Steve Huntley of John Kass News (dot com) points out that never in history have we had a presidential debate in the beginning of summer. (Summer just started on the 21st.) They're always in the fall, or late August at the earliest.
So why is this one so early?
An easy answer is "because Democrats have turned Election Day into Election Half-Year and so voters need to see the candidates before they begin voting." Which could start, who knows, in July for all know.
But... why would Democrats want a debate to impact voters' decisions? Surely they would prefer if debates were held in September, after most votes had already been cast. Too late for Democrat voters to change their minds.
Huntley speculates:
A debate between the two parties' presidential candidates this early has never happened before. Never.
The explanation is that the Biden campaign, worried about his sagging poll ratings, wants to reassure voters about his age and mental acuity, contrast himself with Trump, and remind Americans that the stakes have never been higher. Meaning the evil orange man might get returned to the White House, and America needs to know how awful he is.
Really, the country needs to hear more Democrat reasons to hate Trump?
...
Let's consider another possible motive, one perhaps animating Democrat leaders and party faithful who behind the scenes must be verging on panic over the increasing public perception of Biden as a senile old fool, an 81-year-old man who's doddering, decrepit, feeble in mind and body.
...
Influential Democrats might see it as the last chance to save the party in November.
These movers and shakers might figure that if Biden has a crippling debate performance of disconnected ramblings, meaningless utterances, angry outbursts and undeniable mental decline, there's still time to persuade him to drop out and for the national convention in late July to produce a replacement.
...
After another recent disastrous poll, analyst Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight declared, "Dropping out would be a big risk. But there's some threshold below which continuing to run is a bigger risk. Are we there yet? I don't know. But it's more than fair to ask."
Suppose the debate turns into a humiliating embarrassment for Biden. Democrats might find themselves at Silver's "there."
...
Or maybe you think this scenario of pushing Biden aside might be too cynical or Machiavellian. If so, let's revisit a simple truth: The Democrats' and the hard left's lust for power and their obsession with destroying Trump know no bounds.
Hm. Let me consider this.
Okay, I've considered it. Huntley offers a reason why Democrats might want an early debate, to finally build up the case to pressure Joe Biden to drop out.
But "Democrats" did not agree to to this debate -- Joe Biden did.
How does it help Joe Biden to have an early debate which can give Democrats more ammunition to persuade the party to force him out?
No, I think the conventional wisdom here is right: Biden saw his poll numbers dropping, felt the panic from Democrats and billionaire donors, and figures that he can "reset" the election by... talking about January 6th and Trump's frame-up trials some more.
As if we haven't heard about all that!
But remember, Democrats always claim that the problem isn't their policies, it's just "messaging" and the public's failure to realize how wonderful they are. If they just said the same things louder and more often...
Joe Biden is busy prepping for his debate.
[NYT:]
At Camp David, a movie theater and an airplane hangar have been outfitted with lights and production equipment to create a mock debate stage. At least 16 current and former aides, summoned from Washington and Wilmington, whiz back and forth on golf carts to join President Biden in strategy sessions.
...
Some are returning to the fold just long enough to help Mr. Biden prepare: Brian Deese, who left the administration as director of the National Economic Council in 2023, is expected to visit Camp David to help Mr. Biden refine his pitch that the American economy is recovering.
Uh-huh. He's been making that pitch for (checks notes) three years.
As you may have heard, among Biden's preparation: Standing for 90 minutes. He needs to build up the strength to merely stand for 90 minutes.
Though I do wonder, is that just Biden's inner circle leaking that to lower expectations for Biden?
How much lower do they want them?
In more debate tidings: From Archimedes, Jake Tapper is being sued for defamation for up to $1 billion dollars, and a judge has found that the plaintiff has introduced sufficient evidence of actual malice to go to trial.
Remember, the media benefits from a liberal Supreme-Court-declared "law" that you can't sue the media for defamation unless you can prove they acted with "malice," which is either knowledge that what they were reporting was false, or reckless disregard for whether it was false or not.
I sure hope Trump throws this in Fake Jake's face.
The first presidential debate is scheduled for Thursday, and, as of right now, the Biden campaign claims their candidate will show up. I'm not so sure, but I guess we'll see. Interestingly enough, one of the moderators in the debate, Jake Tapper, is the subject of a defamation lawsuit that could cost the network $1 billion.
You may not have heard about it yet, but the Florida First District Court of Appeals recently ruled that plaintiff Zachary Young can pursue punitive damages, along with economic and emotional damages, in a civil trial against CNN. According to Newsbusters, the total damages sought could approach or exceed $1 billion because of Tapper's comments defaming Young's efforts to aid individuals in Afghanistan during the botched withdrawal in 2021.
[Newsbusters:]For that outcome to be remotely in the cards, Young needed to prove malice and according to the ruling, he's done exactly that. "Young sufficiently proffered evidence of actual malice, express malice, and a level of conduct outrageous enough to open the door for him to seek punitive damages," Judge L. Clayton Roberts wrote in the court's ruling.
The court felt the high bars for actual and expressed malice were met because of internal CNN messages that were extremely vicious toward Young. Correspondent Alex Marquardt, the "primary reporter" expressed in a message to a colleague that he wanted to "nail this Zachary Young mfucker" and thought the story would be Young's "funeral." On that declaration of wanting to "nail" Young, CNN editor Matthew Philips responded: "gonna hold you to that cowboy!"
Alongside Marquardt, CNN senior editor Fuzz Hogan, who's a member of CNN's internally lauded "Triad" of editorial, legal, and standards/practices oversight personnel, described Young as "a shit."
I sure hope Trump throws this in his face, too: Tapper whines sanctimoniously about Trump challenging the results of an election, but Jake Tapper previously wrote a book accusing George W. Bush and Republicans of "plotting to steal the presidency."
Props will not be allowed at the debate, so unfortunately Trump cannot just bring this book to the debate and place it on his podium facing the cameras.
By the way, Team Trump, if you bring up the title, Tapper will reply the editor chose the title or some b***shit like that. Be prepared for that, and be prepared to respond that he could have objected if he didn't like the "editor-suggested" title. No author is forced to accept an editor-recommended title.
Tapper himself chose the title because he's a hard partisan selling to a hard partisan audience and he knew a hard-partisan title would help sell books. (Although he doesn't really sell books.)
I thought of a way for Trump to use Tapper's and Bash's bias against them: When they step in to debate Trump and rescue Biden for the third or forth time, he should turn to Biden and ask, "Are you okay with this? Do you need rescuing by reporters? Are you not man enough to debate me yourself?"
And throw in: "If you're hoping this debate will make the public think you're mentally on-the-ball, allowing two partisan Democrat reporters to keep saving you won't help you make that case."
Turn their helpfulness towards Biden into a liability for him. Keep bringing it back to Biden inviting them to help out a Well Intentioned Elderly Man with a Poor Memory.
Below, a couple of the best bites.
Tom Elliott
@tomselliott
Tapper's entire career has been in left-wing politics: Ed Rendell, a Democrat congressional candidate, Handgun Control, Washington City Paper, Salon.com, and his wife works for Planned Parenthood
The "integrity of the election" is precious to you, Fake Jake?
More at the thread.