# 2020 POTUS Debate 2 (22 October) follow-along and discussion thread
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634
**Category:** Politics & Elections
**Created:** [October 22, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634 "2020-10-22T22:20:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/1 "2020-10-22T22:20:47Z")
With just under 3 hours before the 9pm EST/6pm PST start of this debate, here is a thread for people to watch and comment as it unfolds and discuss afterwards.
[Here is the link to C-SPAN’s streaming coverage via YouTube.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPiofmZGb8o)
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/2 "2020-10-22T23:07:11Z")
I’m a little nervous about the mic-muting at this debate. At the last debate, Trump’s goal with his bellicosity and belligerence was to make Joe stutter or stumble on his train of thought, but really all that we witnessed at home was a lot of crosstalk.
Muting Trump’s mic doesn’t mean Trump’s not talking/yelling at Joe while Joe talks, it just means the audience at home will only hear Joe. So if he stammers or stutters or gets caught on a word or gets rattled, it’ll be highlighted more obviously tonight than it would’ve been otherwise.
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### Author:  [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/3 "2020-10-22T23:17:19Z")
[Dem strategist Paul Begala seems to agree.](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/21/opinions/unmute-trump-at-the-presidential-debate-begala/index.html)
> Trump’s outbursts will be heard by Biden and Welker, however. Thus, Trump will have the power to potentially throw Biden – or Welker – off their game, without viewers realizing why. This, it seems to me, is the best of all worlds for Trump: He can work to discombobulate Biden or Welker without viewers blaming him.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/4 "2020-10-22T23:17:51Z")
Are you kidding? The auto-mute function could make for comedy gold. The first time Trump realizes that no one can hear him, he’s gonna go ballistic. Then he’ll realize that maybe Biden’s mic will pick him up so he’ll just start yelling. I have popcorn AND white cheddar cheese flavoring for this debate.
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### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/5 "2020-10-22T23:23:06Z")
Given the COVID situation, what measures are there to make sure that Trump doesn’t just randomly get up in anyone’s face during the debate, either to deliberately infect them or because he’s just carried away in ranting?
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### Author:  [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/6 "2020-10-22T23:25:14Z")
Just hope Trump doesn’t make any of his usually fantastic points because I already voted for Biden.
😃
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### Author:  [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/7 "2020-10-22T23:28:14Z")
Am I wrong for picturing this?
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqVeG5GU3sg)
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/8 "2020-10-22T23:37:11Z")
I saw the _60 Minutes_ interview with Leslie Stahl. If Trump’s performance tonight is anything like that, it will just be shameless blatant lies told with the supreme confidence of a lifelong congenital pathological liar, just like “you wouldn’t believe what my investigators [in Hawaii] are finding out [about Obama’s faked birth certificate]”. He can lie with such open impunity because he has some kind of mental defect where he literally can’t distinguish between reality and his manufactured delusions.
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### Author:  [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/9 "2020-10-22T23:38:30Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#):
>
> I’m a little nervous about the mic-muting at this debate.
It is my understanding that the microphones will **only** be muted during the speaker’s two-minute answer to the question. After each person gets two-minutes with no interruption, then the rest of the time per question can be an unruly, shit-slinging, free-for-all. Does someone else know something different?
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/10 "2020-10-22T23:41:33Z")
Right, this is what I’ve read from several sources. Unless there’s some last minute unannounced change of plan. But the Orange Imbecile can still yell loudly enough to try to throw Biden off track. One can only hope they have him tamed, trained, or sedated enough to control those simian instincts.
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### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/11 "2020-10-22T23:47:53Z")
The muted mic will be a minor inconvenience for Trump for reasons already stated; Trump’s goal will be to harangue Biden off his message. Biden is not very good at blocking out Trump’s shit talk.
Talking heads are saying that Biden should say this and Biden should say that as a way to respond to Trump. I just want to hear Biden say one thing when Trump brings up his son: “Keep my son’s name out of your wet mouth or I’ll come over there and make you bleed.” Trump will blow his top. Debate over.
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### Author:  [@Win\_Place\_Show](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Win_Place_Show)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/12 "2020-10-22T23:49:55Z")
Also, according to [this guy on Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/grynbaum/status/1319414866663428097) it won’t be Kristen Welker controlling the “mute button”. It will be a member of the Debate Commission that controls it.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/13 "2020-10-22T23:52:24Z")
A close friend offered that there is a 5% chance that security tackles the president at some point during the debate.
😃
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [October 22, 2020, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/14 "2020-10-22T23:53:14Z")
> [@Win\_Place\_Show](#):
>
> Also, according to [this guy on Twitter](https://mobile.twitter.com/grynbaum/status/1319414866663428097) it won’t be Kristen Welker controlling the “mute button”. It will be a member of the Debate Commission that controls it.
I was going to say, there goes the Orange Peril’s plan of accusing the moderator of “bias”. But now I recall that he’s already accused the entire Presidential Debate Commission of bias against him.
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### Author:  [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/15 "2020-10-23T00:06:52Z")
I hope Biden’s people have taken note:
> **[Trump just handed Biden a devastating debate attack | CNN Politics](https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/22/politics/trump-biden-final-debate-2020/index.html)**
>
> Hours before Donald Trump was set to face off for the last time against Joe Biden on the debate stage, the President handed his challenger an attack on a silver platter.
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### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/16 "2020-10-23T00:39:03Z")
I know it’s only Thursday but I can’t do this sober.
Should we all agree on the drinking word/phrase?
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### Author:  [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/17 "2020-10-23T00:41:52Z")
I always recommend 538’s debate liveblog to follow along.
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### Author:  [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/18 "2020-10-23T00:44:07Z")
Mask! No, wait, that’s not good.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/19 "2020-10-23T00:50:00Z")
> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> He can lie with such open impunity because **he has some kind of mental defect where he literally can’t distinguish between reality and his manufactured delusions.**
Same with his supporters.
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### Author:  [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)
#### Post date: [October 23, 2020, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2020-potus-debate-2-22-october-follow-along-and-discussion-thread/923634/20 "2020-10-23T00:51:43Z")
CNN just showed a dozen “undecided” voters. Welcome to earth, how was your trip?
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