Former President Donald Trump and his allies are spinning up any reason they can to delegitimize the presidential debate as they fear they've set themselves up to lose, writes MSNBC columnist Michael A. Cohen (not to be confused with Trump's former attorney.)
"Over the past several days, Republican after Republican has made evidence-free accusations in what is perhaps the weirdest recent example of a presidential candidate and his supporters seeking to raise expectations for the candidate’s political rival," wrote Cohen — the chief theory being that Biden is going to be pumped full of drugs to maintain consciousness. This ranges from suggestions he'll pop Adderall to Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO) saying he'll chug "either Mountain Dew or whatever it is he took before the State of the Union address this year." There is no evidence Biden took drugs on that occasion either.
"Some of these accusations — like the notion of an 81-year-old commander in chief’s shotgunning a couple of Red Bulls before jumping onstage — are legitimately hilarious. All of them are ludicrous. And they stand in stark contrast to what Republicans have been saying about Biden for several months now — that he is too old and enfeebled to handle his responsibilities as president," wrote Cohen. "Now they are saying that Biden will do quite well in Thursday’s debate, not because of some innate political skill but because of pharmaceuticals or soft drinks."
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They are right to be scared, Cohen continued, because their whole narrative of Biden being too old and confused for the job is on the line if he performs well at tonight's debate.
Compounding the problem, he added, is the fact "that Trump — never known for his eloquence — sounds less and less coherent by the week. Over the weekend, at a campaign rally in Nashville, Tennessee, he pledged to 'keep A.M. radio in our cars,' patted himself on the back for making Israel the capital of Israel and promised to get rid of the Education Department except for 'one desk, one person, just to make sure everyone’s speaking English.'"
"A good performance from Biden — or perhaps even a not-bad performance that avoids a notable senior moment — might be the most effective means for him to turn this presidential campaign in the right direction," Cohen concluded. "In short, for Biden, showing up might be victory enough — and for that Republicans may have only themselves to blame."