Readers of The Post anxiously await tonight’s first debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. This is what they told us they were looking for.
By Letters to the Editor
I’m a fifth-grade elementary school teacher. At this grade level, my students are learning how to write persuasive essays. They follow a specific format: present a position, give strong supporting details and anticipate disagreeing opinions.
Former president Donald Trump has a penchant for bombast and for speaking over people. This cannot happen. Public speaking used to be an art form. Crowds would gather in town squares to listen to eloquently articulated ideas, such as the debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas.
Now, unless controlled by the moderators, it’s just talking points and personal attacks.
Sara Nielsen, Los Angeles
Muted doesn’t mean silent
During President Joe Biden’s interview with ABC News’s George Stephanopoulos after the last debate, Mr. Biden explained that, whenever he tried to speak, former president Donald Trump loudly blathered and blustered. His mic was off, so we couldn’t hear him, but Mr. Biden could. Occasionally, the camera did show Mr. Trump flapping his gums. This must have been extremely distracting.
At Tuesday’s debate, Vice President Kamala Harris should be issued noise-canceling headphones.
Barbara Deckert, Elkridge
The responsibility of moderators
While the candidates are arguing over muted microphones, few people are discussing the “roles of the moderators.” The debate in June was a disaster, and in my opinion, part of that was caused by the moderators. It is not the responsibility of the moderators to fact-check the candidates, but it is their responsibility to insist that the candidates answer the questions they are asked. In the last debate, former president Donald Trump refused to answer the questions, and the moderators were too passive. Hopefully, the moderators for ABC News will exert better control on both candidates for a more meaningful debate.
Kenneth Olshansky, San Rafael, Calif.
3 mistakes Harris should fix
Vice President Kamala Harris will likely make three mistakes in Tuesday’s debate against former president Donald Trump. The first one relates to The Post’s Sept. 4 front-page article, “Trump eyes federal power over teaching of history”; the second one concerns the causes of our recent inflation; and the third relates to pro-lifers’ views on abortion.
Republicans and Democrats routinely refer to Mr. Trump as a conservative. It is a badge of honor for Republicans and a source of criticism for Democrats and Ms. Harris. Mr. Trump, however, is not a conservative. Conservatives favor a small national government. Mr. Trump wants full use of the federal government to achieve his social objectives. He wants to use the government to prevent a sympathetic teaching of racism in this country’s schools, and he wants to use the military to stop peaceful public demonstrations. Those are the ideas of an authoritarian, not a conservative. Ms. Harris should call Mr. Trump what he is.
Ms. Harris has also suggested that inflation in the United States was caused by price gouging. Such gouging might have resulted from inflation but likely didn’t cause it. Two events — an increase in the money supply and a shortage of goods — are more to blame. Both were caused by Mr. Trump. He added nearly $8 trillion to the deficit. Many expenses were covid-related, but the debt was exacerbated by his tax cuts for the rich. His failure to act made the pandemic worse, which greatly reduced consumer demand and, as a result, the supply of goods. When demand increased, so did prices. Ms. Harris should not absolve Mr. Trump of responsibility for inflation.
Finally, use of the term “pro-life” to characterize opponents of abortion is a misnomer. Most of these opponents are pro-birth, but once a baby is born, they want nothing to do with the child. Calling them “pro-life” wrongly characterizes their views. Ms. Harris should avoid using the term “pro-life” on Tuesday.
David Elkind, Arlington
Democrats on offense
We have seen and heard Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz go on the offensive against former president Donald Trump and his truly strange VP choice, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), in a focused and aggressive way that President Joe Biden was unwilling to do.
It’s hard to believe Mr. Trump will debate Ms. Harris in the same format as the previous debate with Mr. Biden. Ms. Harris will chew Mr. Trump up and spit him out in the first 10 minutes. Mr. Vance might think he can go up against Mr. Walz, but I doubt Mr. Trump will allow his running mate to make a fool of himself. When Mr. Vance plays his “swift-boating” scam to criticize Mr. Walz’s military career, Mr. Walz could defend his record and immediately bring up Mr. Trump’s draft-dodging.
During a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trump stated so many lies that the fact-checking covered almost every word coming out of the former president’s mouth. His lie about his crowd being bigger than the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech is ridiculous, and the photos prove it. Mr. Trump said he wanted three debates with Harris, including one on Fox News, but Ms. Harris will never fall for Mr. Trump’s games. She won’t be trapped by a Fox News ambush. In just a few weeks, Mr. Trump has gone from confident to desperate, and he and his MAGA phonies have no strategy.
Michael J. Gorman, Whitestone, N.Y.
Act like the prosecutor you are
Vice President Kamala Harris’s CNN interview last month amply displayed her calm demeanor and underlying humanity, but she should tackle the debate with former president Donald Trump as a prosecutor would, forcefully confronting his inevitable fantasies and attacks.
Thus, she should rebut any absurd statistical claims (e.g., that the price of bacon quadrupled after his term) with citations to credible evidence. When he invariably condemns perceived failures of “her” administration, she should remind viewers that the vice president’s role is not to dictate policies but to support the president (just as Mr. Trump demanded of former vice president Mike Pence). Above all else, she needs to counter his meandering generalities by insisting (repeatedly, if need be) that he state specifically what he did or would do differently.
While this aggressive approach invariably will prompt sexist attacks of being a “nasty woman,” her adept handling of such a flagrant egotist should put to rest fears that she will be overwhelmed in international negotiations and domestic disputes.
Peter Gutmann, Chevy Chase
Humor is better
Dear Vice President Kamala Harris: Do not allow your opponent to incite angry or defensive responses. Humorous irony is better.
Answer the questions posed and insist that your opponent do the same. Accuse him of having contradicting positions and push him to state his real ones.
Use patient humor to respond to his insults and untruths. As you said during your interview in response to his racist attacks, it’s “same old tired playbook.” Treat him like the child he is.
Peter Hutchinson, Gaithersburg
About that interview
As Google’s first brand manager, I discovered that dropping corporate speak for more genuine communication with users, in good times and in bad, was a great way to build trust and loyalty. That’s why I feel Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota missed an opportunity last month during his CNN interview with Dana Bash.
When asked about carrying weapons into war and his claim that his family used in vitro fertilization, Walz deflected. He should have said, “Yeah, I got that wrong both times. I wasn’t trying to deceive, but you know, I kind of shorthanded some stuff. You can be sure I won’t make that mistake again.” When’s the last time you heard a politician say something like that?
Mr. Walz’s brand is built on authenticity. He should remember that when the political consultants try to make him into just another D.C. politician.
Doug Edwards, Los Altos, Calif.
In a recent interview, Vice President Kamala Harris said, “My values have not changed.” What does that even mean? How, then, can she explain her flip-flopping on positions and policies? Despite the softly lobbed questions from Dana Bash’s interview, Ms. Harris straddled both sides with platitudes about the “new way forward” without a hint of specifics on the most important subjects of the economy, global crisis management, climate control and illegal immigration. Her diversionary and woke exterior masks a dangerously incompetent, hollow interior.
Anil Bhalla, New York
Vice President Kamala Harris’s responses on Gaza are deeply disappointing. Many Americans don’t want any more of their tax dollars used for weapons killing tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Her position will surely lose Democratic votes in Michigan and other states, which could cost her the election. Even if people don’t vote for Donald Trump, many will not vote at all and certainly will not volunteer to canvass or make phone calls, let alone donate to her campaign.
Steve Rabson, Fredericksburg
