Outside of a Punch in the Mouth, We Need A Gavel

Well, wasn't that special?

But, I would say, necessary. One more time, we needed to see the president on display as the bullying lout he has always been. 

He had to do that, of course. Even beyond being who he is at all times, no pretenses--or, if you will, nothing but pretense--he needed to blow up the entire format to emerge dominant, at least in his mind, so he can now belittle Joe Biden on Twitter as being too weak to be president. He's trailing, so he needs to disrupt the entire process and re-establish control. In his mind, he did really well last night.

He's even utilizing, using in fact though they don't realize it, Medal of Honor winners to do his bidding for him. They don't get it, either. Going on TV and describing what you did to win the medal exposes you as exactly the opposite of what such winners should be: Humble servants.

But I digress. The next debate is supposed to be a town hall setting. This is a recipe for disaster, already set up and established. We now know what's going to happen.

Interruptions will take place naturally now. 45 will ignore any attempts to re-establish formalities. It's what he wants when he wants it.

It's the M.O. of both him and his major assistants. Remember Stephen Miller getting thrown out of the studio by Jake Tapper (who should be the moderator from hereon out)? That attempted interview should be replayed. He tries exactly the same thing. So did Kellyanne Conway. So did Scaramucci in the short time he was communications director.

Tapper kept talking through Miller, and then noted that he refused to answer the questions posed. Finding things to be a waste of time, he dismissed Miller from the studio. 

Of course you can't do that to the president, can you? But it would be entirely appropriate. He has broken the rules, so the format is now compromised. Town hall? It will be a near riot.

The Presidential Election Commission would do well to re-meet and consider new rules. Both sides agreed to this format, which plays right into 45's hands. He had no greater desire to follow the rules than a snake poised in a tree to attack.

We keep forgetting that this president doesn't deserve the respect his office would normally have. He uses it to get his way, to say the first thing that comes to his mind. It's a fundamental abuse of power. I can't believe that after all this time, people still don't see it, anticipate it, and take strides to head it off.

Steven Scully, of C-SPAN,  who is supposed to somehow preside over the "discussion," has no idea what he's in for at the next debate. Chris Wallace of Fox News tried hard, albeit too late, to rescue a smidgeon of decorum from last night's debacle. He at least established that 45 was the perpetrator.

Next time, outside of a punch in the mouth--which 45 has always needed very badly but which we know now will never happen because he gets Secret Service protection for the rest of his life, an injustice that will be everlasting--we need some kind of interruptive device to intercede when 45 goes off the rails.

An air horn would be untoward, though effective. But a gavel would do the trick, if applied appropriately.

Ever been at a meeting where a gavel has been used, outside of court? It's quite loud. It also has the veneer of officialness and impatience, as in you're-out-of-order. There's a formality to it that can't be denied.

And--not to be ignored--it's really, really loud if wielded well. Consistent banging upon whatever solid surface is nearby is annoying and gets people to stop what they're doing pretty quickly.

It also gets in the way of hearing what the offender has to say. It defeats their wish to get advantages that are undeserved. The moderator just needs to keep pounding away to restore order.

45 needs to be gaveled endlessly when he lips off, which is all the time; when he tries to get an aside in, which is normal for him; when he interrupts, which is a violation of the rules of decorum. It's why a gavel exists: to prevent improprieties from taking over the process.

We will see if he gained votes from this descent into chaos, lying his way through his interruptions. I think the jury's out. After all, he managed to win last time on an Electoral College technicality. It's pretty much all he can hope for this time, too.

This is either an exercise in political suicide, or a prelude to much deeper trouble starting on Election Day. He can't and won't let go. We need to understand all the implications of that.

But in the meantime, get a gavel from some president of some local chamber of commerce. Either that, or order one on EBay. There's still time.

Be well. Be careful. Wear a mask. With some luck, I'll see you down the road.

Mister Mark