The format of these things has been misleading from the beginning; go back to Nixon-JFK to see. These have NEVER been debates; merely joint press conferences, with "moderators" of wildly varied competence. Give us actual debates on subjects of substance.
I agree with the comments below. There was no grace in the President's performance last night. He would have done better to declare himself a non-candidate several months ago to assure us all that his handling of COVID-19 would not be politically motivated -- as LBJ did in 1968 regarding Vietnam.
Both men represented perfectly exactly what this country has become. The question is: Do we want more of the same? Or maybe just let the Dems take a shot at bringing this nation back to peaceable governance.
Republicans have been throwing money at rich people since '08; Trump has perfected that project by convincing the red bugaloos and joeblow working stiffs that recovery is all about trickle-down. I don't think so. Let the Dems throw money at poor people for awhile; let them try to rework the police departments with some compassion instead of firepower and teargas. If Biden and Pelosi et all screw it up, we'll maybe give Pence, Cruz or some other GOP workhorse a chance at straightening this country out.
All ye evangelicals and other Christians out there--read the gospels and consider the way our Savior lived his life, having "no place to lay his head."
Mitch and Donald and their trickle-down schemes do not represent compassionate, equity-generating leadership.
Erick, I was looking forward to your post this morning. I totally agree. Last night was a total cluster!! I watched it to the end and I was exhausted and very disappointed. If our President cannot control himself in the next debate he will lose this election. I am a supporter of Trump and will vote for him. We sent in a request for an absentee ballot but we have not received it.
We will go to the polls. Biden is a career politician and he was prepared last night. Trump went into the debate angry and on the defensive. So sad. He had many opportunities to make a smart rebuttal but missed it because he was talking over Biden. Biden said ANTIFA was not an organization, it was an ideology! OH MY GOSH! Trump could have come back with, "So an ideology is burning down our cities"! I am very frustrated. I am voting for our country and the issues, not the man.
What was that? That was 90 minutes of my life wasted that I will ever get back. That was the most ridiculous public speaking performance I have ever witnessed in my life by two individuals who should know better.
"We are all more stupid for having watched that." Ha. Yeah. We are also more migraine-y and tired. Somebody said that the president showed up in his Twitter persona, and that is not what was needed last night. Wouldn't blame the moderators of the other two debates if they bailed.
I too would like to see a Lincoln-Douglas style debate, with time to explain their views. Sadly, though, there's a reason that Tik-Tok is so popular.
Funny. You summed up my mood nicely. I’m on vacation in Florida and now I never want to return to being an adult. All politicians act like children and those who claim they’re not politicians just make me want to cuss. Your analysis is sadly accurate!
I feel badly for Chris Wallace, typically the consummate professional. Show me the person who had the ability to successfully moderate that mess and I'll show you someone who can successfully negotiate permanent and comprehensive Middle East peace.
What the heck was that? I really wanted the President to shine but, he shot himself in the foot again. I was nervous about watching it and now I know why. He can be very presidential on so many different occasions, why not last night. All he did was re-enforce what everyone on the left already thinks. He IS a good president, why can't he shine when everyone is watching and listening? This election really scares me. My husband says I need to trust God. I am praying for this country. In God we trust right? One nation under God right?
Last night sums up the entire 2020 election year which unfortunately began as soon as Trump won in 2016. A total waste of time and I blame myself for even tuning in albeit briefly.
Oh my....geez! Yes, that was nothing but a huge missed opportunity for President Trump to shout out his policy and love for our country. Biden held his own. My husband and I didn't make it to the end...too much of a s@!t show.🙄 .. Take care Erick. And thanks for being there
I didn't make it to question #2. There is enough foolishness that I can't escape from on a daily basis to voluntarily subject myself to more of it at night. You described it exactly as I saw it. Not in the mood !
I see Proud Boys has adopted "Stand Back and Stand By" into their logo. How nice.
I think the Presidential Debate Commission should have the VP debate and cancel the final two presidential debates or if they want to have the remaining two presidential debates, invite Jo Jorgensen. Perhaps having a third person on the stage will cool things down. Oh, wait, I forgot, the Presidential Debate Commission is a duopoly. Never mind.
I know I don't want to see what I saw last night again. Having that again would be a disservice to the country.
Last night was a perfect example of why we need another debate format. Debates are supposed to be about giving each side the freedom to present their own view in coherent fashion. Allowing only 2 minute segments with the moderator and candidate interrupting each other is the opposite of a worthwhile debate and using one-line zingers to pick a President is about as sensible as picking the next Presidents name out of a hat.
If there are enough people in our country wish to see honest political debates, I suggest something similar to the Lincoln/Douglas debates, where each candidate gets an uninterrupted 15 minute to lay out his policies, followed by a pair of alternating and uninterrupted 10 minute segments, followed by a pair of alternating and uninterrupted 5 minute sessions. The only role of the moderator would be to time the sessions and give each candidate an extra 30 seconds if they went slightly over the time limit.
If people want a moderated debate with tough questions, I suggest each party choose a Congressmen/Senator to ask questions of the opposing party's candidate. For example, Jordan/Cruz might be the ones asking Biden questions and AOC/Sanders might be asking Trump questions. The questions would be limited to 1-2 minutes in time with the answers limited to 5 minutes, with no interruptions permitted. That type of moderated debate would ensure that each candidate faces what the other party considers as tough questions.
