Bill Murray once said, “It’s hard to win an argument with a smart person. It’s damn near impossible to win one with a stupid person.” For the objective viewer, whoever that is, I expect Tuesday night’s debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump to feel like this. Afterward, those tuning in to root for their chosen candidate will likely declare victory.
Harris supporters know her and will likely not be surprised by the things she says or the demeanor she displays. Even if she stumbles a little or fails to land the knockout punches Democrats are hoping for, it is unlikely she will lose anyone already on the Harris for President campaign train.
Oh, and she will make her case with the facts. That should matter, plenty, but we’ll just have to wait and see about that.
The contrast Tuesday night’s argument will display most distinctly will be exactly that: fact versus fiction.
Trump will likely try to make his case with hopes of exposing some damaging weakness in Harris. Can he make her seem weak? Can he make her seem unintelligent? Whether he’s having one of his high energy days or another one of the growing number of low ones, it’s unlikely he will make her anything at all.
Most of all though, this debate will be between two people so different in sharpness, age and ability, they won’t appear to be even speaking the same language.
Beach daydreams
My wife took me to the beach this weekend to celebrate my birthday. On Saturday, an average size boat approached the area where we were camped and dropped its anchor. It had two oversized flags flying from the back of it. One was an old, faded U.S. Marines flag, and the other was a “Trump 2024” flag, that looked fresh out of the box. I couldn’t help wondering what he paid for that one, and how many other versions he had previously bought.
I go to the beach to daydream, so after I cycled through the economics of buying the junk his candidate peddles so shamelessly, I started focusing on the old flag.
What does this Marine think about Trump’s Arlington National Cemetery incident? Is the boater OK with the former president staging a campaign ad in a sacred American place that specifically prohibits it? In my daydream, this man lives most of his life like a Marine. He rises early in the morning, keeps his boat clean and ready to launch, and commits himself and those around him to truth, justice and accountability.
Except for that obvious, glaring blind spot. This boater is among many Trump supporters who have also abandoned their otherwise clear personal values to support someone who displays none of them. He is not persuadable.
Harris’s task on Tuesday night is not to make Trump look bad. Her task is to display the qualities most Americans believe are required for a president.
She won’t have any “senior moments.” Trump will. The question is, who will notice?
Trump examples
Just in the last two weeks, Trump has suggested a list of things that only an unserious candidate would. A sampling:
- Trump threatens long prison sentences for those who ‘cheat’ in the election if he wins;
- Trump warns getting migrants out will be a ‘bloody story;’
- Trump threatens 100% tariff on countries that turn away from the dollar.
And of course, the greatest recent display of Trump’s diminished capacity and lack of ability to understand the job he wants, comes from the “childcare is childcare” gibberish he spewed last week at the Economic Club of New York. Reshma Saujani was on the panel that day, and asked Trump a simple question about legislation he would support to deal with this everyday challenge for Americans. His now infamous lack of understanding of even the problem, led Saujani to appear on CNN to say that she believes his answer established his lack of fitness for the job.
More of this type of cringe-worthy nonsense should be expected at the debate from Trump, but what will Harris do with all of it? And is there any such thing as The Big Mistake for Trump anymore?
The debate is set for 90 minutes. That is a long time for a misogynistic racist to argue with a black woman without those character flaws shining through.
Harris only needs to show the majority of America that their enthusiasm for her candidacy is justified. She can do that. No matter what Trump says or does, she can do that.
And to the flag-flying man on the boat, as Bill Murray said, persuading you is near impossible.
Michael Leppert is an author, educator and a communication consultant in Indianapolis. He writes about government, politics and culture at MichaelLeppert.com. This commentary was previously published at indianacapitalchronicle.com. Send comments to [email protected].
