Friday 28 June, 2024
The debate was scheduled for 2am British Summer Time. Wisely or not, I started listening , then dragged myself out of bed to watch the debate.
It was slightly surreal viewing. The two protagonists stood behind space-age podiums (podia?). Behind them, a vast vacant area reminding me of a gigantic lecture theatre.
Two interrogators sometimes visible pose carefully crafted questions. I watch with increasing dismay as a car-crash scene unfold.
I leave my notes unedited to recapture the effect of what I saw.
The structure: Two minute answers, one minute for rebuttal. This solved one set of problems, but produced often assertion driven exchanges.
A hour into the debate.
Concerns about both candidates frailty justified. Trump eventually found a way of not answering the questions asked.
Biden as hesitant as supporters feared.
Trump exuding confidence and self obsession as he utters a stream of unverified claims of his greatness...
