Vice President Kamala Harris goes into what may be the only debate in this chaotic presidential campaign season, facing convicted felon, sexual predator and adjudicated rapist in his effort to return to an oval office that many,m including a growing list of Republicans, say he is neither qualified for or deserves to win.
Harris spend last weekend preparing with a cadre of aides while Trump spent his time golfing, a sport he cheats at, like so much else in his tawdry career and lifestyle.
Harris has the most to win if she contnues to introduce herself to an Amerkca tired of the illegal and shamful actions of former “reality show” and quesitonable business man Trump. The debate comes as his failed social media company sinks further into the non-existence with plummenting stock prices and investors looking for a way out.
On Harris, The New York Times reports:
Debating Mr. Trump is quite different from taking questions from, say, a television anchor. Mr. Trump is an unpredictable television veteran who has demonstrated no respect for established rules of political fair play.
Ms. Harris has so far refused to engage with Mr. Trump’s below-the-belt attacks on her or his remarks about her race and gender. How she parries similar attacks on live TV — challenging him to debate, she memorably said “If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face” — may determine how her performance is viewed.
Since taking over for Mr. Biden, Ms. Harris has built her campaign around a choice between the future (her) and the past (Mr. Trump). The debate may give her an opportunity to show voters not just that contrast, but how she reacts when presented a chance to stand up to a bully.
Biden was forced to abandon his plans for re-election after a disastrous debate performance that showed his age, but age now plays agains Trump, who off-topic rants suggest he is suffering from dementia, which is not uncommon for a man his age.
He has flubbed questions, mangled the names of domestic and internatonal figures and suggested, in recorded comments that he , if elected again, he could take absolute control without any need for future elections or even the Constitution. He says he will seek prosecution and prison for his opponents.
Trump also says he willl pardon those convicted and imprisoned for their actions in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol Riot where a mob composed of his violent suppporters, stormed the Capitol, trashed it, threned the life of Vice President Mike Pence and Congressional leaders and is indicted for a sedition conspiracy.
Pence, Trump’s Vice President, now says the man he served “does not deserve to be president.”
Another former Republican Vice Prteisdent, Dick Cheney, announced over the weekend that he is voting for Democrat Harris and calls Trump “a danger to the country .”
Cheney is not alone among Republicans who are not endorsing Harris. Several, like Illinois GOP CongressmanAdam Daniel Kinzinger, spoke tot he Democratic nominating convention to savage Trump and endorse Harris.
Kinzinger says that the “Republican Party is no longer conservative” and “Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong.” He slams the GOP ticket’s weirdness and support of Putin. He praises Harris’ belief in democracy.
Many believe Harris could seal her chances to come President in the debate. “More than 50 million Americans watched the June debate between President Biden and Mr. Trump live, and Tuesday’s bout is expected to draw an even bigger audience. Tens of millions more will consume the event in news coverage and in social media feeds after the fact,” reports The Times.
With the election less than two months away, the 90 minute debate Tuesday could count for a lot.
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