A presidential debate is a time for storytelling. And as much as Biden and Trump will discuss The Big Issues tonight, they’ll also be engaged in a process of self-narrativizing, implanting cues in viewers’ minds about who they are, and what it says about you to support one or the other.
Of course, they’re not starting from scratch. Tonight, both candidates will stand on a story-foundation that they’ve built for themselves over their careers, many times over: Trump’s story is that he’s a captain of industry and a huge asshole who always gets his way; Biden’s is that he’s… uh… well… nice?
Take a glance at Biden’s campaign materials and you can see the story they’re trying to tell: Biden’s empathetic and friendly, caring and avuncular, on your side, listening, a friend. Stable. That feels very nice to soft-hearted weaklings like you and me, but I don’t know that it’ll read well next to Trump’s grandiose swaggering. In debates, Biden tends to be polite and formal and smart on the issues, which may just come off as, I hate to say it, too boring.
But maybe that’s a good thing? After the bullshit of this year, a little boring could be just what we need. Calm things down, Joe; show us what it’s like not to be screaming 24 hours a day. I don’t love many of Biden’s policies, but as I think about what I want the next four years of my life to be like, I’d rather see myself complaining about Biden’s timid approach to Health Care for All than despairing over Trump’s policy of Death for All.
I believe there’s no greater economic engine in the world than the hard work and ingenuity of the American people — and I witnessed it firsthand last week in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Together, we’re going to make sure the future is made here in America. pic.twitter.com/tw7tv6sPKT
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 29, 2020
A few months ago, I was unexpectedly moved to tears by a light rail construction video in which Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff said of upcoming system expansions, “you should look forward to a bright, more connected tomorrow, and we’ll get back to what we do best.”
I didn’t realize just how desperately I’d been waiting for some kind of official to say exactly those words—that they’re taking care of things and there’s a bright future ahead—and if Joe can just capture a fraction of that vibe I think you’ll hear a long loud sigh of relief, before we get to work pushing him further left.
Meanwhile, on the Trump side, planning for tonight’s stories continues to be unhinged. The conspiracy theory going around his base is that Biden is taking performance-enhancing drugs and will wear a secret earpiece tonight. That follows weeks of spreading a rumor that Biden has some kind of mental issue, so if I had to guess at why they’ve now pivoted to the drugs/earpiece theory, it’s that they probably fear they’ll need to explain why Biden seemed just fine tonight.
So how’s the media handling all this? Oh just great, mostly allowing the accusations about Biden’s mental health to continue and treating them like a valid issue rather than something entirely fabricated.
