The first debate

[bigbird 60,580]

3 minutes ago, AuCivilEng1 said:

People with any sense in their head know that Biden wasn’t out campaigning, because he’s actually trying to, you know, set some kind of example of how people should treat this thing if they ever expect it to end.

Except that's not what he's doing. Read the article from politico that I posted.  You're treating this as a personal attack against Biden. It's not. It's commentary on his campaign's admitted strategy to keep a low profile for Biden.

 

Yes, any competent debater could've flipped that line on Biden and called him and his campaign out for their strategy of limitation and avoidance. 

[AuCivilEng1 11,026]

23 minutes ago, bigbird said:

The primary season began in iowa on February 5th, he campaigned all the way up to when he won the nomination on June 5th. The quarantine began in mid March. So, when exactly did we enter the full fledged stage of the pandemic?

 

I would say around the beginning of the summer is when people started to realize it wasn’t going away in its own like the president told them it would. I mean there weren’t restrictions on the debates in the primaries so I don’t think anyone was being overly cautious. I’m not saying that’s the official time it became full fledged, but the longer it went the more serious people seemed to get about it. 

[bigbird 60,580]

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/01/biden-flip-flops-on-door-knocking-with-33-days-left-424642

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-s-winning-voter-registration-battle-against-biden-key-states-n1241674

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

4 hours ago, bigbird said:

Absolutely and I never once implied it wasn't smart of his campaign. It's a calculated risk/strategy that has been discussed ad nauseum by both parties and the electorate. Saying he was "stowed away" wasn't incorrect. It might have chaffed some that I mentioned it, but that's because many refuse to acknowledge any negatives, perceived or real, about "their" candidate.  However, I'm not the only one that knows it's happening. Others, even those within his own party, see it and have reported on his campaign's strategy to keep a low profile.

https://www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/09/25/biden-campaign-lid-trump-421824

I've been saying this for months.  Let Trump beat himself.  It's showing to be an effective strategy.

[AuCivilEng1 11,026]

2 hours ago, bigbird said:

Except that's not what he's doing. Read the article from politico that I posted.  You're treating this as a personal attack against Biden. It's not. It's commentary on his campaign's admitted strategy to keep a low profile for Biden.

 

Yes, any competent debater could've flipped that line on Biden and called him and his campaign out for their strategy of limitation and avoidance. 

I get what you’re saying, and I actually understand that you’re not personally attacking Biden. What my frustration boils down to is that it’s actually an option for Trump, (who actually hid in a bunker), to talk **** to Biden for not being out schmoozing and having rallies in the middle of a pandemic. And maybe the article is right, but I do also think that Biden’s campaign has thought about his appearance during this pandemic. If he’s going to be the national pandemic mandate candidate, he has to set an example. And I believe he is intelligent enough and accepts the science enough to trust the mask and social distancing. I do think that this plays a part in why he not out having rallies.

[TitanTiger 20,510]

Trump laying the groundwork for bailing out of the last two debates?

Trump suggests he's opposed to any rule changes for next Biden debates

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-indicates-he-s-not-open-rule-changes-next-debates-n1241726

 

Seems like a convenient pretext for him.  Back out and claim that giving the moderator more power to keep things on track are biased against him.

 

[wdefromtx 3,159]

Does another debate really matter? I think we saw everything we need to know. Then again, Sharknado had a sequel. 

[homersapien 11,440]

18 hours ago, bigbird said:

Except that's not what he's doing. Read the article from politico that I posted.  You're treating this as a personal attack against Biden. It's not. It's commentary on his campaign's admitted strategy to keep a low profile for Biden.

 

Yes, any competent debater could've flipped that line on Biden and called him and his campaign out for their strategy of limitation and avoidance. 

What a difference a day can make, huh? 

That "limitation and avoidance" looks pretty smart now.

[homersapien 11,440]

2 hours ago, TitanTiger said:

Trump laying the groundwork for bailing out of the last two debates?

Trump suggests he's opposed to any rule changes for next Biden debates

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/trump-indicates-he-s-not-open-rule-changes-next-debates-n1241726

 

Seems like a convenient pretext for him.  Back out and claim that giving the moderator more power to keep things on track are biased against him.

 

He's against rules period. Any rules.

 

[creed 1,649]

50 minutes ago, wdefromtx said:

Does another debate really matter? I think we saw everything we need to know. Then again, Sharknado had a sequel. 

I would like to see a well controlled debate where the candidates can present their answers with a limited counter response and/or rebuttal. But if it's going to be like the first one...forget it. 

[homersapien 11,440]

6 minutes ago, homersapien said:

What a difference a day can make, huh? 

That "limitation and avoidance" looks pretty smart now.

Actually, if you go by the polls, it's been pretty smart all along.

 

[bigbird 60,580]

30 minutes ago, homersapien said:

What a difference a day can make, huh? 

That "limitation and avoidance" looks pretty smart now.

No, not really. I still have the same opinion. 

