Is using Nelson Muntz to introduce a post about last night’s debacle for President Biden and the Democrats too mean? Too cruel? Unnecessarily harsh? I don’t think so. The alternative was one of many devastating shots from last night of dead-eyed Biden staring into space, seemingly zoned out. Nelson is fair and appropriate, because no degree of mockery, resentment or schadenfreude is excessive as a response to this corrupted and arrogant party being exposed beyond denial (though many are trying) for their unforgivable infliction of a mentally rotting, place-holding shell on this great and essential nation as its leader. I would be furious, but I was already furious about this before Biden was nominated. His physical and mental deterioration was obvious then. It was also obvious that the party and the news media were hiding it. It has been obvious the Biden is getting worse too: already unfit to be President, he was deteriorating further right in front of us—-and the Party’s response was that the evidence was all “cheap fakes.” Pure 1984 and aspiring totalitarianism, and yet the desperate Trump Deranged applauded it, excused it, and enabled it. Shame on them, shame on everybody. Well, they got what was coming to them last night. Good.
I should back up a bit to clarify that I still haven’t watched the whole debate, and unlike my usual practice, I haven’t read the transcript either. The several clips I have seen are enough, and the transcript is irrelevant this time. Biden’s shocking moment of disorientation that prompted the devastating line from Trump (“I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence; I don’t think he knows what he said either.”) inspiring last night’s post was all anyone had to see who wasn’t primed to go into complete denial, just as Joseph Welch’s immortal evisceration of the evil Joe McCarthy (“At long last, have you left no sense of decency?”) is all one needs to see in that confrontation; just as Lloyd Bentsen’s “Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. You’re no Jack Kennedy” take-down of poor Dan Quayle and Quayle’s pathetic reaction is all one needs to see in that debate.
Biden’s full display of his disability continued for the full 90 minutes, making this by far the most horrible performance by any participant in a Presidential debate in American history, and before last night, I had seen them all. Nixon’s five-o’clock shadow? Ford saying that Poland wasn’t an Iron Curtain nation? Carter citing his daughter as an authority on nuclear proliferation? Dukakis calmly talking about the hypothetical murder and rape of his wife like he was reacting to the Dow Jones report? They all seem so trivial in comparison to Biden’s muttering, meandering, often incoherent babbling last night. Poor Rick Perry blanked out on the third Federal agency he would get rid of as President, and that was treated as a decisive gaffe in a 2011 GOP primary debate, killing his chances of being the Republican Presidential nominee. Biden made Perry look like Carl Sagan for a full 90 minutes.
Last night, Ann Althouse wrote that Biden’s performance was bad, but it wasn’t “that bad.” (An esteemed commenter on last night’s post wrote the same thing.) Good heavens, how much worse could it have been? I suppose Biden could have torn off his clothes and run amuck in the studio, but short of that…seriously? Chris Wallace, one of the few mourning members of the Axis pro-Biden media to have the guts to tell the truth, said last night that Biden was supposed to use last night’s debate to reassure voters that he was fit, alert and up to the job, and instead it “sunk his campaign.”
Biden’s meltdown was so disastrous that card-carrying Axis members with a modicum of integrity were tweeting and writing “Oh-oh…” posts within 20 minutes of the debate’s start. The second it ended, Nick Kristof wrote, “I wish Biden would reflect on this debate performance and then announce his decision to withdraw from the race, throwing the choice of Democratic nominee to the convention.”
But what did the Democrats and Biden’s team expect? The word for what happened last night is incompetence. The fiasco was completely predictable, but the Democrats had apparently started to believe their own lies—this is what “hoist by one’s own petard” means. They wanted this early debate, and imposed conditions on it designed to keep Joe as safe as possible. The restrictions made Trump better, and if they knew their adversary, they would have realized that. With no audience to play to, he was unusually restrained. Because the mics were silenced while one debater was speaking, Trump wasn’t tempted to make impulsive ad lib remarks. The Democrats’ only chance was Trump acting like an asshole distracting from Joe’s looking old and addled, and they helped ensure that Trump would be uncharacteristically restrained.
