Tonight was supposed to be the night of a televised town hall meeting featuring both President Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. But, after Trump tested positive for coronavirus, the organizers of the event turned it into a virtual meeting. Trump refused to participate. So Biden arranged an event of an hour and a half on
Biden made a good showing in Debate # 1, but his Town Hall performance tonight was a MUCH greater success!
I hope that the Biden campaign charts a course for Debate #2, scheduled to take place one week from now, that allows Biden to continue to show his strong ethical and public policy- making strengths.
Trump, at this point in his political career, is primarily a bar brawler, and a very ugly and belligerent one at that.
The Biden team have to negotiate terms for the final Debate so that Biden, rather than Trump, get to dictate the debate protocol.
If Trump refuses to abide by the protocol, then the Biden team would be wise to exit the debate and move to a conversation that resembles that of this evening.
Thank you Heather for this clear summation of tonight's debates. I watched alittle of both, but settled on the Biden Town Hall. It was reassuring to hear Biden put forth a plan in lieu of watching Trump throw blame and make his free airtime about him and not this Country. It was rather delightful to see Savannah Guthrie pin Trump to the wall, something other interviewers tend not to do.
However I do want to thank you explicitly for today's History Chat. I was unable to watch it in its entirety today due to a meeting . I did re-watch it this evening. It was superb, as always. Your conclusion positively broke my heart. I watched it with tears streaming as you opened up how difficult this current situation is for a Historian to maneuver through. Finer point being, a Historian of your caliber who truly cares about what is on the table for fellow Americans. Please know, your assessment, or more so, your compassion was taken to heart and forever appreciated. Thank you Heather.
Wasn't Biden a relief? Finally a voice to listen to, complete sentences, rational thoughts, empathy, plans. Please, let the Democrats take back the white house, the Senate and anything else they can get their votes on.
Thank you for your continued, excellent coverage of daily events. I have been reading and sharing your letters for over a year now. I’ve thought of printing them and putting them all together in a binder so I can look over them and see all the craziness that has occurred in our country this past year or so. Absolutely impossible to keep up with without your letters.
That being said, when Biden said, “But...I hope that it doesn’t say that we are as racially, ethnically, and religiously at odds with one another as it appears the president wants us to be...”, as part of his answer to the question by Stephanopoulos of what he would think if he lost to Trump, I reflected on people I know personally who are strongly at odds with others and don’t appear to want to come together as a country of people who are different in many ways. I have a friend who makes all her decisions based on what her pastor says, another friend who has lost most of her friends due to them believing all democrats are evil and hate their country,(because they are liberals), and another friend who left his church because of the support of many of his fellow church members for Trump, whom my friend believes is tearing our country apart. (I agree with him.) These people are not willing to accept differences nor do they want to communicate. I am afraid that we have indeed become as divided as Trump says and it will take years to soften, or heal that divide. It isn’t going to magically change overnight even if Biden wins. If Biden wins, (I so hope he does), he has a difficult road ahead of him as well as the rest of us who want a United country, not a divided one.
Trump is so incredibly vile, as are the Republicans who have fallen in line behind him. My belief is that Biden would win if all things were fair and equal, but with all of the cheating and voter suppression the Republicans have been engaged in, I am really worried. I do not think our country can survive another four years of this.
Delicious irony: trump ran for president, not expecting to win, to “improve his brand.” And in the end he not only DID NOT do so, he may well end up in jail.
When the Mango Moron jets around the country in Air Force One, a Boeing 747 that must cost thousand of dollars for every flight, in order to make his whistle campaign stops at airports to his devoted followers, WHO PAYS THE BILL? Is it the RNC, who rightfully would cover the cost of a campaign trip, or the American taxpayer, on the grounds that it is a Presidential visit to his constituents? I would like to see an accounting of these expenses, but it will probably be like his answer to the question of his Coronavirus test before the first debate.
Thank you again Professor for your summary. I voted yesterday and selected all blue candidates. I live in a mostly minority precinct and was encouraged with the turnout and the efficiency of the voting place. We must Vote the republicans out. NC will turn blue
Thank you for the concise summary, HCR. The Republican party is showing its seamy underbelly with their lack of compassion for the struggles of everyday Americans. Trump and his sycophants are acting like renters who are about to be evicted for not paying rent so they're going to trash the place out of spite. Pardon my language but what a bunch of shit heels!
On a lighter note, Tik Tokkers, et al, were banding together much like when they all reserved tickets to 45's rally. They planned to tune into Biden's Town Hall on ALL of their devices (phones, laptops, TV etc.) to give Joe Biden a huge bump viewership numbers. Way to hit Trump where it hurts most; his fragile ego.
