Saturday, September 12, 2020

"No puppet! No puppet! You're the puppet!"


“The four states surveyed in the poll may represent something of a last line of defense for Mr. Trump: Of the northern battlegrounds he captured in 2016, Wisconsin is seen as his best chance for winning again this year, over Michigan and Pennsylvania. Mr. Trump’s campaign has viewed the other three states as potential pickup opportunities this year that could help him make up for lost ground elsewhere,” the report states. “The poll results suggest that Mr. Trump retains a path to re-election that runs through these states, but that he has not yet made enough headway in any of them to catch up with Mr. Biden. With little time remaining, the three presidential debates starting at the end of this month may be the best remaining opportunity for Mr. Trump to make significant gains.”

Our political pundits, no matter their age, still remember the last consquential "presidential debate:"  Kennedy v. Nixon, where Kennedy won on TV, Nixon on radio.  Or something.  I dunno, I was too young to be paying attention.

But ever since, debates have been 'consequential.'  Except if they were, Trump declaring he was "no puppet" and that his "manhood" was not compromised by the size of his hands, would have kept him out of office.

Trump is terrible at debates, just as he is at keeping to a campaign strategy.  I know political reporters are taught to flog the horse race at all costs, and no, this won't be Nixon v. McGovern redux; but seriously, debates are gonna save Trump's ass?

On what planet?

2 comments:

  1. The virtually 100% Republican controlled, Republican serving Maine electronic media aren't covering the Senate debate here, though Collins asked the Democrat whether or not she'd vote for John Roberts for Supreme Court, Sarah Giddeon pointed out that was fifteen years ago, before she went into politics, which the media are reporting as a victory by Collins. I doubt anyone who saw her lambaste Collins would agree.

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  2. Debates among candidates in Texas get as much coverage, and even less attention. Someone is declared the "winner" and everyone else says "Of what?"

    Debates are crap. Everyone imagines it's Lincoln/Douglas, or at least Kennedy/Nixon. Lloyd Bentsen skewered Dan Quayle for all eternity. It didn't do Bentsen's ticket a damned bit of good.

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