To the editor:
One of the easiest things to do is offer commentary with no fear of rebuttal. Just say anything, true or not, and you can be sure that it will be accepted as true by many. Politicians and so-called political pundits do it all the time.
How many times, for example, have the Democrats said electing Trump would be the end of democracy in America and offered no supporting evidence? Just saying it is enough, no proof required.
It wouldn’t be hard to come up with many more examples, by either major party, but fortunately, three of Biden’s TV appearances are all that is needed to prove my point.
First, the Biden-Trump debate. ‘Debate’ is the key word here. Answers, by both Biden and Trump, were open to debate. We all know how that turned out. Biden was so bad even the mainstream media couldn’t defend his performance.
Second, Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos. I think most of us were looking for soft-ball questions to make Biden look good. Surprisingly, George was a little tougher on Biden than expected. Although Biden looked a little better on this one, he still left much to be desired.
Third, Biden’s interview with Lester Holt on NBC. Although Holt, to his credit, did ask some good questions, Biden’s answers were accepted with very little, if any, debate. His attacks on Trump went relatively unchallenged, as did other topics that were worthy of two-sided discussion. The format for that interview, allowing mostly uncontested answers, made it easier for Biden to look competent.
Now that Biden is going to be out of the picture, it will be even more important for us to demand discussions between candidates and not settle for answers and accusations that will go unchallenged. That goes for all parties involved.
Walter Crean
Madawaska
