Some More Thoughts on the Debate

It's a bit strange, because I find myself both entirely disgusted by the debate between Biden and Trump the other night, as well as strangely almost morbidly fascinated by it. It was such a disaster, and yet, it feels like this is something that we might need to expect more of. I find myself repulsed by it, yet rather paradoxicaly, I also find it fascinating. On some level, I almost feel like a rubber necker after some horrible accident. Funny thing: both sides blame the other side for the nightmare. I was driving in rural upstate New York last night, towards my parent's home town. And for a few moments, while looking for something on the radio, I heard this guy (no idea who he is) talking about the debate, and how everybody has an opinion about it. And he kept mentioning how he blamed "meatloaf." Right away, I got a sinking feeling that I knew which way this guy was going, and sure enough, he began to mention how "meatloaf" had interrupted President Trump something like 25 or 30 times during the debate. Right. Classic strategy by Trump and his supporters: blame the other for that which you yourself are far more guilty. Believing that Trump was the victim of someone interrupting him is kind of like believing he was of modest background and built a financial empire through his own ingenuity: a lot of people believe it, but it defies all reason and logic. I mean, seriously, have you ever even heard of anybody with a bigger mouth than Donald Trump? As if he could not drown out literally anybody else with that big, loud, obnoxious voice of his. Give me a break. Yet, I found myself, almost against my will, thinking about the debate. What I came to believe about the debate, which was unlike any other that I have ever witnessed (or care to witness again) upon further review, is that Trump acted in that manner deliberately. He made a point oi mr of the debate, and in typical fashion, setting all sorts of new lows for his own presidency with what people call "his style." What is his style? Simple. When you have nothing of substance to say, just say whatever you want to say louder than anyone else. Drown everyone else out. And his general style has been consistent with that, as well. He has no great respect, much less reverence, for this nation's longstanding democratic traditions. His approach screams, "I'm here now!" and thus, he carries himself like an emperor, someone with a delusional sense of grandeur. To that end, he throws a monkeywrench into the proceedings of democratic traditions. Almost everything that he has done since taking office has been a departure - often a radical departure - from everything that has come before. This would not necessarily be bad in and of itself, except that it all seems specifically staged for maximum effect. And the impact that he seems to hope for is nothing short of the derailment of our traditional democracy. I personally have no doubt - none whatsoever - that if he could be, Trump would establish himself as a de facto dictator. And everything that he says and does that makes a mockery of our democracy is intent on undermining it. As a Republican, he is following in their decades long tradition of making a point of stalling, if not outright breaking, meaningful legislation, and then turning around and using this very paralysis that they are responsible for (but which they blame on the other guys, their political opponents) as an illustration of how our government is broken. Trump makes a mockery of our democracy itself, and then uses this deliberate undermining on his part to make a case that he, and only he, can "save" this country. But it is more broken than ever before because of Trump. If we are to be saved as a democracy, or if we believe that our American demoracy is worth saving, then we have to rise above Trump. We have to remind ourselves that our nation of 330 million people is bigger than one man with a ridiculously inflated sense of self, with his legendary ego, what I have called his personal MAGAlomania. The real question now seems to me to be whether indeed, we as a nation are bigger than him, bigger than his false sense of entitlement and that outrageous ego of his. As of right now, it is not entirely clear if we actually are bigger, or if our democratic traditions are big enough, strongly rooted enough, to survive the Trump years. Time will tell.