I jumped around between CNN, Fox News and MSNBC last night after the debate for a period longer than the debate itself. “Nah, there’s no mainstream media bias!” The talking heads on CNN and MSNBC all looked like their mothers had been murdered. Objectivity! How professional of them. After the Democratic high command had huddled and concocted their desperation talking points, suddenly MSNBC and CNN were telling us about how Biden’s critics were concentrating on his “style” rather than the substance of what he said, as if anyone could understand him much of the time. Kamala Harris then came on MSNBC, and she was talking about Biden’s “style.” Incoherence, confusion and senility is not a “style.” The Axis reliance on dishonest choices of words to obscure reality and confuse the public has now reached comic (and insulting) proportions.
Next CNN and MSNBC lock-stepped into the other DNC directed narrative: Trump lied, always lies, he’s a lying liar. Again, pathetic (though maybe not as pathetic as the “he had a cold” excuse the White House floated mid-debate). It didn’t matter what Trump said: he looked younger than Biden, energetic, aware, vigorous and in full control of his faculties: resorting to the old reliable lie trope shows just how desperate the Axis is. Shouting “Look ! He’s a liar!” at Trump is treating the public like dogs who will instantly lose their focus if they see a squirrel.
And, as usual, the “lie” assessment and analysis was biased and misleading. CNN’s “factchecker” appeared, saying that Trump had issued 30 “lies” (almost all were typical Trumpian hyperbole and sloppiness) while Biden had only had “nine.” Oddly, he didn’t count the most stunning of Biden’s lies, when he repeated the hoary myth that Trump had called the white-supremacists in Charlottesville “very fine people.” Biden’s been saying this for about six years; it has been repeatedly shown to be untrue, and Biden keeps repeating it, making it absolute, beyond question, a lie. (Jake Tapper was one who had, in the past, pointed out that this account was false, yet for some reason <cough!> he remained silent last night.) But the CNN factchecker did point out a misstatement Trump made about the deficit when he was obviously talking about the debt.
ADDED: Another “lie” fingered by CNN’s hack was that Trump said that “every” legal scholar agreed that Roe v. Wade was a bad decision. Classic Trump sloppiness: all legal scholars agree on virtually nothing. But almost from the minute it was decided, most legal scholars not in thrall to NOW and other feminist activist movements opined that the reasoning in Roe was unusually weak. I remember professors in law school talking about this while I was a student, just a couple of years after Roe. So, okay, it wasn’t all legal scholars, and some will still insist that claiming that the right to kill the unborn is a matter of “privacy” like the right to use birth control, the alleged SCOTUS precedent for Roe. Doesn’t that still sound contrived? trump wasn’t lying; he was just stating the facts in a dumb way, as usual.
If you can’t trust the factcheckers to count the “lies” fairly, what good are they, except as partisan tools?
ADDED: Politico, another Axis member in good standing, reminded me of the other attempted spin job I am seeing. In Democrats really have no way to spin this. We break down Biden’s disastrous debate, one of the reporters tried to spin it anyway, saying, “But there’s a difference between Biden losing the debate and Trump winning it. The traits voters don’t like about Trump were also on display at times — the ranting, the mendacity, the election denialism — so it’s hard to proclaim him much more than the winner by default.” This is what is known as “sour grapes.” In sports, a coach or manager who says, “They didn’t win that game, we lost it” is refusing to give his victorious adversary due credit. Trump performed much better in the debate than Biden, Biden crashed and burned, and Trump won fair and square. As always, the Trump-Deranged will never give Donald Trump credit for any achievement, any triumph.
The Axis was already in panic mode over the polls; now it might be nearing a psychotic break. I think Samuel L. Jackson is called for…
Ethics Alarms 
…and I think that just about nails it. Playing off Edward’s comment in the previous post, I would wager Judge Merchan’s phone is now ringing off the hook.
Speaking of transcripts, I think we can all now be sure we know why they don’t want to release the audio of the Hur interviews.
For a “cheap fake” coda, TwitteX has the wide-shot post-debate vid showing Jill rushing up, telling Joe he’s “a good boy”, and helping him navigate down the two steps from the stage, as another minion runs up to lend a hand, if needed. If he were any less fit, they’d just be carrying him to a hearse.
Wow, I never knew that having a cold caused instant drooling dementia/senility. I am going to up my Vitamin C!
