Posted on 09/30/2020 6:21:08 AM PDT by lasereye
President Trump came into Tuesday night’s debate trailing both nationally and in key battleground states. The debate gave him the largest audience of the campaign and provided him the first real opportunity to press his case against Joe Biden and shake up the race. Instead, it ended up as a blown opportunity.
Right out of the gate, Trump pursued an aggressive strategy of interrupting Biden, speaking over moderator Chris Wallace, and launching a flurry of attacks.
At first, one could perhaps see a method to his madness, as Biden seemed frustrated and rattled. At one point, an exasperated Biden snapped, “Shut up, man!”
As the debate wore on, however, the constant cross-talk and interruptions and arguments with Wallace overshadowed the debate. Nobody will remember any of the actual details of the debate. They will just remember it being a chaotic mess.
In all of his interruptions, Trump, despite his reputation for being a master at messaging over the TV medium, lost chances to damage Biden. He often set up attacks only to fall back into repeating phrases that didn’t communicate to outsiders what he was talking about.
Trump, if he had one goal, was to establish that Biden, despite his centrist image, would ultimately be beholden to the radical Left. However, he never clearly explained this point.
For example, when he said that Biden would usher in socialized medicine and lead 180 million people to lose health coverage, he didn’t offer details. Had he taken a breath, he may have been able to point out that Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, explicitly said during the primary that she wanted to eliminate private coverage. Or, Trump could have explained how the purpose of Biden’s plan to add a government-run “public option” to Obamacare is to migrate to a socialized health insurance system over time. Instead, Trump just started shouting about socialism.
Biden, explaining his plan, falsely claimed that his public option was only limited to those poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. “Anyone who qualifies for Medicaid would automatically be enrolled in the public option,” Biden said. “The vast majority of the American people would still not be in that option.”
Yet Biden’s actual healthcare plan says the public option would be made available “whether you’re covered through your employer, buying your insurance on your own, or going without coverage altogether.” Rather than apply to a small number of people, in other words, the option could eventually replace every form of private insurance that exists.
Instead of explaining this to voters, Trump interrupted Biden with statements such as, “Joe, you agree with Bernie Sanders, who's far Left, on the manifesto we call it, that gives you socialized medicine.” But what sort of voter who is learning about Biden’s healthcare position knows what Trump was referring to?
Trump then interjected multiple times during Biden’s same answer with pointless political analysis. When Biden denied supporting socialized medicine, Trump replied with, “You just lost the Left” — a silly comment given that the whole point of this line of attack is to convey that Biden would be beholden to the Left if elected. Trump then said Biden got lucky in the primaries because “if Pocahontas would have left two days earlier, you would have lost every primary.” What does that sort of punditry, and potshot at the increasingly irrelevant Elizabeth Warren, do to advance the ball for Trump? And why was it so important to make this comment that it was worth interrupting Biden for?
There were other examples, such as on the Green New Deal and tax policy, on which Trump failed to land obvious blows because he was too busy interrupting with pointless cracks.
Another problem was that Trump’s constant barrage of interruptions threw a lifeline to Biden when it would have been better to step back and let Biden stumble over the answer.
Toward the end of the debate, Trump went down the rabbit hole of discussing mail voter fraud, Michael Flynn, the Logan Act, spying on his campaign, and so forth. While such issues may receive a “Thatta boy!” from the talk radio crowd, Trump already has the vote of those this will impress. The point of the debate was to win over undecided voters, or to convince those leaning toward Biden to give him a second look.
One could argue that the mess of the debate essentially made it a draw. Biden failed to land his planned blows on Trump on tax returns, the coronavirus, or the Atlantic story claiming based on anonymous sources that Trump referred to service members as “suckers” and “losers.”
But debates cannot be viewed in a vacuum. They must be viewed in the context of the broader campaign. And given that Trump is losing, he needed to show that Biden was too far left and too mentally unfit to be president. But Trump did not accomplish that. After months of attacks claiming Biden doesn’t even know that he’s alive, Biden exceeded that low standard by showing he could stand and debate for 90 minutes, remaining more or less composed in the face of Trump’s relentless attacks. The tie, thus, went to Biden.
If there are two more debates, something that has to be seen as uncertain after Tuesday’s debacle, Trump is going to have to change his strategy to make focused and substantive attacks on Biden. Because the status quo means that Trump likely loses the election.
There were other examples, such as on the Green New Deal and tax policy, on which Trump failed to land obvious blows because he was too busy interrupting with pointless cracks.
I agree with this.
He often set up attacks only to fall back into repeating phrases that didn’t communicate to outsiders what he was talking about.
This is correct IMO. For example, when Trump talked about how he had stopped travel from China and Biden had criticized him for it, he didn't make it clear what he was talking about. If you didn't already know about it, it didn't mean anything.
Trump was able to make some good points too, but some of the time it was like a boxer throwing punches that completely miss. He was off his game.
Lost opportunity for what? These debates never move the needle at all.
Today people are taking about the Trump Wallace debate. It is as if Biden wasn’t even there.
Trump’s attacks put Biden on the defensive all night long. Biden tried to attack with his defense of BEAU...only to ge tknocked back by Trump’s attack on Hunter. All Biden could say was “It was disproved”...without offering any evidence.
President Trump missed on a couple of issues which would have put this debate win securely in his pocket. But Biden looked old, weak, and not presidential which did not attract any new voters.
The debates are NOT a time to learn policy. You can learn that from reading about them online or simply researching yourself.
Anyone who watches debates to get policy is lazy or just not very bright.
In either case, those kind of people are appealed to by an aggressive, combative personality.
Now do I think Trump did great....no.
