Political commentator Daniel Patrick Welch explains in an interview after Thursday’s much vaunted debate why the response is so tepid, not only from many Americans, but also from observers around the world. While such debates are the main event in the Big Tent of the circus that is the US election system, even a casual observer with any world view or sense of history could see how hollow the discussion was with regard to actual US policy.

Comment on Debate between Biden and Trump

Host: Now I will go over some of the important points in the first phase in the latter stages of the first half of the debate. The issue of the Russia and Ukraine conflict came up and Trump said Russia’s terms to end the grinding war in Ukraine–keeping territories seized by Moscow as Kiev drops its bid to join NATO are not acceptable to him. And Trump went on to say that he would have the conflict settled if he wins in November. Trump then took a shot at Ukrainian President Volydimir Zelensky, deriding him as a salesman who he said has taken too much US military aid.

And then the issue of the Middle East went up as well. He defended his position on Israel’s war in Gaza–Joe Biden, attempting to deflect any doubts about his support for the US ally, and said that the only thing they have denied is 2000 lb bombs. Then he said by the way I’m the one who organized the world against Iran when they had a full on ballistic missile attack we saved Israel, we are the biggest producer of support against Israel. Now Trump, meanwhile, attacked Biden for what he called affinity for Palestinians. He said he has become like a Palestinian, but they don’t want him because he’s like a weak one. Biden had said that everyone from the UN to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a ceasefire plan; the only one who wants the war to continue was Hamas. But this as well: Netanyahu has consistently stated that Israel will not agree to a deal that brings the war to an end. Now Trump countered that Netanyahu is the one who wants to continue the war, and he should be allowed to pursue his war goals by whatever means necessary. On the issue of a Palestinian state Trump said he doesn’t know yet.

These were some of the parts. Now I think we have Mr. Daniel Patrick Welch who is a political commentator from Boston, Massachusetts with us. Mr. Welch, are you there?

DPW: I am. Thank you for having me.

Host: You are welcome, sir. Now, Mr. Welch, your initial thoughts on the first televised debate of 2024 ahead of the November elections.

DPW: Stunned. That was the worst–it was torture to have to watch this debate. I agreed on it because I agreed to comment afterward But I think for people around the world, especially your viewers watching from far away, it is shocking to see that these are the two people that the system produces for you to choose between to lead the country? It is beyond belief.

And I know that Iran is in the middle of its own presidential choice, and it is just incredible to see how out of touch these people are, how completely incoherent they are. I liked your synopsis of the foreign policy portion of the debate, which was stratospheric in its lack of touch with what’s going on in the world and who is responsible for it. They turned it into a personal fight, a weird circus of Rock ’em, Sock ’em Geriatric Robots. It’s unbelievable.

Host: Mr. Welch, how important are these televised debates in a US presidential election?

DPW: Well, I don’t think they’re very important at all. And most–especially Biden’s campaign, was especially careful how they shaped the forum: They couldn’t bring any notes; mics were muted while the opponent was talking; there was no audience. The questioners were as right-wing as any candidate even pretended to be. And they have it at 9:00 on a Thursday night. Half the country is drunk or in bed. What it will be watched by is dyed-in-the-wool democrats and diehard Trump fans. No one is watching this to decide anything. That is just not happening. It is a *waste* of time. And, to be fair to Trump, he said so several times during the debate: “…which is a waste of time–like this debate.” And the trouble is that his manipulative personality and his disgusting way of twisting words actually strikes a chord with people.

He was standing there watching Biden bumble along–watching Trump just lie and fabricate and dodge questions, and Trump still looked coherent compared to this loser. I can’t believe what I just watched.

Host: Mr. Welch, there is also an odd thing there: why do you think the debate has been moved to an earlier date. Usually it is supposed to take place in September, a month before the election.

DPW: Yeah. I’m not sure why. One thing is that the Democrats really are scared. You saw the question about childcare. They batted around that question the whole time without either of them saying a single thing about it. Either of them. One of the reasons that Biden couldn’t answer these questions is because it wound up as a personal cat fight. And I think that is the point of having this debate as early as they can. They want –they meaning the Democrats, the establishment, want this to be a Trump character card. All about Trump the person, Trump The Other Guy. The Democrats have *nothing.* But they’re running against The Other Guy. The Other Guy might be Satan; he might be Hitler; he might be The Easter Bunny; he might be Jesus Christ! But he’s THE OTHER GUY. And if you make it all about The Other Guy, you have a better chance of winning. Which is their only, *only* strategy. That’s the only reason I can see why they reall wanted this to happen.

