The Curtain Has Come Down by Al Sikes

Time: 3:35 PM on Thursday afternoon. On the East Coast the Donald Trump versus Joe Biden debate begins on CNN in five hours and twenty-five minutes. I will watch — it seems a civic duty. I await it with no enthusiasm. In the meantime my wife and I are going to see the Broadway show Hell’s Kitchen.

The debate is the result of the Democrat and Republican Parties having chosen, almost, Trump and Biden as their nominees. There is still time for a reversal; it, of course, will not happen.

Or, maybe this will be a debate of sublime recognition. Maybe, for example, Biden will take into account his dismal poll numbers and in a clear and commanding voice make his case for four more years. Maybe, rather then giving money away, as he has been doing for the last year, he will talk about a plan he is going to send to the Congress spelling out how he intends to bring the budget to balance before he leaves office.

Or, perhaps Donald Trump will do the same. He will need to explain why cutting taxes will accomplish that plan while, of course, leaving entitlements untouched. Perhaps his degree from Wharton will produce that kind of wizardry. And while at it, Trump might explain how his Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un relationships will bring the Ukraine war to an end. And just maybe he won’t whine.

Okay, I understand that none of the above is likely, just wishful thinking.

•••

 Now, we are back in our hotel room. Hell’s Kitchen was superb. Alicia Keys, who wrote the book, music and lyrics is very impressive.

The debate is now over. Whew! Our taxi driver this morning, a Biden supporter, said “I thought he was going to faint.” If he had, he would have had a better night.

By now you will have read various versions of what happened and what it means. My take: Biden will stand down or Trump will get his second term. And at this moment of serious international tensions, Biden’s weakness and Trump’s derision of Biden or his replacement will not serve us well. Red lights flashing.

I have often written about institutional failure beginning or ending with thanking our founding fathers that we are structurally strong because in recent election cycles we have been operationally weak.

Better will only come with reform. Each Party has some impressive leaders. But, like merchandise not displayed, they will not serve the nation in its ultimate challenges. So lets go back.

One reason there were only two in the debate is that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could not clear the hurdles to qualify on enough ballots. The two Parties, afraid of competition, work hard to keep others out. Maybe Kennedy is looking better. Regardless, precluding competition, the two Parties ill-serve us—no surprise.

Second, the campaigns begin so early that the energy and money required to run a successful campaign rules out most sane people. Question: do I want to enter a soul-crushing two-year campaign that statistics show I am unlikely to win? Or, does my common sense trump my emotions?

Back to money. Do I want to spend virtually all of the next sequence of years on my knees with my hand out? How much of my independence will I have to sacrifice?

Real reform must open the contest for national and international leadership and those who are able to successfully lead electoral reform will be true patriots.

Finally, for President Biden to consider. Do you want to be judged on your record or do you prefer that your final consequential decision be paired with the Afghanistan withdrawal in the historical account? Regardless, the curtain is about to come down—applause preferred.

Al Sikes is the former Chair of the Federal Communications Commission under George H.W. Bush. Al writes on themes from his book, Culture Leads Leaders Follow published by Koehler Books.