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