To Debate or Not to Debate? That is the Dilemma
It’s now official. The votes are in. The delegates are assigned. It’s the rematch nobody wanted: Republican Donald Trump, again, for the Republican Party; and Joe Biden, again, for the Democratic Party. The race is on.
And Donald Trump can’t wait to debate Joe Biden. On Truth Social this week, he challenged Biden to debate him “ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYPLACE.” It’s important that we debate, he piously pledged: “We owe it to our country.”
Which is laugh-out loud funny because, as we remember, there were five debates in the 2024 GOP primary – for each of which, as the leading candidate, Donald Trump qualified and was invited. Yet he refused to participate in any one of them. He ducked all five. But now he’s practically begging to get on stage with Joe Biden.
There’s plenty of opportunity. The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates, which has sponsored every presidential debate since 1988, has already announced three dates for 2024: Sept. 16, Oct. 1, and Oct. 9.
But that doesn’t resolve the issue. That only sets the stage by raising an important question the Biden campaign is currently struggling with: Should President Biden agree to debate Donald Trump? To debate or not to debate? That is the question!
For me, it’s personal. I love debates. I was on the debate team in high school and college. For years, I made a living debating politics on local television in Los Angeles, on CNN’s “Crossfire,” and with Pat Buchanan on MSNBC’s “Buchanan and Press.” I still occasionally debate with Republican strategist Alice Stewart on NPR’s “Here and Now.”
I especially love presidential debates. They’re the only chance most of us get to see candidates unscripted and off the teleprompter. We can judge how well they know the issues and how quick they are on their feet. Or not. In front of a huge audience. In 2020, the first Biden/Trump debate attracted a Super Bowl size crowd of 73.1 million viewers.
And, sometimes, presidential debates can make a difference. While most merely reinforce impressions supporters or opponents already have of their candidates, there are exceptions. In 1984, Walter Mondale lost the age issue with Ronald Reagan’s devastating promise: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” In 1988, VP candidate Dan Quayle never recovered from Lloyd Bentsen’s withering retort: “I knew Jack Kennedy. Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy.”
So, in normal times, when it comes to presidential debates, my answer is: Yes! Bring them on. The more, the merrier.
But these are not normal times. When it comes to whether Joe Biden should agree to debate Donald Trump, my answer is different. It’s not “No.” It’s a loud, emphatic “ HELL, NO!”
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