Editor's Note:
Todd Graham is the Director of Debate at Southern Illinois University.
His teams have won five national championships;
He has been named National Debate Coach of the Year three times and received the Achievement Award in Academics and Debate.
You can find him on his website, Facebook and Twitter.
The opinions expressed in this comment belong solely to the author.
See more opinion at cnne.com/opinion
(CNN) -
With a mute button ready, and a serious moderator like NBC's Kristen Welker guiding the proceedings in Nashville, the United States had a better presidential debate Thursday night.
I coach debating teams for a living, and I'm going to dive into the categories that most debaters make a living: substance, logic, and strategy.
I will evaluate President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden one at a time based on those two criteria, and I will end with their final rating.
Joe biden
Substance and logic: B
Coronavirus was the first topic, and Biden highlighted in his presentation, outlining his plans for the future, encouraging the use of more masks, outlining national standards for opening schools and businesses, and outlining increased availability of rapid tests, and in his criticism of the Trump administration's record so far (more than 220,000 dead, with total daily deaths exceeding 1,000 and peaks in many states).
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LOOK: ANALYSIS |
Trump suppressed his anger in the debate, but his performance does not change the facts
Biden's responses to Welker's questions on various topics were spot on.
On race, Welker asked if Biden understood "the talk" that people of color give their children to groom them, he said, "for the possibility that they might be attacked, even by the police, for no reason other than the color of his skin".
Biden explained his understanding of the topic in detail, noting that his daughter is a social worker who has written on the topic.
On climate change, Biden flatly declared that it was an "existential threat to humanity" and pointed to the scientists' warning that "we don't have much time," but then went a step further, explaining that acting now could boost the economy while the environment is protected.
Biden's substance wasn't perfect.
It did not effectively link the other issues of national security, the difficult economic situation of American families or race and leadership with the failures of the Trump administration or with its own plans to combat the coronavirus, which would have been easy transitions to make.
Strategy: C-
Simple word choices and phrase twists make all the difference in discussions.
"I'm going to end the virus, not the country" was smart.
Biden also slyly used Trump's language against him on the coronavirus issue after Trump said we are "learning to live with it."
Biden flipped that over: “He says we're learning to live with it.
People are learning to die with it.
Biden's weakness was that he was dragged into Trump's turf too often in the "open discussion" section of the debate.
A perfect example of this was when Trump got Biden to answer his question: "Would you shut down the oil industry?"
Biden took the bait, "We need other industries to transition" away from the oil industry "to get to zero emissions."
While Biden may have wanted this fuel transition to last for a long period of time, he wasn't specific enough.
So naturally, Trump framed it as "a big statement" and made Biden look radical.
"Will you remember that, Texas, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma?" Trump said.
Biden failed in other exchanges with Trump in the later half of the debate.
It was neither clear nor decisive when Trump described him as an insider who never accomplished much.
Biden should have responded much more forcefully, saying his efforts were often blocked by Republicans in Congress and that some of Trump's political victories were actually Democratic proposals.
Finally, Biden spoke with too much sarcasm and irony, which rarely works well during debates.
His overuse of the phrase "Come on" (please!) Became boring.
Biden Overall Grade: C +
MORE: The world boils down to "friends," "thugs," and "dirty" countries in the Trump-Biden foreign policy debate
Donald trump
Substance and logic: F
Trump's responses to Welker's questions were egregious.
Just remember: the topics were announced ahead of time, and Trump still couldn't come up with a single direct response.
This is a crime of capital debate.
Please keep reading.
It is important.
On the coronavirus: "How would you lead the country in this next stage?"
Trump had no plan other than the hope of a vaccine, an expressed wish that is not unique to him, his administration, or even our country.
On National Security and Foreign Interference in the US Elections: "What would you do in your next term to end this threat?"
Trump rambled on about Russia, horrible emails, and a random press conference he tried to use to vaguely accuse Biden of… something… that was hard to understand.
On American families and their administration fighting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, "What would you do if… people's health insurance is taken away?"
Trump's response?
He will "end Obamacare, come up with a beautiful new health care plan," but it was unclear, even after he was president for four years, when it would happen or how it would work.
On the question about race in America that I alluded to earlier, Trump said yes when asked, "Do you understand why these parents fear for their children?"
But he walked away rather nonchalantly from the people who were the subject of the question to attack Biden's support for an anti-crime bill 26 years ago.
MORE: 7 Takeaways From The Final Trump-Biden Debate
On climate change, Trump was asked how he would "fight climate change and support job growth at the same time."
While he mentioned his trillion tree program in passing, he avoided even saying the words "climate change" altogether.
Finally, on the topic of leadership, consider this question: “Imagine this is your inauguration day.
What will you say in your speech to Americans who did not vote for you? "
Trump's response was: something ... plague of China ... something ... MIT graduates ... something else, and the 401s are going to hell.
I don't pretend to be simplistic;
that incoherent was a futile response.
The other capital offense was a violation of the fundamental rule of debate: don't lie.
Trump's dishonesty was on full and relentless display, ask the fact-checkers.
Any audience, in this case, the American people, should never become insensitive to lying in debate.
Never.
But the essence of Trump was not all bad.
In fact, I thought he set good examples during the race part of the debate.
His criticism of the 1994 crime bill that Biden struggled to pass, Trump's new funding for historically black universities, and his efforts at criminal justice reform were excellent points to raise.
Unfortunately, Trump's hyperbole too often detracts from his credibility on many issues, and Thursday night was no exception.
Comparing himself to Abe Lincoln?
That dog does not hunt.
Strategy: C
The nicer version of Trump always seems to win over people who think that this time, just maybe, he finally turned civility around.
Given how much independent voters disliked Trump's performance in the previous debate, civility was the right strategy Thursday night.
Unfortunately, Trump's greatest strength was also his weakness.
The focus of the debate now turned to the content of their responses.
That's where the Emperor had no clothes, with Trump's policy proposals largely (in) visible for all to see.
Trump Overall Rating: F
Its good times cannot make up for breaking the cardinal sins of the debate: not answering questions and displaying widespread dishonesty.
Presidential debate United States
