https://archive.is/qoiL1

Thirty minutes into the presidential debate, I’ve heard from three veteran Democratic presidential campaign officials, and all of them had the same reaction to President Biden’s performance: This is a disaster. It wasn’t just that Biden wasn’t landing a glove on Donald Trump on the economy, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Covid, taxes, temperament or anything else that was coming up in the questioning. It was Biden’s voice (low and weak) and facial expression (frozen, mouth open, few smirks) with answers that were rambling or vague or ended in confusion. He gave remarks about health care and abortion that didn’t make a strong point, giving Trump a chance to say lines like, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said, either.” One of the Democrats said Biden looked scared. Another said it was an “emperor has no clothes” performance so far. The third said of the performance overall, “Don’t ask.” Trump lied repeatedly during the debate about the pandemic, immigration and Roe v. Wade, but Biden didn’t hold him accountable for those lies in a memorable way. At times, Trump attacked Biden, but the president didn’t fight back. Frank Luntz, a veteran focus group moderator who was holding a live focus group during the debate, wrote of their reactions so far: “The group is so bothered by Biden’s voice and appearance. But they’re getting madder and madder with Trump’s personal attacks.” “If Trump talks less,” Luntz said, “he wins. If Biden doesn’t stop talking, he loses.”

  • PKMKII [none/use name]
    ·
    3 days ago

    I didn’t watch it out of self-care, anyone with more stomach want to give some of the sundowning highlights?

    • micnd90 [he/him,any]
      ·
      3 days ago

      They had a rule where each person were given 3-4 minutes to answer question while the other person had their mic off to prevent interruption. This prove to be disastrous, Biden cannot talk coherently for 3-4 minutes straight without falling apart, meander, and losing his train of thought. Biden often finished early, then the mods said "Mr. Biden you have 2 minutes left", started to freestyle disastrously and then time's out and got cut off. Trump deflected every question the moderators asked, and talk about something else entirely, lies through his teeth, but he is coherent within the 3-4 minutes time, finished on-time, mods don't have the balls to ask follow up question, and changed the topic. It's a disasterclass both ways for the planet, but horserace wise it is also a calamity for Dems.

    • hotcouchguy [he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      You ever visit a dying grandparent who keeps miataking you for other relatives who are all 30 years older than you?

    • buh [any]
      ·
      3 days ago

      for every question Trump instead deflected with some conservative talking point, frequently the "border crisis" even though biden is just as racist as trump was when it came to immigration. biden would rebut with a vague, breathless "actually everything is great and americans are happy, mack" even though everything is horrible and americans aren't happy. in the beginning they fought over who is more zionist. at some point in the middle the moderators asked directly about what each would do about drug addiction; trump said he bought "certain dogs" to sniff out drugs, biden said we have machine for that, jack.

    • radiofreeval [any]
      ·
      2 days ago

      Trump wants to kill millions of immigrants, Biden couldn't string together a sentence and they each said they could out golf each other

      • Nimue [comrade/them]
        ·
        2 days ago

        they each said they could out golf each other

        I'm glad they had the courage to tackle such an important issue.

        • Black_Mald_Futures [any]
          ·
          2 days ago

          god, can you even have a president who isn't the best golfer? not in my conntry

        • JayTwo [any]
          ·
          2 days ago

          What better way to convince voters they're not out of touch elitists than squabble about golf during a presidential debate.

    • KoboldKomrade [he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      The only positive thing was every frame of Biden is a new facial expression.

    • Roonerino [comrade/them, doe/deer]
      ·
      3 days ago

      Hopefully someone cuts a highlight reel together soon because there's some good ones. Especially both of them spending like a minute arguing about who's better at golf. Lots of (unintelligible).