He clearly did have a cold–my wife commented on it as soon as he started talking. His stutter has also never been worse. But that doesn’t explain how poorly he did overall. His age is catching up with him. He was much, much better at this even four years ago.
I’ve had to undertake some of the most challenging tasks of my life sick with colds and much worse. Even mentioning it is insulting. When Rick Perry had his gaffe, his camp attributed it to some medication he was on. Lame. Accept responsibility and stop making excuses, dude.
Wahhhh wahhhh. I worked 16 hour days when I had mono, because I did not have any paid days off. Suck it up, Biden, go get your pampers changed and get back on the porch with the other geezers.
Hey Not a Lawyer, go down your talking point list. Try the one where Joe’s having to deal with the fact his son is a drug addict, or his other son died of cancer. They’re right there below “he’s overcome a stutter.” You’ll see them.
He was much, much better at this even four years ago.
Talking point! I see Joe’s been instructed to use it as well. Headline quote, “I don’t debate as well as I used to.”
Pathetic.
With all due respect Old Bill, what the fuck is your problem? I conceded that Joe Biden did poorly, that it’s the result of old age, and that he is likely too old for this job. If that isn’t good enough for you, I don’t know what you want from me.
I’d guess he doesn’t like you, NAL. I don’t like you either. So far, I’ve heard very little from you except Democratic Party talking points. Unless you have some original thought to offer, I don’t think your presence here does much, except remind us why we’re glad Chris and fattymoon and Charles and A Lib and Katie and almost all the other libs have taken a powder.
Oh, you knew I was going to say this, and often I’ll let one or four go, but please, let’s keep direct personal attacks on fellow commenters to a minimum, fair?
Be secure in the fact that I love you all, and am grateful for presence, participation, insights and attention.
Fattymoon! A tortured, complex soul. I wonder how he’s doing?
I’m trying to figure out what the game plan was and, now, what it will be?
It’s been obvious to anyone paying the slightest attention that President Biden is falling apart. Only constant partisan reassurance by his enablers and allies in the media has kept going the narrative that he’s just a nice old man with a bad memory.
Low-information voters are not likely to have watched the debate nor pay any attention to much about it. They only want quick reductionist arguments and stupid memes, like the one a relative of mine posted last night, quoting, of all people, Jimmy Kimmel: “Just because you think Alfred is too old to take care of the Batcave, you don’ t replace him with the Joker.”
Get it? Haha…Biden is Alfred, Trump is the Joker and we only have a choice between the two! Essentially, Jimmy – or whoever actually came up with that sage logic – is saying that the only selection is Biden. One would think that Bruce Wayne could at least lovingly retire Alfred with a generous pension and hire someone younger and better fit to maintain Wayne Manor as well as Bruce’s secret identity.
I’ll go with number 2, AM. The people running the country will keep Joe out there for another four plus years. They are sure the votes will be there in November. “Nothing to see here. Move along.”
I’ll take number 4. It’s the most viable of the options and, IMO, the one most likely to have been chosen, especially since Biden’s performance was so irredeemably bad, the Democrats have been put on notice that even the corrupt, mendacious, shameless media borg is embarrassed to go on covering for this administration.
I think one underlying current that I haven’t seen mentioned in reporting on the debate will be that Biden and his people prepped for seven days for this. Seven days doing nothing but practicing, memorizing, countering potential Trump comments, yet this was the result?
I’m pretty sure it was seven days of naps, early bedtime and lots of ice cream. The “seven days of intensive prep” is propaganda along the lines of “Joe’s sharper than he’s ever been. He’s up on everything and he runs every meeting and makes every policy decision.”
I doubt it was early bedtime. The best they could do for him was adjust his sleep schedule so that he was waking up about 6PM. That way he’s at the peak of his mental acuity.
There are many making this point: who was with him? Who observed Biden and said, “OK! He’s ready to go!”
Incompetence. Hubris. Morons.
UGH. I don’t know how much more of the media and Democrat denial and spin I can take. I’ve now heard the “Biden may have lost, but Trump didn’t win” line four times: a memo obviously went out. Another theme: “It doesn’t matter! Biden has been a great President and is a wonderful human being! Who cares if he can’t talk?” Another: “the debate won’t change anybody’s mind, so its OK.”
