MY TAKE: DEBATE DOUBLE DEBACLE

Last Tuesday's Presidential Debate between Former President Donald Trump and incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris was a debacle in two fronts:

First, Trump buckled under Harris' unrelenting insults and assaults on Trump's person that irked him so much he couldn't remain 'cool and collected'. Instead of effectively focusing on the real and relevant issues confronting the nation that he wanted to address Trump was forced to defend himself from the onslaught and he got derailed as a consequence. In other words, Harris effectively got under Trump's skin -- obviously a deliberate ploy. For that alone, the man lost the contest.

Second and worse, unlike the fairly moderated CNN debate Trump previously had with President Joe Biden before the latter was unceremoniously dumped and replaced with Harris by the Democratic Party, this time around the ABC moderators were "fact checking" Trump in such an aggressive manner they were in effect "debating" also with the former President! They gave the unmistakable impression that they were part of Harris' debating team. Makes one to suspect it was all pre-planned.

Contrariwise, moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis hardly followed up Harris' answers to their questions and to Trump's challenges directed at her. In short, ABC failed miserably in conducting a fair, balanced and honest debate between the protagonists with their unabashed and blatant show of support to the Democratic candidate. For that the host network lost its respectability.