Every pundit across these United States is fielding the same question right now: Who is going to win Thursday night’s debate?
Every pundit across these United States is fielding the same question right now: Who is going to win Thursday night’s debate?
The correct answer isn’t necessarily the most satisfying.
It’s not “Joe Biden” or “Donald Trump” but this: whoever manages to avoid looking like — and is able to paint his opponent as — this election cycle’s “chaos candidate.”
For many years now, American voters have doggedly rejected candidates who carry excess baggage and drama with them.
One need look no further back in time than Tuesday night for proof of this political truth; Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) spent his time in office pulling fire alarms and carrying water for Hamas, and it cost him his job.
Consider also the 2022 midterms, when the members of the Addams family Republicans enlisted to represent them in key races across the country all lost.
Back in 2016, Trump’s bravado struck many as refreshing, especially in comparison with the charmless Hillary Clinton.
But both Trump and the left’s antics have worn on the American people, leaving them craving calm above all else.
In 2020, Biden — aided by the pandemic and Trump’s lack of personal discipline — was able to credibly make the case that his election would mark a return to normalcy.
This time, he will have to make the same case but under more difficult circumstances.
