Steve Miller's song, "The Joker,” which was a pleasant distraction from the cacophony of the wasted 90 minutes.

Trump was a bully, constantly interrupting Biden and never following the rules. He attacked Biden’s son not professionally or with finesse but personally and with animosity.

Trump’s best line was in the lower quadrant of public discourse – I’m paraphrasing here: I’ve done more in 47 months in office than you have down in your 47 years in government.

Biden was calm and focused, brushing aside assertions that his old age was cracking under the weight of senility, memory loss and incomprehension.

There really wasn’t any loser because without a middle ground, you are a hero to your choir and followers and a demon to your foes.

FOX News anchor Chris Wallace probably was the big loser, losing control of the “debate” which wasn’t a debate at all.

The worst part about it was that there was no really memorable deep discussion about any issues. They talked about everything but the knives were so sharp that no one really got into the substance of the topics of the Supreme Court succession, the battle against the Coronavirus, strengthening the economy, the violence that is destroying America’s big cities and the increasing racial tensions that are worsening and not getting better.

Had I been an adviser to either, I would have had Trump focus not on Biden but rather on the issue of the increasing crime and the failure of places like Chicago to get the violence under control. Trump missed an opportunity to fuel the one issue that unites his base and attracts the White conservative Democrats, that the far Left wants to curtail policing and make life easier for the criminals.

If I had been advising Biden, I would have had him focus on healthcare for seniors, better explain his brief moments when he talked about supporting police and opposing the looters. He could have done a better job of addressing concerns over healthcare and social security.

But they didn’t do that. They went the dark route in politics, a principle that if you throw enough mud at someone, much will fall but some will stick.

They don’t realize that the followers on both sides are rock solid in this hate-driven political environment. Neither side can see the truth about their own candidates. They hate the other side more than they love their side, which explains why the divisiveness is so deep, personal and vicious.

The national mainstream news media certainly doesn’t help. They have become political lobbying groups who instead of reporting the facts of the events and news, are spinning the facts to their advantage. They are basically saying that you and I -- the public -- are too stupid or not smart enough to figure out on our own, right from wrong. They want to do it for us to benefit their agenda. If we don’t agree, they will slam you, too, as being a "deplorable" or a "rapist."

Here’s my prediction on the November 3 election.

Biden will get probably 4 million more votes that Trump, but those votes will come from states the Democrats already will win, and he will lose. Trump will win more state delegates in the electoral college, but less popular votes with wider margins of loss in big cities like New York and Chicago. That’s what happened to Hillary Clinton, whose arrogance and entitlement cost her the election. Biden's attitude toward Trump reminded me of Clinton's.

The Democrats will win the U.S. Senate but not enough seats they need to approve a criminal indictment against Trump that would come from another certain U.S. House Impeachment effort.

The election is Trump’s to lose.

(Ray Hanania is a Contributor to the Patch and award winning former Chicago City Hall reporter and WLS radio talk show host. He can be reached at his personal website at www.Hanania.com.)