Apropos of a historian, your letters serve as an essential record of the goings-on in our country. Please publish them in a book that captures what led to the election of the current administration, and how the citizens of our country responded to the grifter/white nationalist/misogynist/security risk-in-chief by either voting him out, or not.
PBS on Wednesday evening had a clip of dt saying that while he expects to stay president, it's possible he will lose the election and that's okay with him. I suspect it's him being shrewd rather than a true reflection of his feeling or intentions. I still believe there is little he and his crew won't do to extend his "leadership."
I was recently moved by an interview with AOC in which she noted that young people of her generation don't know about "bipartisanship." There has been no experience of bipartisanship in their lives. That the absence of this experience represents a generational gap. Young people don't have a longing for a "vintage fantasy" of bipartisanship that brought about transformative change for working people. In their experience bipartisanship got us into the Iraq war, student debt, endless war, bank bailouts, expanded military, larger give-aways to Wall St, expanded fossil fuel infrastructures, racial injustice, and economic injustice for working people. What actually brought about transformative change was Democratic majorities, not bipartisanship! Bipartisanship for the sake of bipartisanship is not a virtue. It depends on what we are trying to accomplish and what we are using that bipartisanship for. This electorate, at this time in history---and for the first time for young people---wants Democrats to deliver transformative, bold change in the lives of working class Americans. However she is characterized, AOC keeps reminding up of our history and our mission.
Here's my question about the Court and the ACA, and the GOP nefarious plan to undo it with Miss Amy's help.
If Biden wins AND Dems take the Senate, why couldn't the ACA be reconstructed as a new entity, fixing the bits that have been shown to be problematic, and presenting it as brand new legislation? I'm assuming the Court, in its current (with Amy) configuration, would say it's unconstitutional, but what, specifically, could they legally get away with? Is it possible that this would tie the Court's hands, or not?
I can think of about 300 million things besides an *advertising campaign* to help us “defeat despair” over the coronavirus — PPE. Vaccine Research. Wage Replacement. ...
Even a Basket Of Kittens for every family would be a better use of *our* money!
Thanks for your tireless efforts to give us clarity. I know I am not alone in thinking, if it weren’t for you, our oracle of historic reference and grounding, we would be spinning into insanity. I hope you have been taking care of yourself. Hopefully soon you will be able to take a well-deserved rest.
The town halls were a good moment to see what a difference we are faced with. Biden was a realistic reminder of what a president should do for us and Trump was a nightmare friggin reality show. America loves its reality shows, but its time to change the channel and get back to reality itself.
Heather,
Thanks for a very fine column!
Biden made a good showing in Debate # 1, but his Town Hall performance tonight was a MUCH greater success!
I hope that the Biden campaign charts a course for Debate #2, scheduled to take place one week from now, that allows Biden to continue to show his strong ethical and public policy- making strengths.
Trump, at this point in his political career, is primarily a bar brawler, and a very ugly and belligerent one at that.
The Biden team have to negotiate terms for the final Debate so that Biden, rather than Trump, get to dictate the debate protocol.
If Trump refuses to abide by the protocol, then the Biden team would be wise to exit the debate and move to a conversation that resembles that of this evening.
Thank you Heather for this clear summation of tonight's debates. I watched alittle of both, but settled on the Biden Town Hall. It was reassuring to hear Biden put forth a plan in lieu of watching Trump throw blame and make his free airtime about him and not this Country. It was rather delightful to see Savannah Guthrie pin Trump to the wall, something other interviewers tend not to do.
However I do want to thank you explicitly for today's History Chat. I was unable to watch it in its entirety today due to a meeting . I did re-watch it this evening. It was superb, as always. Your conclusion positively broke my heart. I watched it with tears streaming as you opened up how difficult this current situation is for a Historian to maneuver through. Finer point being, a Historian of your caliber who truly cares about what is on the table for fellow Americans. Please know, your assessment, or more so, your compassion was taken to heart and forever appreciated. Thank you Heather.
Wasn't Biden a relief? Finally a voice to listen to, complete sentences, rational thoughts, empathy, plans. Please, let the Democrats take back the white house, the Senate and anything else they can get their votes on.
Thank you for your continued, excellent coverage of daily events. I have been reading and sharing your letters for over a year now. I’ve thought of printing them and putting them all together in a binder so I can look over them and see all the craziness that has occurred in our country this past year or so. Absolutely impossible to keep up with without your letters.
