The word of the day is “discernment,” which is the ability to judge well. That’s my takeaway from Thursday night’s presidential debate: It was a true test of the public’s discerning fact from fiction.
Whether the masses can see through former President Donald Trump’s bravado and his cascade of lies. Whether they could hear the whisper of democratic principles — potentially the last ever from a sitting president — in Joe Biden’s raspy voice over the blaring and disorienting sounds of MAGA bigotry.
That’s what came to mind as I listened to Trump’s racist comments about immigrants purportedly taking “Black jobs,” which came in response to a question about some Black voters feeling left behind.
Here’s the quote:
To be clear, that is not a fact. The “Black jobs” remark is a false claim that aligns with Trump’s strategy of pitting Black people against immigrants. And it was just one of several big, Black lies (as opposed to the little white ones) and misleading claims Trump spun about himself and Black folks Thursday.
For example:
When asked about what he has done and will do for Black voters, Biden’s responses were more substantive: He talked about lowering child care costs; his (actual) record on supporting HBCUs; his proposed tax credits for housing; his administration’s success in promoting Black business ownership, lowering Black unemployment and significantly cutting the rate of Black people without health insurance — and he vowed to do more if re-elected.
These exchanges about Black folks were emblematic of the whole debate: Biden offered sane responses (albeit with less vigor than some wanted) and Trump blathered and boasted about unhinged nonsense. Despite whatever others may think, the former beats the latter every time.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com