The dueling town halls on Thursday between Joe Biden and President Trump couldn’t have been a greater contrast to Biden when he received a rhetorically warm blanket from ABC for 90 minutes. Given that they refused to bring up the recent bombing reports on Hunter Biden, it was a pathetic failure. To make matters worse, ABC smeared the runners with eight questions from the audience from the left, one neutral and two from the right for a total of 11.
In the meantime, the president faced what our friend Steve Cortes called “A political knife fight” on NBC. My colleague Nick Fondacaro has a full summary here.
Unsurprisingly, ABC disregarded Rich Noyes and me Thursday morning’s advice on how to act. We noticed that “Most questions should challenge Biden from the right” To see how Trump’s ABC event on September 15th consisted of eight audience questions on the left, five neutral and one on the right.
As for the interactions of Chief Anker and former Clinton-Flack George Stephanopoulos with Biden, he interjected 19 times with five comments, questions or statements from the left, ten neutrals and four from the right. This was in stark contrast to the 50 times he hired Trump at 38 on the left, 12 on the neutral, and none on the right.
In ABC’s favor, they went almost straight to the audience’s questions within the first two minutes (as with Trump). But like the president, Biden’s first question was on the left:
Mr. Vice President, my wife and I are incredulous every day at the lack of coordinated federal action against COVID-19. We know your administration would follow science. My question to you consists of two parts. Looking back at actual politics, what would it have meant if this country had first become aware of COVID-19? Then what would your administration do in the future to pursue science with specific guidelines that have not been implemented by the current administration?
The most absurd audience question was the penultimate one, with a first-time voter and the mother of an eight-year-old transgender child wondering what Biden would do “turning back” the Trump administration “Dangerous and discriminatory agendas and ensuring the lives and rights of LGBTQ people are protected under US law.”
In less than a second, a Democrat was complaining about how Supreme Court nominations have become “Polarized” (thanks to the Republicans) and pressured Biden “Ideas from the likes of Pete Buttigieg and others for taking protective measures” within our federal justice system (read: court hearing).
To read these and other questions from the left, click “Expand”:
CEDRIC HUMPHREY: Many people believe that the real swing demographics in these elections will be black voters under 30. Not because they will vote for Trump, but because they will not vote at all. I myself had exactly the same conflict. So my question to you is, “You are not black,” what do you have to say to young black voters who see voting for you as further participation in a system that still does not protect them?
(….)
ANGELICA POLITARHOS: How do you judge the crime law you wrote in 1994, which showed prejudice against minorities? Where do you stand today?
(….)
NATHAN OSBURN: Our nation’s first Supreme Court made its first decision here just two blocks from 1791 to 1800 and has since become more polarized. Merrick Garland hasn’t heard from all of them in 2016, and Amy Coney Barrett gets last-minute enforcement despite millions having already voted. What do you think of ideas from the likes of Pete Buttigieg and others about taking protective measures that will help maintain more long-term balance and stability, and what do you think of LGBTQ and others who are currently very concerned about their erosions? Rights and our democracy as a whole?
(….)
ANDREW LEWIS: Mr. Vice President, my father, Drew Lewis, was Ronald Reagan’s first term transportation secretary. Some of his closest allies and friends were Democrats, including House Speaker Tip O’Neill, and Senator Ted Kennedy. Unfortunately, we have very partisan and dysfunctional governance today, and I believe President Trump is primarily responsible for creating this toxic environment. As president, how can you avoid the temptation to seek revenge and instead take to the streets and try to restore the bipartisanism, courtesy and honor of our democracy?
(….)
MICHELE P. ELLISON [“Republican who’s voted for Democrats but you’re not sure” in 2020] A 2012 report by the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics discussed fracking and its potential impact on waterways from the Commonwealth to the Gulf. Fracking has made people sick and killed wildlife in southwestern Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and small business development centers have already begun moving people away from fossil fuels. What non-adverse human health and non-environmental industries are you planning for Southwest Pennsylvania and the nation?
(….)
KEENAN WILSON: You say you pledged to take part in this race after the events of Charlottesville in 2017. I assume that this feeling that got you started won’t go away once the results are in. So, hypothetically, if you lose, how will you use your platform to push President Donald Trump and those who gather behind him to the ideals of a more perfect union?
ABC gave us two controversial questions for Biden, one of which came thanks to Trump 2016 voter Anthony J. Argirakis about Biden’s promise to lift Trump tax cuts. And in the second, Trump asked Trump voter Mark Hoffman Biden to give trumps “Foreign policy … some credit” to see how “Peace is breaking out all over the world.”
He turned to Stephanopoulos and was almost non-existent with Biden compared to his incessant interruptions from Trump. His first add-on came in from the right to note that while Biden voiced his concerns about the coronavirus in January, it is there “No record … calls for social distancing, limited social gatherings, [and] mandatory masks. “
Things went downhill from there as he went from left to press Biden to pack in court. A Justice Department in Biden had Trump investigated, police monitored, and what a Biden loss would reveal about America. Here were these (along with some of his notable interjections, which we classified as not tilted one way or the other) (click “Expand”):
Let me ask you again about the crime law. It also funded 100,000 police officers in 1994. You have often said that more cops clearly mean less crime. Do you still believe that?
(….)
Right now we have a systemic problem. How do you get the kind of policing, prevent the kind of policing that –
(….)
And how about this question of expanding the court? Here is what you said in a democratic debate tonight, exactly a year ago. They said, “I wouldn’t pack in court, I wouldn’t pack in court.” You don’t say that now. Is Judge Barrett’s appointment reason enough to reconsider your position?
(….)
But what about the issue of political accountability? Is there some tension between bringing people together and bringing them together? You know Robert Mueller has put forward a lot of evidence of President Trump’s possible obstruction of justice. What would a Justice Department in Biden do with this evidence?
(….)
Mr. Vice President, if you lose, what does that tell you about where America is today?
(….)
Vice-President, as you know, President Trump also had a town hall meeting tonight. During this town hall meeting he was asked several times if he had taken a COVID test on the day of your last debate. You’re supposed to have another debate a week from tonight. Just two quick questions. Are you expecting this debate? Are you going to demand that President Trump take a test that day and that it be negative before you debate?
In terms of audience breakdown, Biden faced 11 viewers versus Trump’s 12. However, Trump asked 14 questions when one voter (Carl Day) asked three questions while Biden’s group only asked their single question.
ABC chose four Democrats, four Trump 2016 voters, and one for Biden “Dissatisfied Republican” one who voted for both parties and one who voted for the first time in a presidential election.
This resembled Trump’s audience composition of four Trump 2016 voters, three Hillary voters, one Jill Stein voter, one who never voted, one who didn’t support anyone in 2016, one who recently became a citizen, and one who was never identified .
ABC’s rhetorical hand-holding with Biden has been sponsored by advertisers such as (but not limited to) Apple / Verizon, Nature’s Bounty, Prudential, and T-Mobile. Follow the links to the MRC’s Conservatives Fight Back page.
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