Mark Small

Members of a focus group of “undecided voters” organized by Frank Luntz, described by Politico as a “veteran Republican pollster,” were asked to describe, in one word, last evening’s Presidential “debate.” 1/11

Their descriptives of Democratic Party nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden were damning: “compassion” and “coherent.” A few people bent the rules and went beyond one word: “better than expected” and “nice guy lacking vision.” 2/11

As for the Oval Office’s current occupant, a/k/a trump, the group’s vocabulary took a different tack: “unhinged,” “arrogant,” bully,” and “chaotic.” My favorite was “crackhead.” The most disturbing was “un-American.” 3/11

If the rancid nature of trump’s financial and tax records have not emanated to people’s brains, then those people are beyond hope. As much as the format used in Prez “debates” hardly leads to debate, last night any semblance of format was disregarded. 4/11

In fairness, trump appeared to be “unhinged” - “unsettled, disordered, or distraught,” Random House Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed., 2001, p. 2070. In debate one is supposed to allow one’s opponent the opportunity to speak. trump didn’t like that. 5/11

According to Slate, trump interrupted the former VP 128 times - in a 90 minute debate. A “bully” is a “blustering, quarrelsome, overbearing person who habitually badgers and intimidates smaller or weaker people.” Webster’s, p. 276. 6/11

We’re taught bullies are bad. The Oval Office is a “bully pulpit” - to express views, not pummel others. Chaos is “a state of utter confusion or disorder.” Webster’s, p. 346. trump blew off the moderator and tossed the program. Didn’t trump knock “anarchy” recently? 7/11