What Did Everyone Think Of The Debates?

[flash2015]

What did everyone think of the debate? I felt it is was as much fun as a root canal. I probably need a shower too...

I don't think it moved the needle as Trump may have hoped. Biden is not a great debater but he did OK. Some people will have be put off by Trump's antics (if I was Biden I wouldn't go out there again unless they cut the other person's mike when giving an answer in their allotted time) but his supporters won't care. I feel at best for Trump it was a draw.

[Matticus13]

1) Chris Wallace won the debate.
2) Biden can count to three.
3) America lost the debate.
4) Biden can count to three.
5) Trump is Trump. The election is simply a referendum on how American's feel about the last 4 years. The debate(s) add nothing since policy consists of about 5% of the each answer, followed by "this is all ________'s fault."

At least I don't have to waste anymore time watching debates.

[Octavious]

Good Lord, that was grim. Hard to see how anyone could motivate themselves to voting for either of them.

Which, come to think of it, may well be Trump's strategy.

Is the US similar to the UK in that the right wing vote is considered more robust? By that I mean right wingers are considered more likely to drag themselves to the voting booth out of a sense of civic duty regardless of what the candidates, the virus, or the weather may be doing?

[Jamiet99uk]

It was a wonderful exposition of the accelerating collapse of Western civilisation.

[cormorant]

Good Lord, that was grim. Hard to see how anyone could motivate themselves to voting for either of them.

Which, come to think of it, may well be Trump's strategy.

Is the US similar to the UK in that the right wing vote is considered more robust? By that I mean right wingers are considered more likely to drag themselves to the voting booth out of a sense of civic duty regardless of what the candidates, the virus, or the weather may be doing?

Historically older voters and white voters are more likely to vote and more likely to be Republican. 2018 saw record turnout for a midterm, leading Dems to take the House even in districts that were considered unwinnable A year earlier due to gerrymandering. 2020 is likely to see record turnout, again due to anti-Trump sentiment

There are structural advantages the Republicans have that less populated and whiter states are over-represented in the Senate and the electoral college which determines the presidency.

On top of that, likely Democratic voters, especially black voters but also urban voter and students have been targets of a raft of voter suppression tactics they also must overcome.

[Randomizer]

That wasn't a debate. It was three old guys yelling for over an hour.

The next one would be better if the two wrestled in a ring to prove who was in better shape. Trump had to slow walk to his podium which was pretty much his whole term where he said he would do something soon and we are still waiting.

[flash2015]

1) Chris Wallace won the debate.
2) Biden can count to three.
3) America lost the debate.
4) Biden can count to three.
5) Trump is Trump. The election is simply a referendum on how American's feel about the last 4 years. The debate(s) add nothing since policy consists of about 5% of the each answer, followed by "this is all ________'s fault."

At least I don't have to waste anymore time watching debates.

LOL, I saw that moment you are referring to. It wasn't one of Biden's finer moments...but Trump undercut this sort of criticism by interrupting too often. Would Biden still have lost his train of thought here if Trump hadn't interrupted him before he could spell out 2.? We will never know. It certainly was not like Rick Perry in 2016 forgetting the three departments he would abolish when under no pressure.

I guess I am like you. I am not sure I can stomach another full debate either. Perhaps I will just sit through the "real" presidential debate next week...as I wouldn't be surprised if whoever wins can't last a full term.

[flash2015]

I watched a bit of Shapiro's take on it. He is funny at times - he said the debate was "Chewbacca vs. the Swedish Chef":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGQOnCQ3hf8

Whilst I often disagree with him, I believe he is right in saying that if the election is a referendum on Trump's personality, it will be hard for him to win.

[Fluminator]

Are there any Trump fans here that are okay with Trump not disavowing white supremacy and telling the group to stand by?

[orathaic]

Are there any Trump fans here that are okay with Trump not disavowing white supremacy and telling the group to stand by?

Ah now, haven't you heard, he has now denied knowing that the 'proud boys' are an actual group.

[Jamiet99uk]

That wasn't a debate. It was three old guys yelling for over an hour.

The next one would be better if the two wrestled in a ring to prove who was in better shape. Trump had to slow walk to his podium which was pretty much his whole term where he said he would do something soon and we are still waiting.

Trump does at least have experience in the wrestling ring.

Go to 0.49 in this clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkghtyx ... ideEdition

[Jamiet99uk]

Are there any Trump fans here that are okay with Trump not disavowing white supremacy and telling the group to stand by?

Ah now, haven't you heard, he has now denied knowing that the 'proud boys' are an actual group.

If he had never heard of them, why did he answer in a way that addressed them directly, as though he did know them?

I hope he dies as soon as possible.

[New England Fire Squad]

Good Lord, that was grim. Hard to see how anyone could motivate themselves to voting for either of them.

Which, come to think of it, may well be Trump's strategy.

Is the US similar to the UK in that the right wing vote is considered more robust? By that I mean right wingers are considered more likely to drag themselves to the voting booth out of a sense of civic duty regardless of what the candidates, the virus, or the weather may be doing?

Yeah, right wingers are generally more likely to vote here no matter what as well. The only exception to this was the 2012 election when Romney's vote totals dropped in much of rural America after Obama ran really excellent ads targeted at them about Romney's time at Bain Capital, featuring laid steel workers, paper mill workers, etc.

[flash2015]

After 2016, there has been a widely held assumption that polls generally overstate democrat support. If you look historically there hasn't been any consistent poll bias one way or the other. Here are the last few results according to realclearpolitics:

2016
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epoll ... -5491.html

Clinton was projected to win by +3.2% vs the real result of +2.1%

2012
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epoll ... -1171.html

Obama was predicted to only win by +0.7% but he won by +3.9%

2008
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epoll ... a-225.html

Obama was projected to win by +7.6% but he won by +7.3%

2004:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/bush_vs_kerry.html

The polls were bang on. Bush was projected to win by +1.5% and he won by +1.5%.