Calling presidential debate a circus is an insult to clowns

What if Americans watched a presidential debate and the ensuing 90 minutes were so atrocious that people immediately began to ask: “Do we really need to have presidential debates?”

Americans can do without these matchups if it means having to stomach more of what we saw in what many horrified observers across the political spectrum agree was the worst presidential debate in U.S. history. According to a CBS News poll taken after the debate, 83 percent of respondents thought the tone of the debate was negative, while only 17 percent believed it was positive.

The moderator, Fox News’ Chris Wallace, said after the debate that he was “sad” with the way the evening went and that he “never dreamt that it would go off the tracks the way it did.” Giving voice to what millions of Americans were likely thinking, CNN’s Dana Bash described the event as a “sh-- show.” ABC’s Martha Raddatz called it “mud wrestling.” CNN’s Jake Tapper termed it “a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck.”

I’ll go further. What took place this week in Cleveland between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden was a hate crime — against the American voters.

Look at it this way: Politicians will often attempt to fake authenticity and manufacture personas to which everyday Americans can relate. That happened here, but in the worst way. We recognize these archetypes from family holiday gatherings that swerve into the ditch. Trump was the obnoxious brother-in-law whose company you can’t bear, while Biden was the affable uncle who sometimes loses his bearings.

Trump spent much of the night trying to derail Biden in the hopes that Biden wouldn’t be able to find his way back to his thoughts. Often, the strategy worked. No matter how you feel about Biden, Trump’s torments were painful to watch.

Obviously, members of the Commission on Presidential Debates were watching, and they didn’t like what they saw. In a statement this week, after a slew of complaints from the public, the commission promised there would be changes in the final two matchups to “ensure a more orderly discussion of the issues.”

When Trump and Biden lock horns again in their second debate — a town hall is scheduled to be held on Oct. 15 at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami — moderator Steve Scully will be able to cut off candidates’ microphones if they again interrupt each other or talk over one another.

Godspeed to Scully. I’m willing to give this one more try. But frankly, I’m not optimistic that Trump and Biden can be reined in. If either wants to say something, you can bet they’re going to find a way to say it — microphone or no microphone.

It’s worth having a Plan B just in case the second debate turns out to be a repeat of the first one. If that happens, it’ll be time to pull the plug and skip the third and final one. That one is scheduled to be held Oct. 22 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

If the major candidates for president are going to act like bratty children, they ought to be treated as such. And yes, that is “children” plural. It’s no surprise that Trump caught most of the blame from the liberal, anti-Trump media. But Biden is not innocent. He joined his opponent in the mud. He interrupted, sniped and jabbed — giving as good as he got, whether or not it was his turn to speak.

Biden engaged in a barrage of name-calling, tagging Trump as a “liar,” a “clown,” a “racist,” a “fool” and a “disgrace.” Yet, after the curtain fell, digital headlines screamed: “Trump’s Insults Derail First Debate.”

A timeout may be in order. The American people might need to deprive the 2020 presidential candidates of what they seem to care about most until they get the message and stop their bickering. For ego-driven politicians, a public forum and television camera are like food and oxygen. Cut them off, and you’ll get their attention.

One memorably horrendous evening showed what many of us suspected all along: Trump and Biden are more alike than different. They deserve one another. But that doesn’t mean they deserve another debate.

Ruben Navarrette’s email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, “Navarrette Nation,” is available through every podcast app.