Dan Rather anticipates the debate between Trump and Biden by pointing out that Trump has repeatedly engaged in bizarre analogies and metaphors.
In the article below., he points to recent Trump statements that make no sense. The press ignored them, though they are ready to jump on Biden for any misstatement, no matter how trivial.
Rather writes:
First, let’s get something straight. The 90-minute political event airing Thursday night on CNN is not a debate. It is a joint appearance by two candidates running for president. A debate would be wonderful. I would welcome an actual debate, which is a discussion between opponents in which rival arguments are put forward directly. That is not what you will see on Thursday night, should you choose to watch. You will see two men answer questions, if we are lucky, in a kind of a dual press conference and television show. I’m pretty certain one will answer the questions. The other? It’s anyone’s guess.
Now, let’s talk about expectations. The MAGA media universe, with an assist from the mainstream media (more on that later), has been working overtime to paint Joe Biden as a senile old man who doesn’t have the mental capacity to be president.
The problem with this strategy is that the bar is now so low for Biden that if he just walks on stage and waves he will have exceeded expectations. The right-wing media has painted themselves into a corner and is now thrashing to get out of it.
To do so, Fox “News” and Donald Trump himself are telling anyone who will listen that the only way President Biden will be coherent is if he is “jacked up” on medical supplements. Trump even mentioned cocaine. I can’t believe I just wrote that sentence. A former president of the United States has accused the current president of taking illegal drugs. And that is not front-page news.
The expectations for Trump aren’t much better. If past is prologue, we have a pretty good idea of how he will perform. In an op-ed in today’s New York Times, Hillary Clinton described what it was like to appear on a “debate” stage with Trump.
“I know the excruciating pressure of walking onto that stage and that it is nearly impossible to focus on substance when Mr. Trump is involved. In our three debates in 2016, he unleashed a blizzard of interruptions, insults and lies that overwhelmed the moderators and did a disservice to the voters who tuned in to learn about our visions for the country.”
In the ensuing eight years, we have seen actual evidence of cognitive decline in Trump. Recently it has been more of a plummet. His extemporaneous speeches have become a mishmash of incoherent tangents. Calling it word salad would be a disservice to lettuce.
His recents rants have included confused musings about sharks and electrocutions, at the same time. At a Philadelphia rally on Saturday, he started talking about water.
“You ever try buying a new home and you turn on – you want to wash your hair or you wanna wash your hands – you turn on the water and it goes drip, drip,” he said.
The solution to not enough water is rain, he explained. “There’s so much water, you don’t know what to do with it. You know, it’s called rain. It rains a lot in certain places … There is a problem. They don’t want you to have any water. They want no water.”
At this point Fox, which was airing the speech live, cut to commercial. That may have been their programming plan all along, but considering Trump is ratings gold for the cable channel, the more likely reason is that they were protecting the convicted felon/presumptive presidential nominee from himself.
Many say it is just Trump being Trump. No. Not any more.
“In 2016, Trump said outrageous things at his campaign rallies to be entertaining. In 2024, his tangents raise serious questions about his mental fitness,” according to The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson.
Robinson went on to suggest that if President Biden had gone off on illogical diatribes about hand-washing or shark attacks, it would have led every broadcast and headlined every newspaper, questioning his mental stability. Congress would have called for hearings.
But Trump’s behavior has become so normalized that outlets like the Times and the Post sometimes fail to even mention nonsensical blatherings like the ones at the Philadelphia rally.
Speaking of the mainstream media and coverage of the candidates: A case study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania concluded that “the choice of the Times to publish almost three times as many articles about Biden’s age as about Trump pulling the US out of NATO represents a clear example of biased coverage.”
Back in February, special counsel Robert Hur declined to indict Biden over classified documents he had removed from the White House while vice president. But Hur — a lawyer, not a doctor — said he found Biden a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
Here’s how the Times covered it, according to the UPenn study: “During the week that the Special Counsel’s report came out, we examined the top 20 articles on the Times’ landing page every four hours. In that time, they published 26 unique articles about Biden’s age, of which 1 of them explored the possibility that Trump’s age was of equal or more concern.” Meanwhile, Trump’s threat to withdraw from NATO and “encourage” Russia “to do whatever the hell they want” garnered only 10 unique articles in that timeframe. Ending 75-plus years of a military alliance and jeopardizing world stability? No big deal.
