By Jonah Goldberg
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
It has been a very, very, long couple of days and I’ve
got to get on a plane. Also, debate punditry has a shelf-life of unpasteurized
dairy on a hot day. So, I’ll be very brief.
Kamala Harris won last night. I don’t see how that’s
refutable. I don’t even see a single metric by which one could say otherwise.
She beat the expectations set for her by her own campaign, by her fans, and by
her critics. She executed her strategy to bait Donald Trump very successfully.
She won among
the focus groups. The sober
analysts on Fox said she won.
Even the people claiming it was three on one because the
moderators were in the tank are still implicitly conceding that she won. They
just think it was unfair because Harris wasn’t fact-checked the way Trump was—which
is true. Though not all such complaints have equal weight. Arguing that “if
only Trump had been allowed to spread lies about dark and dusky immigrants
stealing cats and dogs to eat them uncorrected he’d have won!” is not a
blockbuster argument. On the other hand, the moderators’ pushback on Trump’s abortion
claims and a few other assertions fairly came across as bias.
I particularly find all the “rigged”
talk a good sign Harris won. And the
claim that ABC News gave Harris the answers in advance is pretty hilarious.
Why would she dodge the very first question if she knew it was coming? Also,
who seriously believes that any of those questions were surprises? If you think
anyone needed to be tipped off to know that questions about … checks notes … abortion
and the economy were coming, then you should probably just stop commenting
on politics.
I’m fine with beating up on the moderators—even if I find
the “debate” more exhausting than enraging (Ronald Reagan faced a hostile press
and debate moderators and won 49 states). But if you’re going to, you should
probably follow Charlie Cooke’s example and
first concede that Trump lost because he performed terribly. The moderators
didn’t make Trump look and sound like a tired, angry, narcissistic fabulist.
They didn’t make Trump take Harris’ bait on crowd sizes or defend January 6, or
trot out his election denial again.
Still, there are three reasons the moderators should have
shown more restraint and care. First, because that’s the job. But complaints
about that are easy to find all over the place. Second, stepping out of their
lanes is bad for the reputations of ABC News and the moderators themselves.
The third reason is less important objectively, but it’s
something a lot of anti-Trump folks need to hear. It doesn’t work. Harris
would be better off today if the moderators had bent over backward in Trump’s
favor (and in one important way they arguably did—they let Trump respond to
Harris more than they let Harris respond to Trump) or played it more straight.
The debate over the moderators muddies Harris’ victory. It gives lots of people
something else to gripe, whine, and chatter about other than the substance of
the debate.
This is a small example of a larger problem. One of the
things that has sustained Trump’s popularity on the right is the corner-cutting
of those out to take him down. Want to indict him? Fine. Do it right. Want to
impeach him? Great. Do it right. Want to fact check him, criticize him, oppose
him? Fantastic, go for it. But follow the rules. Don’t mint “Trump law,” or
misquote him, or anything else like that. Why? Trump does enough terrible
things and says enough stupid stuff that there’s literally no need to embellish
or make up charges against him. When newspapers, networks, prosecutors,
legislators, and others take liberties in their quest to take him down, it
helps him.
In other words, trying to “get Trump” by any means
necessary is simply counterproductive, even if you think he deserves everything
and anything he gets. Deserve’s
got nothing to do with it.
I want to be clear: I think people should follow the
rules because rules matter. I think the best way to play a positive role isn’t
to “use your influence” but to play the role you’ve chosen or been assigned.
But even if you think all’s fair or the rules and norms
should be damned, just keep in mind that most of you suck at winging this stuff
and end up boosting Trump or otherwise play into his hands.
To be continued.
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