Be recent polls that I’ve seen indicate that lots of other people felt like he won. And this attitude is almost entirely due to his feistiness and assertiveness, even if it comes off looking like bullying.
I have no idea why so many people clutch pearls over Trump. He knows exactly what he is doing. People saw “toxic” masculinity on display and once they settle down they will realize that the cadaver is not going to “protect them” and Trump is the guy who will...
I agree with this assessment. IF there is another debate, Trump needs some make-up. He wasn’t orange man last night. He was red man with a scowling face.
I understand Trump is angry, but his base is with him no matter what. He should at least get rid of that scowl, crack a smile every now and then and have some fun. Letting Joe complete a sentence so that he’ll trip over his tongue and tell more lies would be a good strategy.
I’m afraid he lost more fence sitting women with his behavior and he really needs them. I can’t imagine who will be chosen as the next moderator since Wallace was supposed to be so “fair” and was anything but! He was AWFUL.
Trump’s people should have NEVER agreed to a debate without getting 2 to 3 minutes for opening statements. Trump could have listed all of his accomplishments and gone into detail about Joe and Hunter Biden’s selling out our country. I’ve never seen a debate where opening statements weren’t allowed and that was a HUGE mistake.
If some idiot “journalist” thinks they could have given a perfect performance and hit every topic just so perfectly, then let the arrogance idiot run for office and show us all how it’s down.
Monday Morning Armchair Quarterbacks don’t actually win football games.
And to the credit of Biden's pharmacist, he was juiced enough to not fall asleep or completely lose it.
HUH, I will: 1) Biden refused to say he wouldn't pack the court, that should help the GOP senators if they use it. 2) Biden refused to denounce Antifa, calling them an idea as they burn down cities and cause billions in damage. 3) Biden was confused about the Green new deal, saying it would pay for itself when it will cost taxpayers 10 Trillion 4) Biden fumbled for words, indicating his mental confusion 5) Biden made empty political promises, that's what people will forget because he's been promising and not delivering for 47 years when Trump did more in 47 months.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the nab who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and swat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat” – Theodore Roosevelt
I disagree. They can, and do, move the needle. Perhaps not enough to change much, but impressions count. I am a staunch Trump supporter, but I'm not happy this morning.
I watched the debate last night. Biden did better than I expected and I was really disappointed in Trump. He came off as a rude, interrupting, bully. From what I've seen, there is no discussion today about the facts that were presented, only that Trump's behavior was horrible. I think Chris Wallace was hardly unbiased and I was stunned to hear that Wallace was allowed to select the questions. Those questions should be fielded by BOTH candidates, so how does Trump's tax return fit in to a Biden response? It doesn't, yet he asked it. Trump's response was horrible, as he didn't answer the question other than to say he "paid millions". What he should have said was that, like every American, he tries to minimize his tax bill within the constraints of the Tax Code. He should have pointed out that Joe has had 47 years to affect the Tax Code, but has left it with loop holes so rich people could donate to Democrat candidates.
Knowing Trump's personality, he is not going to change his style of interrupting during the debate. HE should propose that each person is in their own room with a camera, monitor, and mic. When the other person is responding, the opponent's mic is turned off. In earlier debates I've watched, they took notes while the other person talked and then responded to those notes. Trump needs to learn to do that instead of interrupting. The media is portraying him as a bully. Not good.
More humor would be nice, make fun of Joe.
In our reality show world, we want screaming and one person to exit the stage crying. Trump ...Mission accomplished and onto a big win in November.
Some you really need to get a life and switch your locus of control over external things like politics to make you feel better about your own life. I'll be just fine even if Biden wins. Can some of you say that?
The one and only regret I have with President Trump’s debate performance last night is that he didn’t clearly, succinctly, and forcibly articulate that he totally condemns White Supremacists.
He should have clearly and loudly done so, then turned to Sleepy, Creepy, Slow Joe and said “Now, Joe, do you condemn ANTIFA?”
Those very words grace my desk at work.
Wallace's bias was most evident in two ways:
As a debate moderator, Wallace's big problem is that he treats it like a Sunday show interview.
Wallace winds up a big question with a preamble using prior quotes and recent event references, and then tries to string all of that into a "gotcha" question.
The problem is that in a debate, that takes up too much time and the debaters are anxious to get going. As soon as Wallace says something incomplete or out of context, President Trump jumped in to dispute the question.
It's Wallace's own fault for not setting up a simple question and letting the candidates take turns answering. When Wallace asks Trump about "$750 per year income tax," how can Biden fairly answer that question other than to use it to attack Trump?
If Wallace asked "What is your opinion on releasing personal information like tax returns and medical records?" to each of them, that would be a simple and fair question. But he doesn't do that.
-PJ
“Blown opportunity” ?
Leave Kamala out of this!
You will not be fine if Biden wins.
If Biden wins, America will be gone
You need to pay attention
Biden kicked Paul Ryan’s butt in exactly the same manner that Trump mauled Biden. Basically, debates are about who can lie most convincingly in a relaxed and confident manner. Biden was leagues ahead in that respect. In a just world, that would mean he not only lost the debate in the sense of having voters turn against the Obama campaign, but was dropped from the ticket due to the sheer egregiousness of his deceit, ending his political career right there and then. Instead, he got an opportunity to be the oldest candidate to win the White House ever.
If it’s any consolation, Biden’s up against Trump, who can lie just as convincingly, but with a heck of a lot more charisma. And that’s what I’m banking on to get Trump over the hump. Prior to the debate, the media blackout meant only hard core right-wingers and Washington insiders had heard about Moscow’s bribe to Joe routed through Hunter. Now, anyone who watched the debate knows about it.
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