The debates will be critical

[still_one]

[canetoad]

1. I hope Joe says

'Malarkey' a lot.

[still_one]

2. no doubt

[Demsrule86]

3. I don't know. Based on tonight, Joe will be great!

[regnaD kciN]

4. When was the last time debates were critical...?

Maybe 1980, with "there you go again" and "are you better off than you were four years ago?"

But, generally speaking, debates are pretty meaningless these days, unless one candidate has a complete meltdown (and I don't think Donnie's bluster and lies are enough to qualify as that). The fact is, most debates have turned out to be little more than joint press conferences, with both candidates giving canned responses to obvious questions, and no chance for either of them to challenge the other in ways that might prove embarrassing.

Besides, analysts thought that both Gore and Kerry wiped the floor with Dubya, and polls were unanimous in holding that Clinton had decisively won each and every debate last time around. What good did it do any of them? For that matter, I remember the first Reagan/Mondale debate in 1984, when our candidate made Ronnie look old, feeble, and confused. Pundits claimed that this would lead to a genuine horse-race, instead of the landslide Bonzo re-election everybody had been expecting; indeed, in the polls taken immediately thereafter, Mondale had drawn within striking range. But, the week thereafter, before the second debate could take place, the polls had Raygun back to the same dominating lead he had before that first debate. Frankly, what we need to hope for is Biden not make a crucial gaffe that can be exploited by the Trump camp. But, beyond that, I don't see much chance for the debates to sway anyone.

[Drunken Irishman]

5. Certainly not 2016. Hillary crushed Trump in all three and, well...

[greyl]

11. Maybe her superior debate performance resulted in her earning 3,000,000 more votes. nt

[onetexan]

7. Exactly what Biden should ask: "are you better off than you were four years ago?"

[BannonsLiver]

9. They didn't count for squat in 2016

Hillary drubbed him thoroughly 3 times and I don’t remember it moving the needle much. But I did think they had an impact in 2012 to some degree, especially after Obama’s allegedly uneven performance in the first debate. I also think we need to avoid the assumption that there will actually be debates plural. I see that as no guarantee. Im not even sure even having one is a sure thing.

[Awsi Dooger]

15. Debate #1 in 2000 totally changed that election

Gore had a winning lead and Bush had a horrendous month of September. Prior to that debate the theme was that Gore could put away the election if he won the debate as expected. He had dispatched Perot in a CNN debate.

I will never forget that night. I had a living room full of swing voters in Las Vegas and they reacted in absolute disgust as Gore sighed through every Bush response. Don't let anyone tell you it didn't have a huge impact. The polling swung immediately toward Bush and I didn't have to ask why. There was one young woman who grabbed her flip phone and was exclaiming to her mom, "I can't believe I was going to vote for him!"

Somehow the post debate panels didn't think the sighing meant much. They were out of their minds. Then once Gore received the heavy criticism and plunged in the polls he overreacted and sat there like a punching bag in debate 2, somehow allowing Bush to dictate a debate regarding foreign policy.

All of the benefit of a doubt was toward Gore. Clinton had a 58% approval rating in Florida. Clinton had a 56% approval rating in New Hampshire. Yet Gore "lost" both states largely due to that first debate, and also via the stupidity of not allowing Clinton to campaign for him.

Also, Hillary may have won the 2016 debates on points scored, but not on voters preference. The exit polls indicated Trump won voters who decided based on the debates. I believe it was 50-45. Trump seized on job loss in Ohio and other midwestern states and pounded that issue in all three. He blatantly lied about what he would do but he was speaking to gullible voters who wanted to be lied to. Hillary never seemed to grasp that she needed to address job loss in those states. I was hoping she would be the first one to summon the topic but she wandered elsewhere and allowed Trump the opening.

Debate 2 in 2012 was also important as Obama reestablished himself after essentially sleepwalking through the first debate with Romney.