The New York Times is a great journalistic enterprise, one of the world’s best. But how can we allow the normalization of Trump’s behavior? It should be called out. Every time. If Trump is barking at the moon, report it, broadcast it. News organizations may be tired of the craziness, but we voters are not.
If nothing else, being able to evaluate both men on a stage together at Thursday evening’s joint appearance will be a welcome relief from all the noise. One, or maybe both of them, could surprise us.
If you value independent journalism that brings you critical information when the mainstream media fails us, please consider joining as a supporting member. It allows me
Diane Ravitch's blog 
”Many say it is just Trump being Trump.”
It is Trump being Trump. That’s the point.
Once again, the “liberal” mainstream press is doing everything they can to get T elected.
As far as I can tell, it is called out every time. Why don’t a good portion of Americans listen?
Barking at the moon would be appropriate for Putin’s dog, Trump.
I wish there were a hell so that all you spammers could go to it.
Darwin Award to anyone who clicks on that link, above.
Don’t.
Newsflash from ‘Over The Pond’ to those in the USA who are not worried about Trump
Trump and his antics are not like ‘Reality TV’. If he gets back into the Whitehouse you don’t get to hear canned applause and the credits roll, then fade. Nor do you get to switch him off. Worse you won’t get to switch off those who will come riding in on his golf cart.
In tonight’s debate (verbal combat), Trump will be his usual obnoxious self. He will interrupt, make wild claims and just lie through his teeth nonstop, he has absolutely no regard for the truth and actual facts. He should be checked for rotten eggs and moldy tomatoes to make sure he doesn’t resort to violence. Long story short, Trump will rant and rave like an unhinged maniac.
The good news is that the microphone will be muted for the one who is not on. This will curb Trump’s aggressive interruptions.
Trump is talking to his constituents, not a debate, a campaign rally, I don’t know anyone who is “undecided” I know a few “ plague on both your houses.”
Elections are about GOTV, “Get Out the Vote,” mobilizing” your voters, if you’ve ever listened to a real debate, rather boring unless you have a specific interest.
Voting is emotional not rational and the test is who can whip up their troops,
Soon after it starts, I think Traitor Trump will storm out of the debate and hold a press conference to the lemming pack of reporters working for the BIG 6 corporations that own 90% of the traditional media.
I have no doubts that pack of lemmings will be waiting, since the traitor’s traitorous team will let them know before the debate ever starts, so they’ll be in the right spot at the right time.
In that press conference, after the traitor storms out of the debate, the traitor will do the same thing he does after his court trials end each day, claim Biden was on drugs, the Q&A debate was rigged by the lying media, while the traitor throws names out at will that his dangerously dumber than dumb fascist loving MAGA cult will start to threaten along with their families.
Somehow the traitor will manage to repeat all of his favorite tropes like the Biden Crime family one.
If any reporters in the lemming pack ask a question he doesn’t like, he’ll call out them names, insulting them, so they’ll get death threats, too.
Of course, he’ll ramble lunacy, too but most if not all of the lemmings will ignore that and stick to the usual BS that flows like a Biblical flood from the traitors mouth.
24 hours later, well read in the news that the traitors dumber than rock followers donated another $50 million or more that the traitor will add to his defense fund for all the trials that are yet to come.
If that doesn’t happen and the traitor actually attempts to follow the rules by answer the questions and keeping quiet while Biden is answering his questions, I will be surprised and shocked.
Has the traitor every done anything like that in his life?
I also don’t expect Biden and his campaign people to competently counter the damage Trump does with help from the lemmings that work for the BIG 6.
Very much the opposite. Everyone in world sees the dementia and the rambling it’s truly embarrassing. What’s worse, people here and elsewhere are defending Biden, could you imagine if Trump fell upstairs, fell on a bike, craps pants . Doesn’t know how to get off stage. The 25th amendment will get Biden. This debate is Trump vs CNN . Horrific lying anchors. Dana Bash ex is CIA who lied about laptop. Biden won’t even take a drug test, like father like son. Good luck watching a senile fool lie and look horrible.
You’re trying very hard to sell very tired lies.
Donald Trump is a convicted felon. He is a bad business man who has multiple bankruptcies on his record.
He has no interest in anything that does not benefit Donald Trump.
No need to schedule a press conference – he had one right there!
I do not share your opinion of the Times. At all.