Up To Date With Ethan Callender Entry 52: LifeAlert for President
Recently, the first Presidential debate of the upcoming electoral cycle was scheduled to happen between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. It would be different from past debates, with no audience and no room for candidate interruptions. If I stopped there, it would probably sound promising compared to the shouting contests of recent cycles. However, there was one red flag apparent from the start. CNN was hosting it, which is an issue because of the biases inherent within that network and many others.
You see, back in 2016, they earned the derisive nickname of the Clinton News Network, considering their over the top support of Hillary in that electoral cycle. Then, when Trump unexpectedly entered the race and won, CNN started to pivot into using his frequently embarrassing antics as a cash cow, a business model they have milked dry for nearly a decade now.
Fast forward to today, and a second cash cow has been found for CNN, which consists of questioning Biden’s fitness for office on account of advanced age. Never mind that Trump is only around three years younger, and never mind his support of a certain Project 2025, because he is where the money is for CNN nowadays.
And money is exactly why this debate was even held. In any reasonable society, this should not even be a contest. Biden, after all, has faced mounting criticism over his ideological feebleness in addition to his physical age. And Trump was convicted of 34 felonies this past year by a jury that included some of his supporters. Neither of these men should even be in the running, and yet, they are the major parties’ nominees for the highest office in the land.
But now, let’s finally talk about the debate and how each of the candidates did. First to discuss is Biden, or at least the half-cadaver version of himself who showed up. Seriously, not only did the sitting President look terrible on the stage, he was almost as bad beyond that, too. In fact, it was so bad that I and many others have legitimate doubts whether he should even stay in the race. It was an all-timer in terms of terrible political moments, and I’m frankly amazed his family wants him to stay in. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if saving democracy in this country is indeed his goal, it would be easier for that to happen if he stepped aside, because this performance left me with little confidence in him at all.
However, I’m not letting Trump get off clean here, either. While he was admittedly somewhat coherent during the debate, his major malfunction was what he said throughout the debate. We’re talking about numerous racist stereotypes against American communities of color as well as those migrating into the US from the southern border. We’re talking about numerous instances where he lied about the 2020 election and other domestic issues. We’re talking about him caustically insulting those who dare even remotely oppose the genocidal actions taken by Israel’s government, calling Biden and Chuck Schumer alike “Palestinians” for even expressing a modicum of support for the people of Gaza. Do I even have to elaborate on how disgusting it is to be using an entire nation’s name as a slur?
In conclusion, I’ll argue that it’s not just Biden that needs to exit the Presidential race, but Trump too. If Biden wins, somehow, we may outlast Trump, but Trump’s movement will not die with him. If Trump wins again, which is increasingly plausible given the terrible state of the Democrats right now, then a whole world of appalling consequences may come our way. But that is a story for the next entry.