The format of these things has been misleading from the beginning; go back to Nixon-JFK to see. These have NEVER been debates; merely joint press conferences, with "moderators" of wildly varied competence. Give us actual debates on subjects of substance.
I agree with the comments below. There was no grace in the President's performance last night. He would have done better to declare himself a non-candidate several months ago to assure us all that his handling of COVID-19 would not be politically motivated -- as LBJ did in 1968 regarding Vietnam.
Both men represented perfectly exactly what this country has become. The question is: Do we want more of the same? Or maybe just let the Dems take a shot at bringing this nation back to peaceable governance.
Republicans have been throwing money at rich people since '08; Trump has perfected that project by convincing the red bugaloos and joeblow working stiffs that recovery is all about trickle-down. I don't think so. Let the Dems throw money at poor people for awhile; let them try to rework the police departments with some compassion instead of firepower and teargas. If Biden and Pelosi et all screw it up, we'll maybe give Pence, Cruz or some other GOP workhorse a chance at straightening this country out.
All ye evangelicals and other Christians out there--read the gospels and consider the way our Savior lived his life, having "no place to lay his head."
Mitch and Donald and their trickle-down schemes do not represent compassionate, equity-generating leadership.
Erick, I was looking forward to your post this morning. I totally agree. Last night was a total cluster!! I watched it to the end and I was exhausted and very disappointed. If our President cannot control himself in the next debate he will lose this election. I am a supporter of Trump and will vote for him. We sent in a request for an absentee ballot but we have not received it.
We will go to the polls. Biden is a career politician and he was prepared last night. Trump went into the debate angry and on the defensive. So sad. He had many opportunities to make a smart rebuttal but missed it because he was talking over Biden. Biden said ANTIFA was not an organization, it was an ideology! OH MY GOSH! Trump could have come back with, "So an ideology is burning down our cities"! I am very frustrated. I am voting for our country and the issues, not the man.
What was that? That was 90 minutes of my life wasted that I will ever get back. That was the most ridiculous public speaking performance I have ever witnessed in my life by two individuals who should know better.
"We are all more stupid for having watched that." Ha. Yeah. We are also more migraine-y and tired. Somebody said that the president showed up in his Twitter persona, and that is not what was needed last night. Wouldn't blame the moderators of the other two debates if they bailed.
I too would like to see a Lincoln-Douglas style debate, with time to explain their views. Sadly, though, there's a reason that Tik-Tok is so popular.
Funny. You summed up my mood nicely. I’m on vacation in Florida and now I never want to return to being an adult. All politicians act like children and those who claim they’re not politicians just make me want to cuss. Your analysis is sadly accurate!
I feel badly for Chris Wallace, typically the consummate professional. Show me the person who had the ability to successfully moderate that mess and I'll show you someone who can successfully negotiate permanent and comprehensive Middle East peace.
What the heck was that? I really wanted the President to shine but, he shot himself in the foot again. I was nervous about watching it and now I know why. He can be very presidential on so many different occasions, why not last night. All he did was re-enforce what everyone on the left already thinks. He IS a good president, why can't he shine when everyone is watching and listening? This election really scares me. My husband says I need to trust God. I am praying for this country. In God we trust right? One nation under God right?
Last night sums up the entire 2020 election year which unfortunately began as soon as Trump won in 2016. A total waste of time and I blame myself for even tuning in albeit briefly.
Oh my....geez! Yes, that was nothing but a huge missed opportunity for President Trump to shout out his policy and love for our country. Biden held his own. My husband and I didn't make it to the end...too much of a s@!t show.🙄 .. Take care Erick. And thanks for being there
I didn't make it to question #2. There is enough foolishness that I can't escape from on a daily basis to voluntarily subject myself to more of it at night. You described it exactly as I saw it. Not in the mood !
Í could only stand 10 minutes before turning the station. All I saw were children. Where were the adults?
I see Proud Boys has adopted "Stand Back and Stand By" into their logo. How nice.
I think the Presidential Debate Commission should have the VP debate and cancel the final two presidential debates or if they want to have the remaining two presidential debates, invite Jo Jorgensen. Perhaps having a third person on the stage will cool things down. Oh, wait, I forgot, the Presidential Debate Commission is a duopoly. Never mind.
I know I don't want to see what I saw last night again. Having that again would be a disservice to the country.
Last night was a perfect example of why we need another debate format. Debates are supposed to be about giving each side the freedom to present their own view in coherent fashion. Allowing only 2 minute segments with the moderator and candidate interrupting each other is the opposite of a worthwhile debate and using one-line zingers to pick a President is about as sensible as picking the next Presidents name out of a hat.
If there are enough people in our country wish to see honest political debates, I suggest something similar to the Lincoln/Douglas debates, where each candidate gets an uninterrupted 15 minute to lay out his policies, followed by a pair of alternating and uninterrupted 10 minute segments, followed by a pair of alternating and uninterrupted 5 minute sessions. The only role of the moderator would be to time the sessions and give each candidate an extra 30 seconds if they went slightly over the time limit.
If people want a moderated debate with tough questions, I suggest each party choose a Congressmen/Senator to ask questions of the opposing party's candidate. For example, Jordan/Cruz might be the ones asking Biden questions and AOC/Sanders might be asking Trump questions. The questions would be limited to 1-2 minutes in time with the answers limited to 5 minutes, with no interruptions permitted. That type of moderated debate would ensure that each candidate faces what the other party considers as tough questions.
What a 💩show. And I don’t use that term lightly. 340 million Americans and this is the best we have?