I don't really disagree but the optics just don't look good without them.

The debates have to happen and if they don't, it's a shame.

Biden needs to be seen more in the public eye and under pressure and prove he can talk under pressure without slurring his words and people need to see Trump in public on uppers.

It's really so painfully obvious where their motivation lies: Biden is winning right now; to turn things around, Trump needs to land attacks on Biden that stick. Or Biden needs to screw up in a way that makes the news cycle and can't be ignored by his allies in the media. So the debates are one of the remaining fixtures which carry the most downside risk for the Biden campaign. Denying Trump this opportunity to turn things around would be a huge strategic advantage for the Biden campaign, given where the race stands right now. Like I said before: the best case scenario for Democrats is that Joe doesnt have to leave his basement anymore until election day. (And after his inauguration, they'd surely be fine if he went back to his hideout while they run the country...)

Biden is going to get his skull caved in at the debates.

Nah, I dont think so. Trump would need to sway a decent chunk of the electorate to turn things around, but opinions about him are so baked in at this point that only something really dramatic at the debates would move the needle enough. A 10-8 points win is not enough for him in this situation. And Trump is not a brilliant debater, he doesnt have the ability to score a decisive win against Biden as long as Biden is even remotely on his game.

The only way Biden could really lose significant ground is if he has one of his "senior moments" live on camera while the nation is watching. But his team will fill him to the brim with all the pills they can find to prevent that from happening.

Trump... 2020

For 2016 election, the debate stage was where Trump fragged and swayed the most. I hope for Biden's sake, he does not underestimate Trump like your playing at. He proved you don't have to be 'brilliant' to win.

This post was edited by RedFromWinter on Jul 8 2020 10:41pm

Trump did not win the debates in 2016. He didnt even sway a significant number of people. What he did achieve, particularly in the 2nd debate after the Access Hollywood tape came out, is that he shored up support on his side of the political spectrum. Trump and Clinton debated to a draw, and Clinton at the time thought that would be all she needed to achieve. In hindsight, it was Trump who only needed a draw.

But like I said many times before: 2020 is different. Trump is no longer an insurgent, he's the incumbent. He has a huge crisis on his hands that he mishandled badly. And his opponent this time around is a far less polarizing and hated figure. And he's down in the polls by a bigger and more consistent margin than he ever was against Clinton.

This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Jul 8 2020 10:48pm

Winning a debate is subjective I suppose, but consider this.... he knocked out about 20+ Republican nominee contenders starting with a lowish % rating himself. After that, he debated the democratic nominee, then won presidency. At least through the Republican nominee debates, he was fragging and swaying. Thinking he will frag Biden on some of the toxic waste revealed during the impeachment proceedings, and hopefully Biden has a better response than a pushup contest.

Bringing up impeachment would do him no favors, lol. And your other argument... let's just say that winning the Republican primaries requires a different skillset than winning the general election debates.

ROFL, it sure as hell wont hurt him as much as Biden at this point. His shit is a sealed deal, Bidens wasn't really settled.