I actively avoided the debate last night, but unfortunately I've been reading about it this morning. It is not making my morning better. Poking around the news websites it looks like even the right wingers are having a hard time spinning this in Trump's direction.
This is what happens when you debate with fascists, unfortunately, and is a perfect example of why the people who say that these politics can be beaten by being debated out in the open are wrong. Fascists agree to rules then don't follow them. They speak over you. They do not attempt to "win", they attempt to please their base and make a lot of noise. They prevent you from getting your message out. on all counts, Trump succeeded in those goals. Biden gained nothing from this debate. Indeed, he may have even lost voters to the "not voting" option. Trump lost very little, and those he did lose are likely not going to vote for his opponent, they're just not going to vote at all.
I'm a little more with you on this. For over four years Trump's only MO has been to dominate attention and drown out. Every media outlet from right to left has been his tool. He did it in the debates with Hillary, and he did it again last night. I remember how post-debate people "scored" in Hillary's favor like she won, but she didn't. He was bigger, louder, lied constantly, and was the only thing anybody was thinking about afterwards. Trump is a known quantity and I also suspect he lost very little. Biden on the other hand, is at his best when he can speak his vision directly to the people. Trump shut that down hard last night. Oh it was messy and chaotic? Who cares? How is that bad for Trump? Oh he refused to condemn at hate group? Exactly like he refused on camera to denounce the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan during last election? Biden was getting beat up for most of that debate, in ways no different than we've seen before. He was much better in the second half when he had a few moments of direct contact with the camera, but IMO those were few and far between as he failed to deal with Trump's standard playbook. At least he was strongest towards the end. He needed to lose that ragdoll energy. Few silver linings though: 1) Trump is a known quantity operating at the peak of the only gear he has. He can't actually get better or improve his debate performance. 2) Biden absolutely can, especially if it's more effectively moderated. 3) Biden is in the lead and Trump actually needed to win people over not stall Biden. Would have been great for Trump if he was the one in the lead going in, but he wasn't, and that hoses him. Anyway, I fully expect Biden to be much better in the next debate no matter what Trump brings, and expect Trump to more or less remain in stasis. And even if it's a repeat, still good for Biden overall. For kicks, go back and read the summary of a Clinton Trump debate from 2016. Sounds familiar. I actually though HRC did much better against Trump than Joe last night.He called Mrs Clinton a liar and a "nasty woman".
He said the women accusing him of sexual harassment bordering on assault were either attention-seekers or Clinton campaign stooges.
He said the media were "poisoning the minds" of the public. And, most notably, he refused to say whether he would accept the results of the election if he loses.
My wife and I tried to watch it, but it was too painful. We hung in there for about 30 minutes before my anxiety and blood pressure skyrocketed. Listening to them interrupt each other and the name calling, it was just beyond the pale. I suspect Biden's plan was to push back on Trump's bluster, but it just came across as childish. When Biden said the debate wasn't "Presidential", I kind of wrote the whole thing off. He was right, it wasn't. I was hoping he would be the adult on stage, but the comment really kind of hit the nail on the head. He tried to "out-Trump" Trump. Biden did reign himself in after a little while, but the damage was done in my opinion. And the fact that the moderator had absolutely no control of the performance was ridiculous. I really hope they install a mute button on the candidates and use it when it is not their turn to speak going forward. And I hope that Biden brings some decorum for the next debate. He isn't going to win over any Trump supporters no matter what he does, but he could scare off independents that he needs.
I think Biden pulled it together a bit more in the second half. He spoke directly to the camera a few times that were pretty effective. I agree that he should have resisted the urge to engage even more, but Wallace was totally ineffective as a moderator and Trump was taking full advantage. It's crazy that he didn't mute the mic of the person that didn't have the floor. Sad that it's necessary, but it is necessary.
Probably was against the debate rules that both sides agreed to. There was an editorial in the Times today that called on Biden to boycott the next two debates. I strongly disagree. That plays right into Trump's strategy, insofar as it can be said that he has one. I think that Joe might actually be the person for the moment. A person who can laugh when Trump is trying to anger you has the correct response. Sadly, he probably could have been in 2016 had Beau not suffered that GBM.It's crazy that he didn't mute the mic of the person that didn't have the floor.
This was effective af, and apparently people haven't come around to realizing it yet.A person who can laugh when Trump is trying to anger you
I don’t think that will be the effect. Apparently Biden hauled in a record amount of donations during and after the debate. It appears that most were sickened by what they saw, and I don’t see much evidence that Biden has been faulted for it. Most blame seems to fall on Trump and Wallace. I also expect Trump’s embrace of white supremacy to dispel some ennui.