Choose Your Metaphor: Wrestling or Meditation

 

Last night, Biden and Trump both had live town halls on different television networks at the same time.

President Trump was compared to World Wrestling (shown above). Susan Glasser, in the New Yorker, described part of Trump's town hall as follows:

In the debate, he had refused to denounce white supremacy. This time, he refused to denounce QAnon, even after Guthrie explained that the group falsely claims Democrats are “a satanic pedophile ring” engaged in an elaborate sex-trafficking conspiracy. “I don’t know about QAnon,” Trump responded, before saying that at least the group is strongly “against pedophilia,” which he is, too. The whole effect was more than a little unhinged, as captured in Trump’s most memorable exchange with the NBC anchor.

Why, Guthrie asked the President, had he chosen to tweet out a wild conspiracy theory earlier this week, suggesting that President Obama had killed the Navy’s SEAL Team Six in order to cover up the fake death of Osama bin Laden? When Trump responded that he was merely retweeting this insane and completely bogus story, so it was perfectly fine, Guthrie refused to accept his answer. She said, “I don’t get that. You’re the President! You’re not like someone’s crazy uncle who can just retweet whatever!”

When Trump's town hall ended, Glasser switched the channel

When Trump’s hour on NBC was finally over, I switched the television to ABC, where there were still thirty minutes left in Biden’s town hall. It was all dulcet tones and policy wonkery. After listening to Trump, the Biden show sounded soothing, and even a bit boring. Turning the channel to the former Vice-President exchanging civilized words with George Stephanopoulos and an auditorium full of earnest Pennsylvanians was like stumbling into a meditation room after being trapped at a barroom brawl. If Trump was Guthrie’s crazy uncle, Biden was his sensible, long-winded brother.

As far as the content of what Biden talked about, consider this exchange, from CBS about protections for transgender people.

The mother of a transgender daughter asked Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden asked how he would protect LBTQ rights if he is elected president – and Biden said he would just "flat-out change the law." Biden took questions at a televised town hall on Thursday, held opposite one with President Trump on a separate network after the second presidential debate was canceled.

"The Trump administration has attacked the rights of transgender people, banning them from military service, weakening nondiscriminatory protections and even removing the word 'transgender' from some government websites," Mieke Haeck said to Biden at ABC's town hall. "How will you as president reverse this dangerous and discriminatory agenda and ensure that the lives and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under U.S?"

"I would just flat-out change the law," Biden said. "I would eliminate [Mr. Trump's] executive orders, number one." 

He then recalled a moment from his childhood, when he was getting out of his dad's car and saw two men hug and kiss each other. "I turn to my dad and my dad says, 'Joey, it's simple. They love each other.'"

"The idea that an eight-year-old child or a 10-year-old child decides you know, I decided I want to be transgender. That's what I think I'd like to be. It'd make my life a lot easier. There should be zero discrimination," he continued.

"And what's happening is too many transgender women of color are being murdered. They're being murdered," he said.

Here Biden talks about the idea of using government to protect the vulnerable. This idea is not one I have heard President Trump talk about.