[RubberMallet]

that looked like a discussion that takes place between jack lemon and walter mathau in a shack in the middle of lake winnibigosh. not 2 people running for president.

yeah like i said, trump air quote won that, because i think he accomplished what he wanted. But what he wanted i'm not sure constitutes a winning strategy.

[stokesjokes]

last night Joe Biden told the sitting president of the United States to "shut up, man".

What's even worse, Biden called the sitting president of the United States a "CLOWN" twice. Biden has no respect for the office of president.

While I agree a candidate shouldn't be throwing names like that, this is a hypocritical charge against Biden considering the current president's lack of respect for the office of president.

That's true, all you have to do is look at literally anything he said about Obama when Obama was president.

[stokesjokes]

Interesting. I didn’t watch the debate so I can’t speak one way or the other. My only rebuttal to this is anecdotal, but I got texts from four Trump voters talking about how he was being a three letter word for donkey.

Of those four, two of them said Biden came across more likable and while they were worried about the far left pulling him, they might like him more than Trump. One referenced Trump not denouncing white supremacy as a major issue.

On the flip side, one of them talked about how they felt Joe was slimy and willing to say whatever he needed to given a situation.

On twitter, you had guys like Matt Walsh and Ben Shapiro talking about how poorly Trump did.

I don’t think anyone won given the train wreck it apparently was.

My assumption is that the average American voter likes Trump because he’s belligerent and a donkey. “He’s a fighter” and “bully the bullies” kind of rhetoric.

How can you bully the bullies if you are the bully?

No one's the villain of their own story.

[stokesjokes]

Trump won because he lost none of his enthusiastic base. He also refreshed everyone's memory of what Biden's 1994 crime bill did to some and his effort to right it. And then Biden rolled the Bernie bros and AOC's under the bus. And said he is not in agreement with his VP picks new green deal.

Biden had a point early on where he said "I AM the Democratic Party." I didn't think that came off well at all.

Interesting you mention AOC, because, regardless of policy positions, she's someone I had in mind who would do very well in a debate against Trump. She articulates her points well and can be very pointed with her words when she needs to be. She would be able to hurt Trump without trying to do it through the name calling that both of the gentlemen last night were doing.

[stokesjokes]

When Trump started talking about Biden's less than stellar performance in college, a better debater than Biden would have pulled out this quote from one of Trump's professors
"Donald Trump was the dumbest g--d--- student I ever had.” That would have been some fireworks

[Purple Haize]

@Jonathan Carone that’s a spot on assessment. Trump let Biden off the hook more than Wallace did
Like I said initially Trump knows TV. He will watch the performance and adjust. Biden had problems with policy. Not being able to answer legit questions about packing the Court or ending the filibuster are going to be difficult to overcome. Trump has an easier path in debates 2 and 3 than does Biden

[lynchburgwildcats]

Trump won because he lost none of his enthusiastic base. He also refreshed everyone's memory of what Biden's 1994 crime bill did to some and his effort to right it. And then Biden rolled the Bernie bros and AOC's under the bus. And said he is not in agreement with his VP picks new green deal.

Well he’s not losing his devoted base no matter what he did, so that’s kind of a pointless statement.

He refused to denounce white supremacy and destroyed much of his anti-Biden messaging with his own comments. He’s been saying for months that Biden was radical left but repeatedly kept saying “you lost the radical left.” It was complete idiocy. Keeps hammering home law and order, law and order, saying all the violence and unrest we see now will be like what we see in the Biden presidency. Well it’s what we’re seeing now, so what’s that say about your ability to be a law and order President if you can’t do any better than the “radical left” that wants to defund the police?

[Rubicon]

He . . . destroyed much of his anti-Biden messaging with his own comments. He’s been saying for months that Biden was radical left but repeatedly kept saying “you lost the radical left.” It was complete idiocy. Keeps hammering home law and order, law and order, saying all the violence and unrest we see now will be like what we see in the Biden presidency. Well it’s what we’re seeing now, so what’s that say about your ability to be a law and order President if you can’t do any better than the “radical left” that wants to defund the police?

I think he was shrewdly executing a specific strategy. Whether it will ultimately work is unclear.

These extremely close elections (Electoral College-wise) hinge on razor-thin margins in the "up for grabs" swing states. Winning is much more a function of lowering your opponent's turnout than it is winning over undecideds. So, it makes perfect sense to drive a wedge between the AOC far-left and Biden. The Sanders/AOC wing despises Biden, and there are some "never Bidens," just like "never Trumpers." If enough of them in key states either don't vote or vote 3rd party, that is enough (cf., Wisconsin last year). Trump was trying to get Biden to disavow the Green New Deal, which he sort of did ("I don't support it, but it will pay for itself"). If Trump can keep punching that cut above the eye (boxing metaphor) and force him to take a concrete position on concrete parts of it, it will get Biden in trouble with the far left or moderates, no matter what he says. It would be wise to continue to force Biden to take firm positions, which he has avoided to this point, hiding in his basement, not campaigning, not giving interviews, etc. He's been running out the clock and campaigning on not being Trump, but we've reached the phase where he can't do that anymore.

Ditto with forcing him to either condemn BLM/Antifa, or condemn law enforcement. He loses, either way on the slim turnout margins.

One interesting wrinkle is that Trump will probably get a record high percentage of the black and hispanic vote. He'll still lose these demographics badly, but if peels enough away from Biden, then he wins because of the depressed turnout.