Really? So the voters are all cretins, then? I’ll be writing a post on this shortly.
Yep. It’s, “Get used to it, suckers. This is your president. The beatings will continue until morale improves.”
You can pour all the water you want to into a leaky bucket; it still won’t be there when you need it the next day.
I just now got finished reading the transcript of the debate, haven’t watched the video yet, and my initial impression is…
I’m guessing that watching the video won’t change that opinion.
I think I’ll take a break before watching the debate video.
Maybe I’ll go out and let the rain pound the shit out of me on a motorcycle ride, that’ll certainly be more enjoyable than watching the debate video.
Honestly, after last night (and I’m at least one of the folks that said it wasn’t as bad as it could have been), I’d recommend a root canal first. It’ll be more pleasant than watching the video and the drugs they give might help it make sense.
I just finished watching the debate and it was the hardest and most depressing political thing I’ve ever had to trudge through. From my point of view, a cluster fuck of human beings is spot on.
I can’t stand watching or listening to Trump or Biden speak. Neither one of them should ever go beyond answering a question with a simple statement but they both have to try to twist things into one of their talking points, like other professional politicians do with regularity, but the problem is that they both sound like complete imbeciles when they ad lib with intelligent statements. They both lack the ability to remain on topic without an unintelligent “squirrel” distraction moment disrupting their brain and taking them off on a tangent; that said, it’s really clear to me that their unintelligent “squirrel” distraction moments are clearly for different psychological reasons, one is a brazen self-serving narcissist and the other is a dementia induced disconnection with the moment and reality.
What a sad, sad predicament we as a nation are in right now. Our nation, culture, and society are slowly morphing into a totalitarian state and these are the only candidates for President that our two major parties can come up with? On top of that, the third party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems to be riding an anti major political party wave but I’m becoming more and more convinced that he’s an extreme progressive hiding behind the persona of an Independent because it sells. Kennedy talks the talk but I get the uncomfortable feeling that there’s an unseen morally bankrupt person behind the persona curtain pulling the levers.
Side Note: I read somewhere that Robert F Kennedy Jr. might actually get a boost in the polls after this debate debacle.
This apparently hopeless political predicament we’re facing makes me physically sick.
What the fuck have we become?
Rats, bad proof reading, again.
<i>”…they both sound like complete imbeciles when they ad lib with intelligent statements”</i> <b>that should actually read</b> <i>”…they both sound like complete imbeciles when they ad lib with <b>un</b>intelligent statements”</i>.
RATS AGAIN!!!!!
Now the text formatting is all fucked up.
I give up.
😦
Well, if nothing else, this debate disproved the existing pro-Trump narrative that Biden was going to be on some sort of performance-enhancing superdrug that makes you really good at debating.
To my mind, I also think it disproved their line that Trump would be debating the moderators as well as Trump. Yes, Tapper should have corrected the Charlottesvile lie, but he and Bash didn’t correct any of Trump’s either. They must have been told to do no live fact-checking in order to avoid accusations of bias…but their job as journalists is to inform the public, and they absolutely failed at that job last night. Their conduct was thus as unethical as that of either of the candidates. (The golf argument? Are you kidding me?)
Finally, I think the fact that so many on the left are calling for Biden to step down exposes a double standard. While those calling for Biden to step down may be right, why are there no calls on the right for Trump to step down? He may be more energetic and coherent, but he’s also a convicted felon whose public and private conduct are repellent even to many right-leaning people on this blog. Democrats are seeming to acknowledge that Biden is, at best, a very flawed candidate, and that the American people deserve better; where is that recognition from Republicans regarding Trump?
Anyway, that’s the best spin I’ve got this morning. Biden did terribly and I am incredibly discouraged. Light me up.
Well, if nothing else, this debate disproved the existing pro-Trump narrative that Biden was going to be on some sort of performance-enhancing superdrug that makes you really good at debating.
To my mind, I also think it disproved their line that Trump would be debating the moderators as well as Trump.
Agreed. And agreed.
My sister, who is pretty closely aligned with your beliefs, was so upset last night that she refused to talk to me and said she was going to have a stiff drink
And she doesn’t drink.
It was a rare three-beer night for me.
I went for bourbon, and my wife for Bailey’s, but that was to fortify us for the debate itself.
