Readers Write: The debate

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

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On Tuesday night I watched the debate with my family, as I assume millions of us did across the country. I consider myself in the “radical middle,” a term our faith community uses to describe a position not swayed by the far left or far right but that considers a value system based on brotherly love and the human flourishing of all beings. I kept an open mind about the two candidates and was looking for different key takeaways from each.

First of all, some general observations: It is not the moderators’ job to do fact-checking during the debate. I have never seen this before. A debate is between two people, and it is the responsibility of the respective debaters to dispute false information with facts of their own. There was also an advertisement run during the break that was in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris. The network has the ability to approve/deny all ads running during this time slot. This was totally uncalled for, regardless of who the sponsor was.

What I was looking for from each candidate: Could former President Donald Trump not be his own worst enemy? Not on this night. Instead of sticking to the strong talking points of the Republican Party, i.e., immigration, the economy and the wars in the Middle East, he rambled on in several instances to defend himself and his name. He missed out on connecting the dots with President Joe Biden’s failing mental health over the past several months and her knowledge of it. Instead of rising above her comments on his rallies, he defended them. A better response: “You heard it right here, folks: Harris has personally invited you to a Trump rally. Come early because the seats fill quickly — and be prepared to be energized.” Period. He was not prepared and he looked it.

Could Harris look and talk “presidential”? In my opinion, she was the clear winner of the night. It started by walking over and shaking Trump’s hand and introducing herself. She was well prepared and used facts as talking points. She stepped out from the shadow of being the vice president and projected herself as a strong presidential candidate for change. She was poised and in control and used a sharp, prosecutorial approach to keep Trump on the defensive.

The election is less than two months away, and I hope there will be additional opportunities for these two candidates to share the same stage in a debate. However, in my humble opinion, Trump was thrown a softball, given all the issues that face our country, and he whiffed. Harris was well prepared and showed the country, and the world, a different side that I haven’t seen before. Advantage Harris.

Tim Rubash, Apple Valley

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Trump used his opening comments to again demonize migrants — saying millions are criminals from insane asylums who are committing heinous crimes here, causing the crime rate to increase. Of course, none of this is true — crime rates are down, crimes by migrants are less than the crime rates from citizens, and large percentages of migrants are women and children, seeking safety and an opportunity to raise families. This rant, which ignores his role in preventing Congress from passing immigration reform, ignores the deeper reality that, except for our Native American friends, we are all immigrants, whether once removed or four times removed from an immigrant ancestor. America has welcomed immigrants for a couple of centuries, and they have had much in common: seeking to escape from political and social injustice, looking for economic opportunities to allow for a healthy life, embracing the American notion of advancement by hard work. And our asylum laws are designed to separate those who are criminals from those with legitimate grievances. Trump’s obvious goal is to generate fear, but it just doesn’t fit the facts, nor does it provide any solutions to our real immigration issue — underfunding of our border patrol, asylum officers and immigration judges — which Congress had been ready to address.

Sam Hanson, Minneapolis

The writer is a retired justice of Minnesota Supreme Court.

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Picture this: 78 years old; overweight; splotchy, orange, tanned face; thinning, dyed blonde hair; seriously insisting that migrants are eating communities’ dogs and cats.

Would you vote for this woman to be your United States president?

Think of the irony of how women and men are viewed when it comes to leadership.

Joan Hauer, Crystal

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Well, what did you expect from ABC, fairness? The moderators fact-checked Trump five times and Harris zero. They avoided the hardball questions and stuck with the ones Harris had prepared for, namely, why is Donald Trump such a reprobate? They allowed her to tell lie after lie about her opponent with not so much as an “Are you sure about that?” So ABC accomplished all it set out to do. As for Harris, she gets an A-plus for appearance and performance. If this were the Oscars, she would surely have won one. She looked young, vibrant, glad to be there and, of course, joyful.

Now Trump, on the other hand, looked old and tired, stern and grumpy, all business and no pleasure. They say she laid the bait and he took it every time. In reality, he spent most of the time fighting off his opponent as well as the two moderators. And yet, Trump got his points across. She has no plan — if she did she would have explained it. She did everything to duck the subject. He challenged her to go back to the White House and make today Day One. She ducked the challenge. He had two comments that tied for zinger of the night: “She’s going to my philosophy now. In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat.” The other zinger: “I’m talking now. ... Does that sound familiar?”

She rehearsed her lines well and her darling responses, such as her finger under her chin with her tongue in her cheek, were all very cheeky indeed. Trump had to laugh at one of her whoppers, when she accused him of writing Project 2025. He should have said, “You seem to know more about it than I do. Are you sure you didn’t write it?”

In the end the American people will decide on whether they want optics or action. Whether they want an actress or a go-to guy who gets things done. They have a record from the man of action, so they know all about him. I’m not sure they learned anything more from his opponent, other than she is a chameleon. She will say anything to win the election ... just ask Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Robert Huge, Edina

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Before a single word was said, Harris took control of the debate and demonstrated her strength and readiness for the presidency. In a petty move, Trump tried to avoid an opening handshake, but Harris followed him behind his podium and reached out her hand. Trump routinely demeans Harris and other women, bragging how he can grab and bully them — but in this case, it was Harris who controlled the space.

And throughout the evening, Trump refused or was unable to make eye contact with Harris. He looked down, even when she was speaking to him. He could not bring himself to show respect.

Interestingly, Trump’s weak, hangdog look and posture reminded me of when he was on another stage where he was outsmarted and outclassed. At a 2018 summit in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump sided with the Russian dictator instead of our own FBI about Russian election interference. Trump was the underling while Putin grinned.

Last night, as in Helsinki, Trump quickly realized he was dealing with a smarter and stronger opponent, so he turned in desperation to his usual bag of lies and fantasies. Harris was right to point out that even the people at his rallies are getting bored and exhausted with it all. It is so, so time to move forward to a fresh and positive start with Kamala Harris.

Pamela J. Snopl, Minneapolis