In a presidential season marked by unprecedented events, it’s fitting that Atlanta is again the center of the political universe by hosting the first debate. Four years ago, 11,779 Georgia voters handed our state’s 16 electoral votes and the White House to Joe Biden. The ensuing series of events — conspiracy theories, the infamous call “to find 11,780 votes,” fake elector schemes, 19 indictments, a presidential mug shot, four guilty pleas (so far) — reverberated across the nation and reshaped the political landscape.
For the first time since 1892, the United States appears headed toward a rematch between a president and his predecessor. Any honest analysis can reach no other conclusion than that President Biden has ground to make up. He is trailing narrowly in the national polling average (compared with a 10 point lead in June 2020, according to the Real Clear Politics average). More important, his deficit in the battleground states — including Georgia — has been consistent and durable.
Credit: Geoff Duncan
Credit: Geoff Duncan
For those voters who share my view that another four years of former President Donald Trump would be catastrophic home and abroad, all hope is not lost. Four months is an eternity in politics, and the debate offers Biden an opportunity to reset the narrative. Here are three things he needs to do Thursday night.
First, answer the age and vitality questions once and for all. A strong performance for Biden will defang one of Trump’s most effective weapons of political destruction against Biden. A poll this year showed nearly nine in 10 Americans believed Biden was too old for the job. His 2024 State of the Union helped silence some of those critics, but that was nearly four months ago. Debates represent one of the few stages without handlers or safety nets. Biden more than passed the test in the 2008 and 2012 vice presidential debates, as well as the 2020 matchups with Trump. Now he must rise to the occasion on the biggest stage yet.
A steady performance before a national audience provides a ready-made answer to question of Biden appearing unsteady. Here, Trump and his allies are again helping Biden’s case by lowering the bar for success. Biden needs to clear it and never look back.
Second, the president should speak to all economic realities. It’s the tale of two stories. There are people in neighborhoods in suburban Atlanta where home values have never been higher, 401(k) retirement plans have never been worth more and inflation is an inconvenience more than an obstacle. For many others, elevated interest rates have put homeownership out of reach, inflation continues to outpace salaries and 40% are not able to plan past their next paycheck.
The president should be empathetic to people on both sides of the calculus. He should resist the “soak the rich” demagoguery favored by some in his party while offering concrete ideas and a vision to those needing hope. He should approach Thursday with the confidence that his base is with him and with a willingness to extend an olive branch to those in the middle, especially on economic issues.
Third, remind the country of the embarrassing tumult of the Trump presidency. The former president likes to selectively brag about the first three years of his presidency, while glossing over 2020. Biden should remind voters of Trump’s unsteady leadership during the pandemic, including when he criticized states like ours for reopening too early. And Biden should not let voters forget that Trump further inflamed a divided nation during the aftermath of the George Floyd murder with incendiary rhetoric like “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Trump’s refusal to accept the loss of the 2020 election is well documented and baked in the cake. Voters swayed by his conduct during that time likely made up their minds. There are other factors that should get more attention. For instance, Biden would be wise to remind viewers concerned about inflation that the national debt rose nearly $8 trillion under Trump — the third-biggest increase of any U.S. presidential administration.
Above all, let Trump be Trump. At 78, he’s no spring chicken, and questions about his cognitive ability are growing.
Much like pitching in baseball, composure will be important. When the game is on the line, the great ones tend to throw smarter, not harder. That hardly describes Trump’s style when threatened. Sometimes aggression works, but most times it doesn’t, most notably in the first 2020 debate when Trump lost many voters with his unhinged performance.
As Biden is fond of saying, “don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.” The stakes are high, the temperature is hot and, come Thursday, America will be watching, again.
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