What was your choice of beer? I’ve fallen in the IPA fad, myself…
Lagunitas. Love a good IPA.
Hear, hear!
Ryan Harkins wrote, “I went for bourbon, and my wife for Bailey’s, but that was to fortify us for the debate itself.”
Thus proving that Bourbon and Bailey’s isn’t just for breakfast anymore. 😉
Democrats are seeming to acknowledge that Biden is, at best, a very flawed candidate, and that the American people deserve better; where is that recognition from Republicans regarding Trump?
Hah. Nice try. “Our guy stinks so you need to get rid of your guy too so we can roll someone else out and defeat your other guy.” My net worth and I will gladly take another four years of Trump instead of four more years of Jill Biden and The Squad and the Deep State strangling the economy.
You think the only reason for Trump to step down is “Biden stinks?” What?
And as even Trump admitted last night, the U.S. has had the best post-pandemic recovery in the world. That clearly doesn’t indicate a “strangled economy.” (Of course, Trump somehow managed to take credit for that, despite badly mishandling the pandemic in the first place in a way that likely led to his 2020 loss.)
“despite badly mishandling the pandemic in the first place in a way that likely led to his 2020 loss”
That’s just ridiculous. More lockdowns? Quicker lockdowns? More limitations on personal liberty? Fewer? Trump’s main mistake was listening to his lying, corrupt CDC, something he had little choice but to do.
The only country that handled the pandemic well was Sweden, and it was vilified for most of the pandemic.
I shudder to think how much was lost in America due to our disastrous handling of the pandemic, especially in regard to how an entire generation of children was affected by school closures and isolation. Luckily my children were relatively unaffected, living in a pretty conservative place.
Refusing to wear a mask in public, holding superspreader rallies that killed some of his own supporters including Herman Cain, spreading quack medical theories including saying that the virus would just “go away on its own…” Most Americans didn’t like this, Jack. If they did, he would have won; a crisis like this usually creates a “rally around the flag” effect, like 9/11 with George W. Bush, but Trump’s leadership was so bad that he couldn’t even manage that. The CDC failed in many ways during the pandemic, but it was much more accurate than Trump’s statements on the matter. The one thing he did right was fast-tracking the vaccine, but he had so thoroughly undermined his supporters’ trust in experts and science before that, that a large chunk of them refused to take it. I don’t know how you can see this as anything other than a huge failure of leadership. Most Americans thought Biden was taking the crisis more seriously, and with more empathy, than Trump, and they were right.
“holding superspreader rallies that killed some of his own supporters including Herman Cain…”
Speaking of seeing correlation and assuming causation…
“Refusing to wear a mask in public…”
Which kind? The cloth masks that were never going to be helpful, which the CDC knew was true while spreading the misinformation that a cloth mask was helpful?
“spreading quack medical theories including saying that the virus would just go away on its own…”
Did the vaccines end the pandemic? Honest thoughts.
“he had so thoroughly undermined his supporters’ trust in experts…”
This is right up there with your comment about Trump causing the death of Ashli Babbit. Could it be that millions of Americans had already seen the back-and-forth from Fauci on masks, “two weeks to slow the curve,” the hypocrisy of the doctors who were okay with liberal protests but not any other public get-togethers, and the countless other stupid things the “experts” have done that caused their support to wane?
One of Trump’s greatest accomplishments, and one that has been proven valid as the junk science behind so many policies, especially during the pandemic has been proved false, speculative, or overly hyped. It is the experts themselves who are responsible for their loss of credibility.
I don’t consider inadvertently making millions of Americans afraid to take a vaccine during the worst pandemic in generations an “accomplishment,” but that’s just me. Scientists are not perfect. They get things wrong sometimes and they try to self-correct. Cult leaders such as Trump have no obligation. And you’re siding with the cult leader.
“Speaking of seeing correlation and assuming causation…”
If you think that attending large in-person gatherings during the height of the pandemic did not cause people to get Covid, I don’t know what to tell you at this point. You’re delusional.
“Which kind? The cloth masks that were never going to be helpful, which the CDC knew was true while spreading the misinformation that a cloth mask was helpful?”