And again, Biden wasn't sequestering because of Covid. He might have used it to help shield any criticisms, but everyone knows what he was doing.

[TitanTiger 20,510]

Just now, bigbird said:

No, not really. I still have the same opinion. 

And again, Biden wasn't sequestering because of Covid. He might have used it to help shield any criticisms, but everyone knows what he was doing.

No, some people think they know what he was doing because it fits a narrative they wish to paint.

I think the initial decision was that they really didn't know how to do in person campaigning safely.  It had the added benefit of allowing Trump to self-immolate.

[bigbird 60,580]

1 hour ago, TitanTiger said:

No, some people think they know what he was doing because it fits a narrative they wish to paint.

Except for the fact that his own party admits to the strategy of keeping him out for that purpose. While not entirely applicable to my statement, your comment is true and certainly applies in both direction.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.politico.com/amp/news/2020/06/24/dems-warm-to-bidens-bunker-strategy-338853

[auskip07 930]

obama understands that biden has the ability to beat himself also.     Im sure thats why he doesnt field anything but softball questions  (if he takes questions at all)   and the basement strategy is key to him winning

https://www.cbs19news.com/story/42501205/barack-obama-reportedly-said-dont-underestimate-joes-ability-to-expletive-things-up

[homersapien 11,440]

6 hours ago, bigbird said:

No, not really. I still have the same opinion. 

And again, Biden wasn't sequestering because of Covid. He might have used it to help shield any criticisms, but everyone knows what he was doing.

   Not me.  Please clue me in.

[bigbird 60,580]

20 minutes ago, homersapien said:

   Not me.  Please clue me in.

Read any of the links that I've posted

[homersapien 11,440]

15 minutes ago, bigbird said:

Read any of the links that I've posted

" In the end, the strategy of ceding the media spotlight to Trump paid off. After the president mused aloud about whether people could inject bleach to cure themselves of coronavirus, it became clear the White House press briefings were doing more harm to his approval ratings than good and Trump stopped doing them."...

"Recent polling reflects how wide the gap has grown. In March, when Biden first sheltered in place, polls showed him with a 6-point lead over the president, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average — his advantage was smaller than Hillary Clinton at a similar point in March 2016 after she emerged as the de facto Democratic nominee for president....

Now, three months later, Biden has widened his lead to 10 points — 3 points better than Clinton’s margin at this point in 2016. Polls also show that Biden’s favorability rating is higher than Clinton.

Biden’s time away from the trail has also proved to be lucrative for his campaign. Democrats have responded by sending tens of millions of dollars to their party and Biden’s campaign, which is suddenly flexing its muscle as a small-dollar juggernaut, raised more money than Trump’s in May.".....

As someone who wants to see Trump defeated, I don't see the problem here. 

What am I missing?

[aubiefifty 16,903]

if trump really has the covid does anyone really think there will be more debates? i would think they would be slim to none at best.

[wdefromtx 3,159]

2 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

if trump really has the covid does anyone really think there will be more debates? i would think they would be slim to none at best.

I think the debates are over with. Once he went to WRMC anyways. 

[SocialCircle 570]

3 hours ago, aubiefifty said:

if trump really has the covid does anyone really think there will be more debates? i would think they would be slim to none at best.

It depends on how quickly he recovers and tests negative multiple times. 

[creed 1,649]

Does anyone realize how weak the president looks when Biden who is "stored away in his basement" doesn't have to do a thing and his lead grows. If I was a Republican I would be asking who the hell is running the campaign.

[homersapien 11,440]

51 minutes ago, creed said:

Does anyone realize how weak the president looks when Biden who is "stored away in his basement" doesn't have to do a thing and his lead grows. If I was a Republican I would be asking who the hell is running the campaign.

Changing Trump - or his campaign - just wasn't in the cards.

If it were, he probably wouldn't be infected with covid 19 now.

[wdefromtx 3,159]

54 minutes ago, creed said:

Does anyone realize how weak the president looks when Biden who is "stored away in his basement" doesn't have to do a thing and his lead grows. If I was a Republican I would be asking who the hell is running the campaign.

It doesn’t make him look weak. It makes him look like he played with fire and got burned. 
 

Doesn’t matter who’s running things, the buck stopped with trump and no campaign manager was going to change anything. 

[AUFAN78 3,926]

On 9/30/2020 at 9:34 AM, TitanTiger said:

There was literally nothing Chris Wallace could have done other than shut off mics, and he didn't have that power.  He tried on several occasions to get them (mostly Trump, who was by far the main offender) to stop interrupting and talking over the other person during their 2 minutes, even raising his voice to meet Trump's level, but Trump doesn't listen to anyone.  He just kept barreling straight ahead.

I think personally, the only way to do a format like this with someone who doesn't give a s*** about the rules is to literally make it part of the ground rule that during each person's 2 mins of "uninterrupted" speaking time, the opposing candidates mic is automatically muted.  But I'd also give the moderator a kill switch for both mics to use as needed.

I don't necessarily agree. I think the format sucked. Questions sucked.