THE DONALD TRUMP VS JOE BIDEN FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE IS TONIGHT

Tonight 9PM emanating from CNN in Atlanta is the first Trump-Biden debate of 2024.   I provided details on Monday.  How important is this face-off compared to debates in all of history?

• 
  Is the earth flat?
• Is earth the center of the universe?  Nicolaus Copernicus in 1580 begged to say otherwise, quietly, and so did Galileo a couple decades later.

• 
  There were various debates around 1776, and one Great Debate had to do with the Constitution.
• Lot of Great Debates regarding the history of the USA.

Unit 1: How Should Society Balance the Need for Tolerance with the Need to Protect Itself?
Unit 2: How Powerful Should the National Government Be? 
Unit 3: Who Should Be Allowed to Vote?  
Unit 4: Should Women Have Equal Treatment Under the Law?  
Unit 5: How Should Americans Treat the Land?  
Unit 6: Has Industrialization Produced More Benefits or More Problems for the Nation?  
Unit 7: Should the United States Pursue a Foreign Policy of Isolationism or Interventionism?  
Unit 8: What Should the Nation's Immigration Policy Be?  
Unit 9: To What Extent Is the Federal Government Responsible for the Welfare and Security of the Individual?  
Unit 10: Is Civil Disobedience Ever Justified as a Method of Political Change?  
Unit 11: What Are the Limits of a Free Press?  
Unit 12: How Much Should the Nation Invest in Defense?

• 
  A case was made for the Lincoln-Douglas seven debates in 1858, which Abe lost.
• According to Wikipedia, the first was realist-idealist in the 1920s and 1930s about how to deal with Nazi Germany.
• There are many lists, but nothing much to do with what is happening tonight.

Nielsen first collected presidential debate TV viewership data from 1976.  The most-watched debates in millions:

    #1    1980    Carter - Reagan                                  80.6

    #2    1992    Bush the Older - Clinton - Perot         69.9

    #3    1976    Ford - Carter                                       69.7

• 
  However, there were other means of measurement, and the 1960 Richard Nixon - John Kennedy debate on 13October1960 drew 61% of all U.S. television households.  
• The first televised debate was Nixon - Kennedy on 26September1960, drawing 59.5% of U.S. TVs.
• #3 were the same two on 7October1960 with 59.1%.
• #4 was that Carter -Reagan debate on 28October1980 with 58.9%.

• 
  The first Donald - Hillary debate of 2016 drew 84 million viewers.
• There was live coverage on 13 channels.
• Debate went on from 9 PM EDT to 10:45 PM EDT.
• The household rating was only 47.6.
• The first Biden - Trump debate in 2020 drew 73 million viewers, while the second one dropped to 63 million.

What is the expectation for tonight?  Well, most important of all, 16% of those who plan to watch will be open to change their choice for president, according a Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday.

I have two big decisions.  First, do I watch the 7PM to 9PM previews on CNN or MSNBC?  It would have been more attractive if MSNBC actually hosted the debate because Rachel Maddow and Laurence O'Donnell would have made for a more incisive moderation compared to Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.  Other questions in my mind are:  What role will Chris Wallace of CNN play?  He was with Fox when he moderated the 29September2020 debate between Trump and Biden.  But how will Steve Kornacki be used on MSNBC?

Second, when I watch major events, like the Super Bowl or the Triple Crown, I have a drink.  The Super Bowl depends on which team I support.  Here is one list for presidential debates:

• In honor of our first, George Washington, a Hot Toddy:  bourbon, honey, apple cider and cinnamon stick.
• For #3 Thomas Jefferson, a French 75:  gin, syrup, lemon juice and champagne.
• In remembrance of Theodore Roosevelt, No. 26:  bourbon, creme de cacao, water, expresso, syrup, orange bitters and whole coffee beans (he supposedly drank a gallon of coffee/day).

• 
  In memory of JFK, the Cuban Missile Crisis:  gin, lemon juice, chamomile syrup, egg white and bitters.
• However, Biden and Trump are teetotalers, so maybe I too should avoid alcohol.

Ah, I'm more important than them, so I looked at my stash.  First a bourbon corner of my collection.

Then a prominent line of Johnny Walkers.  The colored bottles are almost all empty, so I picked Blue Label.  First, because there is so much left, but also because this debate is significant.

However, in Scotland, they practically kick you out of the pub if you ask for scotch over ice.  The preferred option is a small amount of water over the whisky.  All at room temperature.  About the bourbon, of course it has to be Old Grand-Dad because Biden-Trump are both so old, and grandfathers, to boot.  So bourbon on the rocks for sure.  I'll do both, and wear blue.

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