By Vovmar @Adobe Stock
Enjoy the “ignominious end to a ludicrously overpowered commission.” Yes, Ben Domenech in the Spectator is referring to the Commission on Presidential Debates.
… the Biden White House and the Trump campaign have agreed on at least two debates, one in June and another in September. There really ought to be August and October debates, too — but those will likely only happen if Team Biden thinks he can convince some voters at a low risk for his candidacy.
American voters deserve more debates — and ones moderated by people “who actually know a thing or two about what’s going on in America,” continues Mr. Domenech.
Biden can’t go along with the CPD because their timeline, moderators and priorities don’t line up with his. So instead he’s grasping at Jake Tapper and Dana Bash for help, which they are happy to offer.
It’s absurd that the current president and the former president are reduced to arguing on the third-ranked cable news network.
A Long Overdue Mercy Killing
Mr. Domenech invites readers to also listen to his podcast week, which you can listen to here.
Will Democrats Hold a Contested Convention
From the WSJ’s Notable & Quotable (17 May):
President Joe Biden traded three debates after Labor Day for one debate after Labor Day, reports Nate Silver in Substack (15 May).
If the White House thinks the debates are a liability for Biden, this is a brilliant tactical move—and I mean that sincerely. By throwing this curveball, Biden made it appear as though he proactively wanted more debates when he actually wanted fewer. And he doesn’t seem to be paying too much of a PR price for it. The media has mostly gone along with the White House narrative—not to mention Democratic partisans yelling at me on Twitter—fooled by his sleight-of-hand into not recognizing that 2 < 3.
There’s one other tactical wrinkle—I suppose I’m skeptical that the White House was thinking about it, but if so, I’ll up their grade from A+ to A+++.
By moving the first debate to before the Democratic convention in August, Democrats increase their option value. Here’s what I mean by that. If Biden totally and irrecoverably screws up in the June debate—he’s just obviously no longer ready for prime time—then he can step down and Democrats can . . . hold a contested convention.
