GREGORY RUSOVICH
Guest Writer
rusovich@lbknews.com
There were several takeaways from the Trump-Harris debate. Vice President Kamala Harris was articulate and well prepared, but failed to address voter concerns over immigration and inflation. Lots of style, little substance. Former President Donald Trump was boisterous and erratic, but broadly highlighted several of the administration’s failings on critical issues. ABC moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis were surrogates for Harris, and a discredit to their profession and to the country.
Harris overperformed. Democrats were jubilant over the vice president’s poise and ability to goad her opponent into airing his usual grievances. Her successful tactics provoked Trump to use precious time yelping about several matters important to him, but insignificant to the electorate. It was clear that she meant to provoke him, and rather than ignore her obvious taunts, Trump reacted foolishly. And his responses were frequently irrational.
She consistently attempted to reach out to undecided voters, but many of her pleas came across as staged and insincere. Her relentless smirking and exaggerated facial expressions —including placement of her chin atop her clenched fist at one point — became irritating. She spoke of a vague “opportunity economy,” and focused on childcare, healthcare, abortion rights, and down payments to first-time homeowners. Harris steered clear of her weaknesses on immigration and inflation. She was never pressed on the issues by either Trump or the moderators, and she provided no serious proposals for closing the border or reducing inflation. But by remaining focused and centered, she held up on the national stage.
Team Trump’s goal entering the debate was for the former president to simply keep calm, focus solely on the critical issues, and emphasize the Biden-Harris failur