Host: Mr. Welch, let’s go back and talk about the two’s tenure in the office. How did you see their policies during their reign at the White House, and how did they differ?

DPW: [laughs] I had an interview earlier where I said there isn’t going to be a new president. There hasn’t been a new president in US politics in 45 years! There won’t be any change, there isn’t any difference between them, we’ve had the same president since Ronald Reagan. They just give him a different suit and call him by a different name. All of the foreign policy–did you hear what Trump said about Biden and Iran? He [Trump] was the Good Guy because he *assasinated” General Soleimani! That’s what Biden did wrong: not kill enough people.

And then Trump said that the war in Ukraine never would have started [if he was still president] but that those conditions were unacceptable. Even though the entire world knows that they are the beginning of the end of the war. There is no way these conditions could not be met and end the Ukraine war, because that’s how it started. There is no difference in what they have done. Except for personal qualities: You know, Trump can offend anyone. *All* the time. And you can see his racist attitude toward immigrants–how many times did he say “mental institutions.” Right? ‘Blacks and hispanics are losing their jobs, and they are coming from their prisons, and their mental instittuions, And their prisons! And their MENTAL INSTIUTIONS!’ He’s darkening [no pun intended] the idea of immigration. And of course, Biden has deported just as many people. In fact, people who are desperately voting for Biden have *exactly* those feelings. You hear them. You hear them around town, you hear them at the pub, you hear them in conversations with family, with friends. Immigrants are bad. Immigrants are the trouble. On the left, right–it doesn’t matter in the US.

Biden may make some proposals about student loans, about a child care tax credit, or what was it? I don’t know. But he can’t pass them unless he wins both houses of congress. And Democrats can’t win these houses because they don’t do what the people want. Democrats and Republican are in union–they are joined at the hip. And their enemies are the working class and the rank-and-file people of the country and the world. That’s it.

Host: Mr. Welch, your opinion on how they will approach to foreign policy: Could you tell us what approaches might the two take in regard to the Israeli war on Gaza?

DPW: Either one of them you mean?

Host: Yes.

DPW: Well either one of them could do something different than the US has done since 1948. I mean, they could refuse to continue to bankroll a genocide. They could not veto or force their allies and lapdogs to abstain from any UN Security Council resolution that puts Israel in the docket where it belongs. They could pull back on sanctions. They could pull back on discrimination and anti democratic law enforcement that they have been foisting on American students, who are the only segment of US society that are rising up in support of the Palestinians. Who have all these encampments that have all been raided by police, kids being arrested for nothing… Either one of them could speak against it. The trouble is they are on the wrong side: of history, of the law, and of moral obligation. They could do anything right. But they’re doing everything wrong. So, you know, that’s a tossup.

Host: Mr. Welch, before we let you go, what about the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and also China?

DPW: Well, first of all their disagreements are really personal and stupid, and frankly really, really offensive to any thinking person. I mean, who cares about you? About your son? Who you had sex with? Why are we talking about this? Right? The Ukraine thing: Trump is just lying. He is a liar and a fabricator. He’s not going to solve anything between November when he gets elected and… *before* he takes office, that’s what he said. Between November and January. What will change regarding Russia and China is the restructuring of the multipolarity of world nations. This will change despite, not because of, either of these people. Not because of these people. But I think that Biden is more entrenched with the forces of the deep state, and surrounded by neocons and the people whose hands are on the levers of the ugliest sections of US foreign policy since the second world war. I don’t think Trump is independent. But he’s the only person in this race who might do something slightly different. Again, I think the Russians will decide what happens in Ukraine, and China will decide what happens in Taiwan. And in North Korea. Not the US. And at some point, these two Sleepy Old Men will wake up like Ripp Van Winkle and try to figure out why they’ve been dead to the world for 20 years.

Host: There you have it. Daniel Patrick Welch, political commentator from Boston, Massachusetts

Audio and video of interview: “Biden, Trump turned debate into personal fight” | Urmedium