Fact-checkers did Trump a favor

By NewsPress Now

Every so often, a presidential or vice presidential debate produces a zinger that transcends the current race and goes down in history.

Ronald Reagan was a master of the one-liner. In 1984, he stood on the debate stage and answered questions about his age with the memorable response, “I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and political inexperience.” Even Walter Mondale had to chuckle.

Lloyd Bensten got a verbal takedown with “You’re no Jack Kennedy” in a 1988 vice presidential debate with Dan Quayle. Bensten may have won the debate, but he still lost the election.

The trouble for Donald Trump was that his zinger acted like a missile that goes awry. Instead of landing on Kamala Harris, Trump’s most memorable line turned back on its source and delivered a barrage of self-inflicted damage.

“They’re eating the dogs,” Trump bellowed, much to the delight of the opponent who coaxed this nonsense from him. “The people came in … they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Trump supporters spent the next few days complaining about ABC’s selective use of real-time fact-checking during the debate. It’s a fair point. The moderators let Harris get away with her failure to understand the U.S. military footprint and her outright lies about past Trump statements on Charlottesville and the U.S. auto industry.

But ABC actually did Trump a favor with its one-sided moderation because it allowed his supporters to turn the focus to the unfairness of it all rather than a performance that should be deeply alarming to those swing voters who are still out there.

Maybe at this point all debate moments get boiled down to memes, but what Trump said after “dogs and cats” deserves more attention.

When ABC’s David Muir pushed back on what was essentially an internet rumor, Trump’s response was, “the people on television say my dog was taken and used for food.”

The people on television.

The president of the United States makes important decisions that impact lives across the globe. Regardless of political leanings, all Americans deserve a president who, when faced with a crisis, makes difficult decisions based on the best information presented by trusted advisers.

In 1962, Americans were fortunate to have a president who acted with calm deliberation, listened to experts and consulted his own conscience when confronted with the threat of nuclear war. Those who watched the presidential debate 62 years later have to ask themselves whether the world will be so fortunate in an age when internet rumor boards and TV shout shows serve as sources of information.

You’re no Jack Kennedy? That zinger still hits home.

More than a Secret Service problem

With Trump facing the second assassination attempt in two months, the Secret Service will face growing calls to do more to protect the candidates from political violence.

But it’s more than a Secret Service problem. Last Sunday’s incident shows that both sides need to tone down the rhetoric and stop seeing the other as an existential threat. Both candidates merely offer good policies or bad policies.

If the demonization continues, so will threats of violence.