Procrustes Stretched
"intuition and imagination and intelligence"
- Dec 1, 2008
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Frank Bruni is quite the accomplished journalist. That facts is indisputable. In his article he puts forth an opinion based on facts before him, rather than an opinion we often see -- of a partisan opinion in search of facts to back up the opinion. I like his thoughts on this, because it gets into Trump's on again/off again shoutings of whether or not he'll debate Harris, when, why, how, if...
It’s easy to find examples of Vice President Kamala Harris answering questions in a vacuous, speciously thoughtful manner that borders on caricature, and it’s easy to conclude from that oratorical oatmeal that she has delayed a one-on-one sit-down with a serious journalist because she’s not nimble in unscripted situations or fluent in the necessary facts. Those are the Republican talking points, anyway.
But that assessment ignores her performance in a 2020 debate with the vice president at that time, Mike Pence. Remember it? A high-stakes encounter as risky as any interview with any network heavyweight, she did fine. Better than fine, in fact. Several post-debate surveys of viewers, including one published by 538 and another by CNN, found that Harris won it. Granted, Pence was contending with a fly’s decision to claim a time-share on his head, but still. He had been on the national political stage longer than she had, and she wasn’t buggy in the least.
Which is why Donald Trump’s recent complaints about and threats to back out of the planned ABC News debate on Sept. 10 make total sense. He should be hesitant. In fact, he should be scared.
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Frank Bruni
Frank Anthony Bruni (born October 31, 1964) is an American journalist writing for The New York Times since 1995. Following a wide range of assignments, including a stint as chief restaurant critic, he was named an op-ed columnist in June 2011. Bruni joined Duke University in June 2021 as Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy.[1][2] Since joining Duke, he continues writing a Times newsletter and remains a contributing opinion writer for the newspaper.
Bruni is the author of five bestselling books: The Age of Grievance, about indiscriminate pique and political dysfunction in contemporary America; The Beauty of Dusk, about his imperiled eyesight and what his medical odyssey taught him; Born Round, a memoir about his family's love of food and his own struggles with overeating; Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, about the college admissions mania;[3] and Ambling Into History, about George W. Bush.
Here's Frank in an interview (Frank Bruni — The Age of Grievance) where among other things, MTG was discussed:
Trump Should Be Scared — Very Scared — of Debating Kamala Harris
It’s easy to find examples of Vice President Kamala Harris answering questions in a vacuous, speciously thoughtful manner that borders on caricature, and it’s easy to conclude from that oratorical oatmeal that she has delayed a one-on-one sit-down with a serious journalist because she’s not nimble in unscripted situations or fluent in the necessary facts. Those are the Republican talking points, anyway.
But that assessment ignores her performance in a 2020 debate with the vice president at that time, Mike Pence. Remember it? A high-stakes encounter as risky as any interview with any network heavyweight, she did fine. Better than fine, in fact. Several post-debate surveys of viewers, including one published by 538 and another by CNN, found that Harris won it. Granted, Pence was contending with a fly’s decision to claim a time-share on his head, but still. He had been on the national political stage longer than she had, and she wasn’t buggy in the least.
Which is why Donald Trump’s recent complaints about and threats to back out of the planned ABC News debate on Sept. 10 make total sense. He should be hesitant. In fact, he should be scared.
.
Frank Bruni
Frank Anthony Bruni (born October 31, 1964) is an American journalist writing for The New York Times since 1995. Following a wide range of assignments, including a stint as chief restaurant critic, he was named an op-ed columnist in June 2011. Bruni joined Duke University in June 2021 as Professor of the Practice of Journalism and Public Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy.[1][2] Since joining Duke, he continues writing a Times newsletter and remains a contributing opinion writer for the newspaper.
Bruni is the author of five bestselling books: The Age of Grievance, about indiscriminate pique and political dysfunction in contemporary America; The Beauty of Dusk, about his imperiled eyesight and what his medical odyssey taught him; Born Round, a memoir about his family's love of food and his own struggles with overeating; Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be, about the college admissions mania;[3] and Ambling Into History, about George W. Bush.
Here's Frank in an interview (Frank Bruni — The Age of Grievance) where among other things, MTG was discussed:
