Debate Reaction Borders on Hilarity [OPINION]

It has been hilarious to witness the media reaction to Tuesday night's political debate between incumbent U.S. President Donald J. Trump and the Democrat challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden. Talking heads for the cable networks and other pundits expressed shock and awe. Some declared it was the worst debate ever. Others called it a "s--- show."

And of course, they all blamed Trump.

The debate was billed as a rumble for the ages. ABC declared it "The Main Event." So any of these phonies who said they were shocked by what they witnessed is a liar.

For weeks, the media built up the debate. The media created this monster then feigned outrage and disgust over what it saw. The media created hysteria over the debate and when it got rough, blamed a colossus Trump for defending himself and his record against what turned out to be a tag team of opponents.

Admit it, many of you were expecting to tune in to see a blood bath, weren't you? Hell, many of Biden's supporters and cheerleaders didn't even want him to participate because it might get rough.

It was going be the Sharks vs. the Jets, good vs. evil, truth vs. Trump. Tuesday's debate was supposed to settle the score between capitalism and socialism. It was Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance.

So why was anyone shocked that the candidates didn't follow the format and that the moderator lost control? It was Barack Obama who said during a fundraiser in Philadelphia in June 2008, "If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun." In other words, go big or go home.

The truth of the matter was the debate didn't live up to expectations for many reasons. The questions were poor and mostly irrelevant, the moderator was too weak and ineffective and the rules were confusing to the participants. 

But please, spare me the drama over the debate. A roundtable discussion on any of the cable news shows on any given night is more stressful than was that debate.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.