Next Thursday, President Joe Biden will face off against his defeated predecessor, Donald Trump, in a CNN debate under strict rules of decorum, and thankfully without the cheering stands of game-show audiences and past debates, where people chant for their rivals.
We may have forgotten in this performance-driven age, but the purpose of a debate moderator's provocative questions is to elicit honest answers about important issues, a mindset or practice that is not, in itself, softball or “gotcha.”
If either candidate dodges a question or gives a stupid answer, it will be obvious to viewers watching live at home. Done well, the debate will have the feel of a dueling job interview with a regular citizen.
Show business doesn't prohibit Biden, 81, and Trump, 78, from fuelling themselves with an energy drink or two beforehand.
Perhaps this is not the election many were hoping for. But it is a rare opportunity to make a fact-based comparison of the recent performance of two consecutive presidents. Here are the questions the candidates should answer:
For Trump: Most Americans with a sense of reality know that your false claims that the 2020 election was “stolen” from you fell flat on their face, objectively speaking, a failed hoax. In retrospect, was it all because you felt so humiliated by the actual election results? Was this campaign just a way to deal with multiple criminal indictments?
For Biden: Why has your administration seemingly waited years to respond to the hordes of immigrants flooding and straining communities across the U.S.? Why have you caved in to activists who derided former President Barack Obama as a “deportation chief?”
For Trump: You claim big corporate tax cuts, Supreme Court appointments that made landmark decisions on abortion and gun rights, and deregulation as accomplishments that didn't happen under any Republican president?
For Biden: What does it mean to maintain major tariffs imposed on manufactured goods under the Trump administration, leave corporate taxes unchanged, and complete a border fence construction project started under the Trump administration?
For Trump: Why did you ultimately entrust Biden with withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan, developing a national infrastructure plan, growing jobs, and negotiating a big cut in insulin prices?
For Biden: Wouldn't it take some Six Flags-style geriatric acrobatics to convince people that at 86 you're mentally fit to finish another term? Weren't you going to be an “interim” president?
For Trump: how Defend the way you alienated dozens of your most respected top officials who have portrayed you as incompetent, impulsive, lawless or worse, from Attorney General Bill Barr to Chief of Staff John Kelly to General Mark Milley to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and let's not forget Vice President Mike Pence. Were they all socialists?
For Biden: How on earth did Hunter get such a high-paying job overseas? I'm sure you know the answer and can share it.
For Trump: How did your son-in-law, Jared Kushner, come out of Saudi Arabia with a billion dollar investment deal? I'm sure you know and can share.
For Biden: How can we encourage Ukraine's allies to agree to fair peace terms? What would those terms be?
For Trump: How can we get Russia's allies to agree to fair peace terms? What would those terms be?
If real information can be elicited with just a few straightforward questions, then 90 minutes of listening to the most powerful older people will have been worth it.
Columnist Dan Janison's opinions are his own.
Dan Janison is a member of Newsday's editorial board.
