There will be no debates. Betcha !0 bucks to FR.
I am sure the debates will take place for the following reasons:
1. The challenger needs debates to level the playing field vs. an established POTUS. Debates work to the challenger’s advantage. If it were not for debates, and their potential for upset victories, incumbents would always win re-election.
2. In today’s political reality, debates are the mechanism by which the Democrats leverage their fake news media monopoly over Republicans. They will not give up this great media opportunity to reduce the status of an incumbent Republican, and elevate that of a Democrat challenger.
3. Biden in particular needs the debates to prove to the public he is mentally fit. Whether he likes it or not, the question of his cognitive acuity has been raised, and it must be settled.
4. One thing a candidate can never do is chicken out of the debates. That would be instant political death.
5. Debates aren’t really debates anyway - and they haven’t been for a long time. The moderators are Leftist political hacks, and the format never allows a candidate the time and freedom to develop a reasoned argument or debate strategy. There is no back and forth sparring between the candidates other than “gotcha“ quips and zingers. They are designed to offer maximum opportunity for the Left to spin and manipulate the video and sound bite results after the fact.
In short, Biden can’t afford to duck the debates, but he doesn’t need to - because they are not real debates anyway.
Think of the scene in Gladiator where Caesar challenges him to a fight I the arena, but fatally stabs him under his armor before the fight even begins.
The Democrats have plenty of such dirty tricks at their disposal - they don’t need to chicken out of the debates.