By Lambert Strether de Corrente.
With “Rumble in the Jungle” as the title, I hoped to showcase the awesome When we were kings:
It is 1974, Muhammad Ali is 32 years old and many believe he is past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers the two fighters five million dollars each to face off… in Kinshasa, Zaire: the “Rumble in the Jungle” between champion George Foreman and his challenger Muhammad Ali. Through historical footage and new interviews, this documentary explores the relationship between African Americans and the African continent during the Black Power era, both in terms of popular culture and international politics.
(Ali was first deployed his famous “rope-a-dope” tactic in this match.) In any case, even if it pains me to compare Ali to, well, another candidate, this whiff of When we were kings this sounds familiar somehow:
(ALI:) It’s fitting that I leave the game the way I came in, beating a big, mean monster that knocks everybody out and nobody can beat him. That’s when little Cassius Clay from Louisville, Kentucky, came and stopped Sonny Liston. The man that wiped out Floyd Patterson twice. HE WAS GOING TO KILL ME! But he punched harder than George. His reach is longer than George’s. He’s a better boxer than George. And I’m better now than when you saw that underdeveloped 22-year-old kid running from Sonny Liston. I’ve got experience now, I’m a professional. Jaws been broken, I’ve been knocked down a few times, I’m bad! I’ve cut down trees. I did something new for this fight. I wrestled an alligator. That’s right. I wrestled an alligator. I wrestled a whale. I handcuffed lightning, I threw lightning in prison. This is bad! Last week I killed a rock, injured a stone, hospitalized a brick! I am so bad that I make medicine sick!
Don King: Bad guy!
Muhammad Ali: Bad, quickly! Fast! Fast! Last night I turned off the light in my room, flipped the switch, and went to bed before the room got dark.
Anyway, for those who arrived at 8:30 p.m. sharp and want something to watch, here is Ali vs. Foreman – The Rumble In The Jungle, presented by ESPN Classicand narrated by Dr. Ferdie Pacheco (Ali’s Cornerman):
I don’t see the point in trying to predict the course of the debate; As readers know, I am partial to the idea that volatility is the central feature of this election, despite all efforts to maintain stability, and it follows that the debate will be volatile (so, of course, taking into account the composition of the moderation paneldebate could would turn into a fight over which candidate is more supportive of Israel, which would, of course, be volatile in its own way). The conventional wisdom is that the dichotomy to watch is Biden’s cognitive function versus Trump’s tendency to be anot (glass bowl). But one might assume that both candidates’ teams have prepared them for this (and Trump actually seems to be listening to his own); perhaps Biden will recite the first ten digits of π, then challenge Trump to recite the next ten, “as any serious candidate would be able to do”; or Trump might, with touching sincerity, share his sympathy for Hunter Biden’s troubles—Dear Hunter!—with the father figure behind the other podium. Maybe Biden pivots to the greatness of Lina Khan! Maybe Trump asks Biden to draw a clock—and he does! “What’s your number in prison, Donald?”54-46” We do not know ! “
What I will be watching – plus, I admit, I will be waiting for Biden to slip a cog or a “Oh humanity!” Trump moment, the more the two debaters fight, blow by blow, ZOMG the show!! — will be how candidates appeal to, or have been managed or induced to appeal to, the small number of persuadable voters in key states (and by their appeals, perhaps to reverse the future course of the race). For some reason, I looked Silver ball clips recently; it’s particularly good: “People who run ball clubs, they think in terms of buying players. Your goal should not be to buy players, your goal should be to buy wins. And to buy wins, you have to buy races. This small number of convincing voters are the races.
Anyway, here are the details again (of Indian expresssurprisingly, more consistent than CNN):
How long will the debate last?
Ninety minutes, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern, with two commercial breaks. That’s a normal length for a presidential debate, but the commercial breaks are notable: General election debates in previous cycles, sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates rather than an individual news organization, did not feature them.Contestants won’t be allowed to talk to their assistants during commercial breaks, but they will have time to breathe and collect themselves in a way they wouldn’t have in previous years.
Will there be an in-person audience?
No. The candidates will debate in a CNN studio, without a live audience.
How will the candidates be positioned?
They will stand in front of desks. Biden won a coin toss to choose his spot, and he will be to the right of viewers’ screen.
Will there be opening and closing statements?
Opening statements, no; closing statements, yes.
The order of the closing remarks was determined by a drawing of lots. Biden will deliver his first speech and Trump will have the final word of the debate.
How much time will candidates have to answer the questions?
CNN will allow two minutes for each response and one minute for rebuttals. The moderators, CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, may allow additional time at their discretion.
How will moderators avoid interruptions?
Candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak. It was another request from Biden, meant to guard against Trump’s propensity to interrupt and talk over his opponents during debates.
And here CNN’s “How to Watch” page. I suppose something will appear there in due time (and what a mess the CNN site is, that’s for sure; a maze of winding corridors all the same). CNN will also broadcast the match on YouTube.
