There are at least five key takeaways from the Presidential Debate hosted and moderated by CNN on Thursday night.

It should have been apparent to anyone watching that Joe Biden is not the President. He may be occupying the seat. It is, however, a very sad testament to anyone who has a family member experiencing mental decline to see what the political puppeteers have done to this man to remain in power. He is not capable of clear thought, recall, or even putting sentences together or words in sentences together without slurring and mumbling. This is not a good optic for the rest of the world to see, especially those who are enemies of the United States. It is worse than embarrassing. It is a national security risk.

This was so bad that it felt like the moderators, clearly in the Biden camp from their previous on-air comments, were bailing out Biden by quickly switching to Trump when Biden was trailing off or stammering at the end of an answer.

Biden’s best recall was the hoaxes and lies the media and Democratic Party faithful have made up against Trump—which Trump clearly debunked time after time. The idea that Trump had been indicted as a felon just seemed to fizzle out as he effectively stated that Biden is using the courts to persecute a political opponent—which Biden didn’t deny. Trump also made good points about illegal aliens and crime, as well as the impact of Biden’s record inflation on Americans.

Abortion, which is the centerpiece of the Democratic Party’s presidential hopes, was totally botched by Biden. Citing repeatedly that Nobel scholars, whoever they are, thought the Roe v Wade decision in 1973 was Constitutional has nothing to do with anything. The difference was clear: Biden advocates no restrictions on abortion even up to term. Trump believes the states should decide how they want to handle abortion—just as the Supreme Court has ruled. Trump said that he would not stand in the way of the abortion pill. Pro-lifers may not like that, but at least everybody knows where Trump stands on the issue. Biden didn’t seem to know what the issue was.

Finally, the best line in the debate was delivered by Trump on the issue of Israel. Biden said Hamas should be eliminated, but he wants a ceasefire. Trump underscored Biden’s political dilemma with this quip:

“You got to ask him, as far as Israel and Hamas, Israel is the one that wants to go. He said the only one who wants to keep going is Hamas. Actually, Israel is the one, and you should go and let them finish the job. He doesn’t want to do it. He has become like a Palestinian. But they don’t like him because he is a very bad Palestinian. He is a weak one.”

Trump also said that Biden’s weakness has led to the wars in Israel and Ukraine.

All in all, it was a very bad night for Biden. While the media will be doing its normal “fact checking,” people need to remember that debates are performances. They are style over substance. Hyperbole and half-truths are part of the show. But the one thing that cannot be ignored is the feebleness of Biden and his lack of mental cognizance. Exposing this on the international stage is a danger to America. There should be no more debates between these two. They are a waste of time and put our nation at risk.

We all should remember this when we go to the polls: Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked bear rule, the people mourn.”

Transcript of the debate: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/27/politics/read-biden-trump-debate-rush-transcript/index.html

There was a time when pageant contestants, in their interview portion, seemed to end with the goal of “world peace.” People want to say it, but do they really want to live it?

Everywhere we look today, there is no peace. If people don’t get their way, they throw tantrums, burn buildings, shoot people, start wars, whatever, then blame it on the ones who are attacked. How many times have you been accused of something out of nowhere, and doing such a deed had never entered your mind? But the person accusing you is doing that very thing?

There is so much division in the world today that it’s very difficult to find peace. Like Jeremiah declaring, they say, “Peace, peace when there is no peace.” But there can be.

In the weekly reading of Torah, called the parashah, Chapters 4-7 of Numbers go into great detail about how the Israelite camp is to be set up, the interaction of the priests, requirements for restitution of sin, the necessities of the Nazarite, even how a woman causing her husband to be jealous was to be handled. All these things seem to be unrelated, but spelling them out has deep meaning and purpose. In the midst of these details, the priestly blessing is given in Numbers 6:23-27,

“May Adonai bless you and keep you. May Adonai make his face shine on you and show you his favor. May Adonai lift up his face toward you and give you peace.”

Some question why this blessing is given after these detailed instructions.

In his commentary on this parashah titled Naso (Take), Rabbi Jonathan Sacks says,

“The answer lies in the last word of the priestly blessing: shalom, peace… shalom does not mean simply the absence of war or strife. It means completeness, perfection, the harmonious completion of a complex system, a state in which everything is in its proper place and all is at one with the physical and ethical laws of governing the universe.”

Consider that God brought order out of chaos when he created the world, and with all the creation, it was good, and there was peace. God was showing the Israelites what was expected of them and how to have order among themselves. And in that order, there would be peace. It is no coincidence that Naso includes the priestly blessing—a prayer for peace.

In fulfilling the Isaiah 9:5 prophecy as Prince of Peace, Christ brought true shalom to all of His people, Jew and Gentile, as is written in Ephesians 2:14-18,

“For He Himself is our peace, having made both one and having broken down the barrier of the partition of hostility, by destroying in His flesh the enmity caused by the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

Christ IS our shalom. Through him and by him, we can walk in that day by day, moment by moment, no matter what the world does. Shalom!

Posted in The Daily Jot