Never content to lose gracefully, two-time presidential failure Hillary Clinton has some sage wisdom to offer President Joe Biden for how to take on Donald Trump in Thursday’s debate.
“It is a waste of time to try to refute Mr. Trump’s arguments like in a normal debate,” Clinton begins, in an op-ed for The New York Times. It’s a stunning, albeit indirect, admission of being wildly outmaneuvered by Trump in their own debate in 2016.
She dismisses Trump’s past debate performances as mere ranting and raving, arguing Biden can cut through the noise by ignoring the “theatrics” of modern politics and staying “direct and forceful.” Sure, if there’s anything President Ice Cream Cone is known for, it’s being powerfully straightforward. Just ask Corn Pop.
Clinton then goes on to make an irreconcilable 180, offering three points of advice to viewers that are anything but direct. Rather, she falls back on the emotionally manipulative, downright feminine, theatrical politics that have long defined the Democratic Party.
- “Pay attention to how the candidates talk about people, not just policies,” she argues. This basically just prods Biden towards emoting on screen like he’s Oprah, tricking viewers into thinking how much he really cares, even as his policies tear the country apart.
- “Try to see through the bluster and focus on the fundamentals at stake,” Clinton implores. Translation: let Biden stake out lies about the “deadly insurrection” on Jan. 6 or how Trump will “exacerbate inflation” and wait for the partisan hack moderators to pile up the fact-checks in his defense.
- “It’s between chaos and competence,” Clinton concludes. Again, this is more politics a la Oprah. She wants viewers to pay more attention to Trump throwing the rhetorical kitchen sink at Biden on stage and thinking it’s mean than the actual chaos occurring as a result of Biden’s policies.