The CDC did not “know” that “cloth masks were never going to be helpful.” They still don’t know that. The research is mixed, but there was and is good reason to believe cloth masks made at least a slight difference.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/face-mask-effectiveness-what-science-knows-now-60-minutes/
“Did the vaccines end the pandemic? Honest thoughts.”
The vaccines have had a huge impact on reducing the severity of the pandemic.
“This is right up there with your comment about Trump causing the death of Ashli Babbit.”
If Trump had not falsely made people believe they could stop the certification on January 6th, Babbit would likely still be alive.
“Could it be that millions of Americans had already seen the back-and-forth from Fauci on masks, “two weeks to slow the curve,” the hypocrisy of the doctors who were okay with liberal protests but not any other public get-togethers, and the countless other stupid things the “experts” have done that caused their support to wane?”
Anti-vaxxers have a lot of reasons for their bad and dumb decisions. But it is a fact that Trump supporters are more likely than the general population to refuse the vaccine. Ignoring Trump supporters’ rejection of other scientific and logical principles, disdain for expertise, and embrace of conspiracy theory, all of which were encouraged by Trump (remember, he started his political career on the birther conspiracy theory) would be foolish.
Do you understand correlation and causation?
There’s a correlation between Herman Cain attending a large rally and coming down with COVID. You assign causation, but that’s not how science works. He could have gotten it there, or from anywhere else he was in the weeks preceding his death. Mistaking correlation and causation doesn’t mean it couldn’t be the cause, it just means you can’t assume it, which is what you like to do when it fits your bias.
“but there was and is good reason to believe cloth masks made at least a slight difference.”
Could make a slight difference? That’s mishandling the pandemic to you?
“The vaccines have had a huge impact on reducing the severity of the pandemic.”
Not the question I asked. Would the pandemic have gone away without the vaccines?
“If Trump had not falsely made people believe they could stop the certification on January 6th, Babbit would likely still be alive.”
The fact that you repeat this and ignored my request for a citation of Trump telling his supporters that they could or should stop the certification of the election tells me that you’re not arguing in good faith.
“Would the pandemic have gone away without the vaccines?”
Not without millions more deaths, no.
But Trump didn’t care about the deaths. He only cared about numbers that made him look bad, which is why he discouraged even testing for Covid.
NAL, don’t fret. Try this:
Remy did not approve of either candidate last night.
jvb
“He may be more energetic and coherent, but he’s also a convicted felon whose public and private conduct are repellent even to many right-leaning people on this blog.”
Well, here it goes:
They are not calling for him to step down because
1) they believe his prosecution was politically motivated and was designed to get the “convicted felon” tag on him to use as campaign fodder and to damage his re-election chances.
2) they want to win and think he’s got the best chance of all Republicans of doing it.
This is, of course, the fault of the Republican Party for not finding anyone competent enough to galvanize the voters into supporting anyone else. It’s also the fault of the Democratic Party which introduced the idea during the 1992 Clinton campaign that personal conduct is irrelevant to the job of President and which rationalized further egregious personal conduct on the part of its rock star in office. If Republicans today don’t blink an eye at Trump’s boorishness, it’s because – 30 years ago – they were told these things didn’t matter (“It’s the economy, stupid!”) .
To be frank, both parties have betrayed the public by failing to make sure there were sufficient qualified candidates as alternatives. Among a great many people in my circle of acquaintance, the general impression of “This is the best we can do?” is prevalent.
And George Washington warned us about the follies of “faction” in his Farewell Address. Those who devote themselves to political parties often find their loyalty ends there and not with what is best for the country. This is where we are. Both sides want to win, both sides refuse to do what is necessary to end the divisiveness and both sides are responsible for the fact that we are worse off for it, yet refuse to acknowledge it.
Thanks, AM. I am so tired of being expected to genuflect and recite, “Trump is a despicable person and I must disapprove of him.” As you point out, that horse left the barn when Bill Clinton entered the barn and started getting blowjobs from interns in the Oval Office. My retort is always, “Bill Clinton was a despicable human being. So what?” And frankly, Trump has the decency to divorce and provide for his former wives, unlike Clinton who simply fucks everything that’s not tied down while his wife cavorts with her assistants.
Your #1: Even Andrew Cuomo, noting his status as both former governor and AG of New York, said that that case would never have been brought against anyone else, and that it only was because the target was Trump, and he was running against Biden.
