Roughly ten minutes into tonight’s debate I thought about Matt Tiabbi.
Not because his coverage of several presidential campaigns has been both hilarious and insightful, though it has.
Not because his books about politics are among some of my favorites, which they are.
I thought about Matt Tiabbi because, for a few minutes tonight, I felt like I could finally understand what it was like for him to be at a Presidential debate whilst tripping on acid.
What we saw from Donald Trump tonight defies every rule of debate decorum and decency and somehow stooped to a mystifying new low from his 2016 performances against Hillary Clinton.
Joe Biden tried. When he could, he offered a cogent vision for moving the country forward. He demonstrated the steady hand we need so badly at the wheel of our federal government.
Unfortunately he spent most of the debate being heckled by Donald Trump with the most belligerent stream of outright lies we’ve ever seen in a general election debate. Television analysts are currently perplexed, trying to figure out what exactly Trump’s strategy was. When prompted to denounce white supremacists, Trump mustered only “stand back, and stand by.” What could that possibly mean?
The most important message for us to take from this debate came in Biden’s final answer, on if he would implore his supporters to remain calm until all the votes are counted, and if he’ll honor the result of the election.
Biden made an impassioned case that the fate of this election rests not in the hands of Trump or the courts, but in our hands. We as voters can rid our nation of the babbling idiot occupying the White House if we make a plan to vote in whatever way feels best and safest for us, cast our ballot, and keep the faith.
In responding to Donald Trump’s hurricane of disinformation and voter suppression, Joe Biden assured a terrified nation that the truth will prevail. “If he loses,” as Biden said during the debate, “he goes away.”
We can make Trump go away. We can shut the noise machine off.
If you haven’t made your plan to vote, do it right now. Go to IWillVote.com or MyTexasVotes.com to get the information you need to vote safely and make your voice heard.
We must vote like our lives depend on it. If we do, we will leave no doubt.
Joe brings over a decade of experience as a political operative and creative strategist to Texas Signal, where he serves as our Senior Advisor and does everything from writing a regular column, Musings, to mentoring our staff and freelancers. Joe was campaign manager for Lina Hidalgo's historic 2018 victory for Harris County Judge and is a passionate sneakerhead.