And Carter might not have won 1976 without Ford's insistence that Poland and Eastern Europe were not under Soviet Control.

The first debate is most important for Biden. If he holds his own in that one the lead should solidify.

[JHB]

19. One point about the 1980 debate people forget

The second one, that is, the one everyone remembers for Reagan's "zingers".

That took place on October 28, just a week before the election.

In other words, the end of October.

The same time it had become clear that there would be no "October surprise" by Carter to end the Iran hostage crisis and bring them home.

That ordeal and humiliation was going to go on and on as it had been, with no end in sight. No solution in sight.

For how many people, how much was it that, and not the debate, that convinced them somebody new was needed?

[Demsrule86]

6. Did you watch Joe's speech ?

[BGBD]

8. I gotta say

that I kind of doubt it. Debates don't really have much of an impact anymore.

So long as there isn't a really bad moment, they are largely forgotten.

Also, many more people will have already voted by the time the debates roll around this year.

[Vivienne235729]

10. I don't think Joe should debate trump bc trump ONLY knows how to make snarky comments

Trump can't talk about policies, facts, or hell, even reality. He'll just blatently lie, exaggerate his swagger like a bloated ape. Like the time we was pacing around on stage like a caged tiger. Ugh. No thanks.

[canetoad]

13. He was pacing like a stalker nt

[MFM008]

21. I wonder

If he will try and intimidate Joe with his Grover Cleveland physique....

[murielm99]

12. I am not convinced that trump will debate.

I think he will try to find a way to avoid debating.

His acceptance speech will be rambling and incoherent. He will bluster, sniff and slur his words. If it is as bad as I think it will be, his advisers might try to get him out of debating.

[spinbaby]

17. I'm betting he won't

Trump will find a reason to back out of debating and will pretend it’s the fault of Democrats or a plot against him or ground squirrels or something.

[Dave Starsky]

22. There is absolutely NO way that Trump will debate.

He's incoherent as it is, with every fucking prop-up they can give him. His family would have him in 24-hour nursing care right now if he weren't sitting in the Oval Office.

Plus, we're on to his silly little games that he played during the last round of debates. No one's ever falling for THAT shit again.

[Wanderlust988]

14. I'm not sure about debates being critical anymore

Hillary wiped the floor with Trump and it didn't hurt him a peep. I just think people have made up their minds and most people will have voted. I just don't buy that they will be critical this year. Simply, people already know Joe and Trump.

[still_one]

20. It isn't comparable. While I think your analysis is correct that most will have made up their mind

before the debate, it is the smaller group of undecided which may be critical

A big reason why the debates didn't have much traction previously was Comey's interference in the election

It took everything off the front page. There was no other issues. When Comey released the letter to the republicans in congress before the election, the republicans and the media said the "email investigation" was being reopened. That was a LIE. The media then paraded every right wing propagandists across their outlets propagating that lie.

Prior to that Hillary was ahead in every poll by 4 to 5 points, and that lead was completely erased after the actions of Comey

When Comey finally came out late Friday, the weekend before the election, and said that there was no new information and the email investigation would not be reopened, it was too little too late. The damage had already been done

[Indykatie]

16. No They Won't.

I especially don't see them being critical this year. Who at this point in the race is waiting on the debates to decide whether they will vote for Biden or Trump? I still don't believe Trump will even show up for any debates. When he speaks for more than 2 minutes it becomes obvious he is not all there.

[still_one]

18. I would like to see the Russian interference brought up from the republican report, plus the

two referrals for criminal prosecution.

I would like him to be asked where is the health care plan that he promised when he came into office, and to be called out on all his lies

His support of hate groups, mishandling of one crisis after another, etc.

There is so many thing that need to be exposed and brought to light

[Chainfire]

23. I am not so sure that the debates will influence anyone

It is said that 85% of the American voters admit to have already made their decisions. I suspect that 15% of Americans just don't want to admit it.