I don’t agree that the calls for Biden to step down and the lack of calls for Trump to step down imply any double standard. First, there are still many on the Left who are still supporting Biden moving forward, so it is by far an unanimous call, and the sheer number of never-Trump Republicans should also show there are plenty who don’t support Trump on the very grounds you’ve mentioned. Second, I think there’s a substantial difference between knowing your candidate’s flaws going into the campaign, and only learning about your candidate’s flaws late in the game when everyone has been claiming those flaws didn’t exist. Dislike the Republicans for not being sufficiently repulsed by Trump to your heart’s content, but I think the majority of Republicans just as openly acknowledge that Trump is a flawed candidate. But that’s an “I think” based on all the people I know who wish to God we had better choices, not a rigorous study with proper controls in place.
Does it? Maybe he was, in which case a six-pack might have been in order…and maybe some ice cream right out of the carton!
Oh my goodness!! That Remy is one cute pup…and very astute!!
Imagine how bad Joe would have done without the help of some time release Adderall?
Exactly.
The debate moderators are becoming aware that the public hates the post Trump media every bit as much. CNN is in the process of trying to regain the trust a tiny bit at a time. On top of that, Trump playing the underdog plays to his base. They’re becoming aware that lying about Trump and playing unfair with Trump helps, not hurts Trump.
Not a Lawyer wrote, “Well, if nothing else, this debate disproved the existing pro-Trump narrative that Biden was going to be on some sort of performance-enhancing superdrug that makes you really good at debating.”
Think a bit more logically about that, it actually doesn’t “disprove” anything. You don’t actually know what Biden would be like with or without a “performance-enhancing superdrug”. I know it’s kinda scary to think about, but maybe what we saw was the result of a “performance-enhancing superdrug”!
Just sayin’… 😉
Is no one allowed to point out that Biden was obviously reading the notes on his pad during the entire debate?
Reminds me of the Law and Order ep where the judge is obviously out of it, and his law clerk is sending him messages on his computer as the trial goes on, telling him what to say and do…when they interrupt the clerk sending, the judge stares at his blank screen in confusion and pounds the keyboard, wondering why its not telling him what to say….Biden is clueless, is fed what to say, but trouble is, he cannot read….dear God, what has this country come to, that this is our President who can start a nuclear war…but can’t put 3 words together coherently?
Wonderful, heart-breaking performance by the great Ned Beatty.
Indeed it was, his best since Deliveance….
Nice to see all our actor and actress historians back in action.
I met him once at the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, IL several years ago. What a talent.
“but can’t put 3 words together coherently”
Perhaps it was 3 words that got us into this mess.
Just think, if Hillary Clinton hadn’t used those 3 words, “basket of deplorables”, it is probable that neither Trump nor Biden would have ever been President.
And yet Trump calling his opponents “human scum,” saying Jewish Democrats “hate Israel and hate their religion,” along with all his other insults, seems to have no effect. Dems have to be perfect and Trump gets to be Trump.
Quite a phenomenon isn’t it?
Jeb Bush: “Donald you’re not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency. That’s not going to happen” – Fifth Republican primary debate 12/15/2015
NARRATOR: But it did.
I’m pretty sure that they were allowed a blank pad to take notes with, you can clearly see Trump writing on something and Biden messing with something at the very beginning of the debate.
Ah. My mistake.
Not a Lawyer,
By chance, did that reply end up getting posted under the wrong comment?
Steve
I said in another thread there were no notepads. I was wrong.
I hadn’t seen that. Thanks for clarifying.
Politico’s insightful commentary:
““President Biden was hurt badly by the debate, but Donald Trump didn’t benefit on any measure, except the vote,” a summary of the findings reads, referring to its measurement of which candidate voters would choose on a ballot before and after the debate.”
The Texas Aggies were hurt badly by the third game of the college World Series, but the Tennessee Vols didn’t benefit on any measure, except the points scored.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/29/democrat-voters-biden-survey-after-debate-00165931
I’ve seen a lot of crap like that. As with many events, this prods the biased media into outing themselves. They just can’t bring themselves to ever give Trump any credit, or admit that he has succeeded in anything.
It’s baffling.