That being said, when Biden said, “But...I hope that it doesn’t say that we are as racially, ethnically, and religiously at odds with one another as it appears the president wants us to be...”, as part of his answer to the question by Stephanopoulos of what he would think if he lost to Trump, I reflected on people I know personally who are strongly at odds with others and don’t appear to want to come together as a country of people who are different in many ways. I have a friend who makes all her decisions based on what her pastor says, another friend who has lost most of her friends due to them believing all democrats are evil and hate their country,(because they are liberals), and another friend who left his church because of the support of many of his fellow church members for Trump, whom my friend believes is tearing our country apart. (I agree with him.) These people are not willing to accept differences nor do they want to communicate. I am afraid that we have indeed become as divided as Trump says and it will take years to soften, or heal that divide. It isn’t going to magically change overnight even if Biden wins. If Biden wins, (I so hope he does), he has a difficult road ahead of him as well as the rest of us who want a United country, not a divided one.
Trump is so incredibly vile, as are the Republicans who have fallen in line behind him. My belief is that Biden would win if all things were fair and equal, but with all of the cheating and voter suppression the Republicans have been engaged in, I am really worried. I do not think our country can survive another four years of this.
Delicious irony: trump ran for president, not expecting to win, to “improve his brand.” And in the end he not only DID NOT do so, he may well end up in jail.
Just a quick question...this has been bugging me.
When the Mango Moron jets around the country in Air Force One, a Boeing 747 that must cost thousand of dollars for every flight, in order to make his whistle campaign stops at airports to his devoted followers, WHO PAYS THE BILL? Is it the RNC, who rightfully would cover the cost of a campaign trip, or the American taxpayer, on the grounds that it is a Presidential visit to his constituents? I would like to see an accounting of these expenses, but it will probably be like his answer to the question of his Coronavirus test before the first debate.
Thank you again Professor for your summary. I voted yesterday and selected all blue candidates. I live in a mostly minority precinct and was encouraged with the turnout and the efficiency of the voting place. We must Vote the republicans out. NC will turn blue
Thank you for the concise summary, HCR. The Republican party is showing its seamy underbelly with their lack of compassion for the struggles of everyday Americans. Trump and his sycophants are acting like renters who are about to be evicted for not paying rent so they're going to trash the place out of spite. Pardon my language but what a bunch of shit heels!
On a lighter note, Tik Tokkers, et al, were banding together much like when they all reserved tickets to 45's rally. They planned to tune into Biden's Town Hall on ALL of their devices (phones, laptops, TV etc.) to give Joe Biden a huge bump viewership numbers. Way to hit Trump where it hurts most; his fragile ego.
When did elected Republicans collectively sell their souls? 😔
Apropos of a historian, your letters serve as an essential record of the goings-on in our country. Please publish them in a book that captures what led to the election of the current administration, and how the citizens of our country responded to the grifter/white nationalist/misogynist/security risk-in-chief by either voting him out, or not.
PBS on Wednesday evening had a clip of dt saying that while he expects to stay president, it's possible he will lose the election and that's okay with him. I suspect it's him being shrewd rather than a true reflection of his feeling or intentions. I still believe there is little he and his crew won't do to extend his "leadership."
I was recently moved by an interview with AOC in which she noted that young people of her generation don't know about "bipartisanship." There has been no experience of bipartisanship in their lives. That the absence of this experience represents a generational gap. Young people don't have a longing for a "vintage fantasy" of bipartisanship that brought about transformative change for working people. In their experience bipartisanship got us into the Iraq war, student debt, endless war, bank bailouts, expanded military, larger give-aways to Wall St, expanded fossil fuel infrastructures, racial injustice, and economic injustice for working people. What actually brought about transformative change was Democratic majorities, not bipartisanship! Bipartisanship for the sake of bipartisanship is not a virtue. It depends on what we are trying to accomplish and what we are using that bipartisanship for. This electorate, at this time in history---and for the first time for young people---wants Democrats to deliver transformative, bold change in the lives of working class Americans. However she is characterized, AOC keeps reminding up of our history and our mission.
Here's my question about the Court and the ACA, and the GOP nefarious plan to undo it with Miss Amy's help.
If Biden wins AND Dems take the Senate, why couldn't the ACA be reconstructed as a new entity, fixing the bits that have been shown to be problematic, and presenting it as brand new legislation? I'm assuming the Court, in its current (with Amy) configuration, would say it's unconstitutional, but what, specifically, could they legally get away with? Is it possible that this would tie the Court's hands, or not?
I can think of about 300 million things besides an *advertising campaign* to help us “defeat despair” over the coronavirus — PPE. Vaccine Research. Wage Replacement. ...
Even a Basket Of Kittens for every family would be a better use of *our* money!
Thanks for your tireless efforts to give us clarity. I know I am not alone in thinking, if it weren’t for you, our oracle of historic reference and grounding, we would be spinning into insanity. I hope you have been taking care of yourself. Hopefully soon you will be able to take a well-deserved rest.
The town halls were a good moment to see what a difference we are faced with. Biden was a realistic reminder of what a president should do for us and Trump was a nightmare friggin reality show. America loves its reality shows, but its time to change the channel and get back to reality itself.