Pointcast's Response to the Trump, Biden Town Halls
by Anthony Arnold, Sasha Estrella-Jones and Francine Dash
October 2020
Anthony's View: The People and The President
President Trump’s town hall was a perfect showcase, not of his ability, but of the basic difficulty that both the media and voters face in dealing with his presidency.
The reality is that the President is simply dishonest. So if given the opportunity, he will spread misinformation and rely on talking points that don’t meet widely accepted standards of truth. And so it’s understandable that during the town hall, moderator Savannah Guthrie chose to push back, frequently challenging the President on his past statements, and asking follow ups when his answers weren’t clear.
That’s good interviewing. Public officials should be asked tough questions, and the news media can’t be so awed by the office that they allow them to get away with infinitely dodging important questions and issues. But President Trump is not a typical politician. Instead of seeking a way to gracefully disengage, which is what most politicians do in such circumstances, he chose to address the challenges head on.
This led to a situation where the event seemed less like a chance for the President to speak to voters, and more like a boxing match. Headlines about the town hall all seem centered around the spectacle of Trump versus Guthrie, with your opinion likely forming around all to familiar partisan lines.
And that’s unfortunate for voters. Whatever your feelings on the town hall may be, I don’t see how it was of any use to us. Sure, we were reminded that the President is dishonest, and that the media generally doesn’t like him. But that’s not new information. It's well documented that the President lied about crowd sizes at his inauguration within days of taking office -- and the media has been doggedly chasing him down ever since then.
If you’ve been following our coverage of the debates so far, then you know that I’m not a fan of the format of politicians pushing their narratives through staged debates or town halls. I don’t enjoy them, and I sincerely wish we’d stop having them, altogether. Last night was an example of why.
A typical politician, one with years of media lessons and grooming, is almost certainly skilled enough that they can turn debates and town halls into nothing more than a chance to give a modified stump speech. A non-typical politician, like the President, is likely to fail under such a format, stumbling over expected questions and struggling to deliver a clear message. And yes, there’s some value in having that basic difference made clear.
But neither scenario is going to deliver clear answers to voters; which I thought was the purpose of these events.
Sasha's View: The Vice President and the People
Biden’s town hall last night saw 11 questions asked from a split crowd of Biden supporters, Trump supporters and a few undecided voters, all from the swing state of Pennsylvania. I did not agree with all that was said, which was no surprise as I know philosophically Joe Biden and I disagree on many things, however I finally could HEAR what Biden was saying. Without being consistently bombarded with interruptions, Biden was able to come across as an actual politician with plans, points and ideas that should be critically analyzed.
On the topic of COVID-19, it is clear that under a Biden-Harris administration there will be a push for a nation wide mandate to wear masks while in public and continue social distancing. I support both of those plans, as they have proven to drastically minimize the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.
When it comes to a COVID-19 vaccine, this is where things turn grey. Biden repeated what top scientists have already said regarding a vaccine not being available until early 2021. But then came the question about vaccine distribution and mandatory widespread vaccinations where Biden did not give a definitive answer. Biden’s reply to whether there will be mandated vaccinations was ...it depends on the state of the nature of the vaccine... .
The loose language in that response could mean or be used to mean a number of different things. Personally, no, I do not feel comfortable with the government telling me I must get a vaccine that was only developed a few months ago; and is composed of God knows what. I live a plant based lifestyle and I try to avoid western based medicine, at all cost.
Amongst young people of color this is a growing trend and alternative to what some of us see as an oppressive system that has never cared about our bodies and often leaves us in the dark when it comes to knowing what exactly we are consuming. For me and people like me, it will take not merely convincing but transparency about what is IN this vaccine before we get on board.
Feel what you may about this truth, but it does need to be taken into consideration when discussing a potential vaccination mandate. As the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be manufactured, I believe the American people have a right to know precisely what is in this vaccine and where those ingredients are coming from.
Moving on to the economy, specifically taxes, I was pleased with Biden’s response to raise taxes on those making over $400,000 annually and huge corporations. If trickle down economics worked it would have already worked for the American people, but it doesn’t. Hence, the continued and worsening economic inequality gaps we see in this country, which disproportionately impact communities of color.
Now, is a Biden-Harris administration going to go as far as I would like them to go, in regards to taxing multi-billion dollar corporations? Absolutely not. However, that says more about the United States' relationship with capitalism than it does about any one party.
The fourth question of the night was asked by a young black man who said what I have been thinking since Biden announced he’d be running for president: what are you (Biden) going to do for young black people? Biden’s answer focused primarily on education, from Pre-K through higher education, black entrepreneurship and home ownership as a means to generate generational wealth.
Though I support all the ideas he brought forth, let us not ignore and be okay with the fact that Biden did NOT mention racial and social justice reforms in his answer. Black children deserve to not only go to well funded schools, but schools with textbooks that accurately depict history of ALL Americans. Black folk deserve to be able to receive money from banks without predatory lending -- but even more than that -- black folk deserve not to be gunned down in our homes by a policing system that was originally created for and acted as slave patrols. It is bigger than giving black communities access to higher education and the ability to buy homes, and Biden missed that in his response.
If we want to get to the root of our systemic issues we have to go deep and be truly willing to reimagine the America we know, so that black people are finally treated and given opportunities that center equity not equality. When it came to the environment, Biden finally got some pushback as to how it’s possible to truly care about and for our environment, yet continue with the practice of fracking. He gave the politicians answer, half deflection and half the good 'ole it takes times . Now, we do not have much time to save our planet, and the potential Biden-Harris administration needs to keep that reality front and center.
That aside, Biden did reinforce his position to lead Americans to net zero carbon emissions by 2035, focus on renewable energy sources, specifically wind and solar, increasing land for conservation and getting rid of oil subsidies -- all while tying his environmental plan to creating millions of good paying union jobs. Biden answer was solid, though I will not pretend it went far enough.
And I think that was theme last night. Even if personally I felt the need for Biden’s answers to go further to create the America that I want-- one that we were promised long ago -- he answered in true Biden fashion. I will give him that. Seeing both a presidential “debate” between Trump and Biden and individual town halls, I am left feeling that another debate will not be productive, but also not convinced that another town hall will sway voters. So for now, we wait and see what the Commission on Presidential Debates decides for next week’s scheduled debate.
Francine's View: Temperament versus Issues
Voters are looking for real and urgent answers to some really tough questions -- questions that have a real impact on their daily lives and the quality of their lives. Neither Vice President Biden, nor President Trump, truly displayed that sense of urgency, as they carried the floor in their respective town hall meetings.
While there were the expected differences on healthcare and the like, what was clearly on display, was a stark difference in temperament and communication styles. But does this translate into how they will lead and is this enough to go on when choosing our next president?
Like any job interview, I want to hear that the candidates get it. I want to hear that they understand how hard it is for some people right now and that they will address our greatest hurts first -- and have a plan with the right sense of urgency to get the job done.
I want to hear that they understand the weight of the office and the unique challenges of the times; and will work across partisan lines to achieve whatever is necessary to get America to it's new normal, and I want a government willing to work harder than it ever has to get us there. If we are truly in this together, I want to see the same sweat that is on the brow of American workers on the brows of our leaders'.