[stokesjokes]

I think they’re playing 2 sides of the same playbook. A few times Biden tried to tie Trump to specifics (healthcare comes to mind) and called some of his executive orders “largely symbolic” or something like that. The “denounce white supremacists” line of questioning also parallels the attempt to get Biden to denounce Antifa. It should be straightforward, but with such small margins, neither seems to be willing to alienate anyone, even the worst of their bases.

[RubberMallet]

the biggest gaff trump had was interrupting biden when biden was almost heading towards la la land. we saw glimpses of it, like someone was putting the sleeper hold on biden and they were starting to raise his hand and drop it for the 3 count and then trump would interrupt and kind of shake biden loose of his lost thought.

[stokesjokes]

There's now a Jo Jorgensen billboard up on Wards Rd, probably the most visible Libertarian ad I've seen.

[TH Spangler]

Listening to Beck this morning. Sounds like Sorous will make his move in November. Interesting. Buckle up

[JK37]

That’s what was dumbfounding to me. It’s risk/reward 101. Are they really each that scared of risking a single vote from their way-radical, beyond-base supporters to see the potential gain of new support if they denounced? It eludes me.

[Purple Haize]

So Trump has The Rona....

Republicans- See? You don’t have to live your life in fear? Getting Covid is not a death sentence
Democrats - Trump only survived because he had access to the best healthcare in the World which is why we need Medicare 4 All
Twitter- Yikes. I can’t even put down what’s being said there

[thepostman]

Well this is some kind of news to wake up to. Lots of personal reasons this news hits me but hoping for the best. He is older so hopefully he is able to recover without any lingering side effects.

This goes for everything ever but thank God social media, especially Twitter, isn't representative of the American public. I remember reading a study that stated something like 10% of the users create 80% of the content. I'll have to find that.

With that said, after a series of events I'm taking a Twitter break. Not good for my mental health.

[thepostman]

https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/20 ... ter-users/

U.S. adult Twitter users are younger and more likely to be Democrats than the general public. Most users rarely tweet, but the most prolific 10% create 80% of tweets from adult U.S. users

[Jonathan Carone]

This is a big deal. Hopefully Biden nor the advisors of both campaigns got it. Hicks was likely already infected at the debate this week.

Thankfully Trump has great medical service because he checks every box for high risk of serious covid complications. Regardless of my feelings about him, I don’t wish those complications on anyone.

Do we have any precedent for a sitting president getting sidelined for a sickness?

[Purple Haize]

This is a big deal. Hopefully Biden nor the advisors of both campaigns got it. Hicks was likely already infected at the debate this week.

Thankfully Trump has great medical service because he checks every box for high risk of serious covid complications. Regardless of my feelings about him, I don’t wish those complications on anyone.

Do we have any precedent for a sitting president getting sidelined for a sickness?

Read up on Woodrow Wilson. His health issues greatly affected the end of WW1. While the big one was in 1919 he had a history of high blood pressure and huge health issues the affected his judgement
FDR actually died in office. No telling how his illness affected the end of WW2
JFK had a horrible back injury and was probably addicted to pain killers
I want to say Ike had a heart attack but not sure
More than a few had mental issues.
Oh, and Reagan was shot

[LUDad]

Trump is 74 years old and is obese. If he recovers, it will be a testimony to his continual endorsement of hydroxychloroquine. Additionally, moderates who have decided to vote for Biden because they believe he will govern more to the middle than left may now rethink their positions. Biden is obviously in not the best of health and is 77 years old. A vote for Biden would put the radical left in full control of the country should he win, catch the virus and then die.

[Jonathan Carone]

A vote for Biden would put the radical left in full control of the country should he win, catch the virus and then die.

That power vacuum is the biggest thing keeping me from being sure I'm voting for him at this point.

[JK37]

I'm taking a Twitter break. Not good for my mental health.

I started my break from it a year ago, and haven’t looked back. Only time I ever look is when Nick Pierce sends me a funny baseball tweet. And even then through my browser. Best thing I ever did was delete the app.

[TH Spangler]

I'm taking a Twitter break. Not good for my mental health.

I started my break from it a year ago, and haven’t looked back. Only time I ever look is when Nick Pierce sends me a funny baseball tweet. And even then through my browser. Best thing I ever did was delete the app.

Twitter is owned and operated by the extreme left. I'm not sure which is more dangerous it or tiktok. Twitter makes Google and Facebook look good.

[Rubicon]

Read up on Woodrow Wilson. His health issues greatly affected the end of WW1. While the big one was in 1919 he had a history of high blood pressure and huge health issues the affected his judgement

His second wife ran the country while he was incapacitated (up to his death; he wore himself out barnstorming Europe trying to drum up support for the League of Nations).

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-wh ... ond%20term.

FDR actually died in office. No telling how his illness affected the end of WW2

It adversely affected the Yalta Conference negotiations that decided the shape and fate of post-war Europe. He was extremely sick, and Stalin got away with murder.

[TH Spangler]

Kamala Harris would be the next president if Biden wins. Like I've said before, God puts them up and takes them down and His prophetic timeline moves along right on schedule. To be honest I think Trump might lose. I pray, not because of complications with the China plague. He has seen that the capital of Israel is Jerusalem. He's put the Golan Heights and its oil in the hands of the Jew (hook set). And his peace and security, 2 state solution is exactly what prophecy predicts. To steal a line from the late Paul Harvey, Kamala's goals seems to be a better fit with, "The Rest of the Story". Gods story!

[Jonathan Carone]

With POTUS going to Walter Reed for a few days, isn’t right now the situation the 25th amendment was created for? It lets him heal and get treatment without the duties weighing on him.