Voters on both sides should ensure facts and logic transcend perceptions and biases
Donald Trump encourages people to doubt his judgment. Sometimes he proves doubters wrong; at other times he reinforces their suspicions.
President Joe Biden, a traditional politician, played to his supporters’ biases. This has backfired on his party in ways that should spur less judging and more judgment from his followers and detractors.
Biden labelling Trump a liar is a factually correct mischaracterisation. Trump is a habitual bullshitter. Phrased more kindly, Trump is a dealmaker who is constantly marketing. His lies can simultaneously seem dumb, devious and devilishly amusing.
Judging is easy and many people are quick to dismiss opinions that differ from their own. Biden’s image was crafted around his being a good guy genuinely concerned about ordinary people. Kamala Harris’ handlers will develop themes around leadership and her multicultural background.
For voters, developing well-informed judgments is vastly more demanding than merely judging. Facts and logic must transcend perceptions and biases.
Biden abandoned his re-election campaign but he can’t undo the high-profile misrepresentations that he, his staff, media and many others perpetrated. For many months he has been fully alert for fewer and fewer hours per day. This was possibly the biggest open secret yet. His supporters believed what they wanted to believe.
After his dismal debate performance of June 27 commentators and Democratic operatives deliberated whether he should remain in the race. Most pundits and partisans continued to fixate not on whether he could do the job, but whether he could beat Trump.
Play along
Voters cannot easily ignore that “Biden’s team”, which includes many high-profile media personalities and even actors, were dishonest about his diminishing capabilities. They clearly put party politics ahead of America’s interests. Until quite recently, tens of millions of voters had been willing to play along. The party must now decide whether to rubber stamp Harris’ nomination or contest it.
Among various factors dissuading undecided voters from supporting Trump are the difficulties discerning what might be “mostly accurate” about his many loosely constructed assertions and accusations. His seemingly bombastic claim that he will promptly end the war in Ukraine is a prime example.
Biden likes judging and his judging Vladimir Putin to be a war criminal is well justified. But might publicly insulting Putin and labelling him a war criminal constitute a dereliction of duty? Neither side will surrender. A deal will have to be negotiated sooner or later.
Grand deal
Chief among the many reasons the White House occupant is best positioned to negotiate such a deal is the importance to Russia of sanctions relief. Also, Putin considers Russia to be a superpower.
There is a grand deal to be done, which could be no less consequential than what former US president Richard Nixon and China’s Chairman Mao were able to negotiate. Biden, for no material benefit to the US or its allies, disinvited his administration from such a role. He preferred to brandish his do-gooder image by cheerleading for admirable values. This precluded angling for a war-ending deal.
The presidents of Russia and China now look far less formidable than when they proclaimed their unbounded partnership just before Putin invading Ukraine. The US is well placed to encourage Russia’s reintegration with the West — which could discourage Chinese assertiveness. A well-structured deal would benefit 8-billion people.
Biden and his supporters routinely advanced diversity, equity and inclusion-styled initiatives that often seemed indifferent towards merit. This attitude has now been immortalised in the iconic photo of a bloodied but defiant Trump being shielded by a woman eclipsed by his stature.
Seasoned campaign advisers say this US presidential election will be determined by which party best motivates its base to vote. Such motivation is spurred by incessantly attacking the opponent’s character.
My distaste for Trump’s style dates to the early 1980s, and I had hoped Biden would step aside so the Democrats could nominate a formidable leader. Voters should exercise much judgment while appreciating the merits of deal making and discerning which social policies are effective.