Well... that was indeed a shitshow. Unfortunately less entertaining than I had hoped for.
I get what Trump was trying to do, be really aggressive, throw Biden off his balance and not let him get his footing back, dominate him. But it was far too much, so that Trump came across as rude, obnoxious and unhinged. He really didnt do himself any favors tonight. This was not a performance that convinced any true swing voters or undecideds to go with Trump.
Biden was kinda low energy and mediocre, but he held up fairly well, and that was all he needed to do. He exceeded the low expectations I had for him, albeit not by much.
On the substance, I think both candidates had the upper hand on the issues we expected them to - Trump on the courts, the economy and law&order, Biden on covid, healthcare and racial justice. Overall, Biden's arguments were cogent slightly more often than Trump's.
From a strategical point of view, this was a big win for the Biden campaign. The raw outcome was either a small Biden win or a draw, while Trump would have needed a big win. Now, he has wasted his best remaining chance to turn this race around, and his performance tonight might even have further hurt his standing. I cant really imagine anyone who wasnt already a hardcore MAGA person to have liked what they saw and heard from their president tonight. This debate performance by Trump will not play well in the suburbs or among college-educate conservatives.
This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Sep 29 2020 09:01pm