Posted by d_rock97 on 9/30/2020 5:44:00 PM (view original):
I think Trump “won” the debate (not really, it was pathetic from both sides. Trump not condemning the Proud Boys, Biden defending Antifa), but given the narrative that Joe Biden was a bumbling fool who runs out of energy and Trump was gonna destroy him, it was a win for the Biden campaign last night. But all in all, no one’s vote got changed, and undecided voters are still undecided after that debate.
I think this is basically right, aside from the first sentence. I already said that inasmuch as we like to pick the "winner," I think it was Biden. He had the best moments, and Trump had the worst moment. I actually thought in real time that Trump was trying to say what Wallace wanted him to say, and that stand back and stand by was a legitimate gaffe - let's face it, he's not good at speaking - but ultimately that's not particularly important. When you're in the public spotlight, it's not what you mean that matters most, it's what your audience hears. It's very clear what the white supremacists will have heard, even if it's not what Trump meant.
Ultimately, though, I don't think you can name a winner. Biden had the best moments, but if you put them all together they probably don't make 30 seconds. The reality is that anyone who actually watched the full debate with an open mind came away with the overwhelming impression of two guys talking over each other, insulting each other both personally and professionally, and failing to lay out any policy positions in a meaningful manner. I think the argument that these debates really don't matter has a lot of merit. There are the fewest undecided and "leaning" voters since polls have tracked those numbers. Many states already have early voting open. There just aren't a lot of people who are actually going to base their votes in any way on what happens in these debates. But for the few potential undecided voters there were, I highly doubt that the debate moved the needle AT ALL. 30 seconds of personal appeal in the midst of 90 minutes of personal attack aren't what you walk away with if you weren't already on board with Biden.