My Blog Week: September 27 to October 3

A Word on the Week

Debate Fallout

Curses not loud but deep, mouth-honour…  Macbeth, Act V., Scene 3.

I’m reminded of this speech from Macbeth when I see so many pundits trying to say the right thing (about Donald Trump’s circumstance), choosing words that indicate they’re having trouble feeling it. All sympathy to the victims of COVID-19, with hopes America can get its crisis together, on so many fronts. Relief and needed supplies to hospital staff. Protection for renters and the unemployed. A plan for businesses, and enough money to tide them through. When no one feels safe going out to movies, to sports meets, shopping—and no one feels festive in spirit, the approaching “holiday season” notwithstanding—the economy lies moribund. Chopping and changing makes things worse. Starting school and cancelling it, opening bars and closing them…

Apparently the GOP strategy of pretending there is no COVID, can’t fix the nation’s down mood.

Moving on, I want to call out a weird sort of grumbling from the rightists, bubbling up into conspiracy theories. How dumb is the the thing about the “earpiece”? As dumb as the format of candidate debates itself. Suppose a president was going to take a diplomatic trip to Poland? Intelligence reports are received that protestors are planning demonstrations in the capital, and may try to block the motorcade. The president would like to be kept up to date on developments, but his intelligence team says that would be cheating, to get information from a source. Whatever he doesn’t know already, too bad. His speechwriters have included some phrases in Polish to please his hosts, but he’s not allowed to glance at a teleprompter to be sure of not missing a word or mispronouncing one. To answer any balking at the issues the U.S. will push in talks, the president ought to have responses prepared, keeping discussions on point. But that would be getting briefed in advance, told what questions were going to come up…

Anything admirable in not needing to obtain accurate information, consult with people who know better, or work from prepared materials, is a skill that belongs to stage acting, or to those super-memory performers, who tour the country giving demonstrations of their super memories…

It doesn’t have much real-world application in the sort of job leading the country is. All the tempest-in-a-teapot over whether Biden uses a helper (not), glosses over the question of why a presidential candidate’s consulting one could be thought “cheating”, or ineptitude.

Seemingly, only within the narrow limits of these debate shows. Debates are not Jeopardy. Prizes don’t hinge on the height of Mount Lhotse (27,940 ft), or the loudest bird on earth (the White Bellbird). Meanwhile, you’d hardly expect candidates to need a whisper in the ear to know where they stand on racism. Or equal access to health care. Or proper conduct for a world leader…