What conditions were unreasonable?
Maybe that was badly phrased - not unfair, but not optimal for your candidate. If, for example, Biden normally needs notes than this should have been anticipated and not agreed to. If there was no live fact-checking, Trump’s “say anything shocking” approach should have been obvious and studied for. If it was understood both candidates would be shown as one was speaking, Biden should have known to look doubting, smiling, calm, interested, vibrant, etc…
I’m pretty sure I did see Biden flipping through a notepad or something.
After spending the last few days talking to friends who are independents or Never Again trumpers, the general consensus among them after they watched the debate is they won’t vote for trump, but now they don’t feel like they can vote for Biden either. They plan to sit it out.
I tried to explain that not voting isn’t like protesting or going on strike. Nothing will change just because hundreds or thousands of hundreds of thousands of people just throw up their hands and declare that neither candidate is a great choice. One of the two of them will still be president next year even if 99% of us stays home in protest. I think I managed to convince a few that voting against the person you hated most was the best form of revenge.
I agree with this. In addition to the agreed-upon rules, why the hell didn’t they take care of all the little stuff, completely within their control? Joe, look into the camera. For Christ’s sake, don’t stand there with your mouth agape; it’s a really bad, confused look. If he attacks you, while it’s still his turn, flash that Biden smile and shake your head.
Here’s three talking points that are your go-tos anytime your cold gets you fogged up. If you have to pause to collect your thoughts or retrieve a word, smile and look into the camera while you do. Use some phrase (my fellow Americans, whatever) to reset and recalibrate. Repeat it if you have to.
And practice this stuff till it’s second nature. I participated in Toastmasters for a spell, and they covered this stuff. Are you nervous when you speak in public? Here’s some tried-and-true tricks.
This is also another reason why I think his cold was a major factor. He was struggling to breathe, so he did his trout imitation. It’s inconceivable to me that he looked like this in a mock debate and someone didn’t coach him and show him a replay. “Uh, Mr. President, just wanted to point out that you look addled.” The cold took them by surprise and was not part of the mock debates.
Does anyone doubt that he was fine in the mock debates? So, what changed? Certainly the pressure, but a major thing: he’s an 81-year-old guy who had a cold and felt like shit, struggled to breathe, and was fogged up on cold meds. It was malpractice that they let the debate proceed.
Each were given a blank notepad and a pen at the start of the debate. Prepared notes were not allowed on the dais.
As a person who speaks quietly, have had a stuttering impediment and according to people around me I look like a lost puppy most of the time, just add one more problem, cold, pain, addled from meds or environment, public speaking would never happen.
Lucky, I’m not a politician.
Biden is human, tho’.
He has many concerns.
Age causes a flaccid look to facial muscles. I saw his eyes flashing when he was looking up and Trump was lying. I just kept hoping he would not look down so often.
It seemed like he was sleeping.
If he was truly having a cold and on meds he should of sat it out and rescheduled.
Shoulda, woulda, coulda.
If people think this should be a good reason to vote for Trump, they are foolish, young or just plain dumb.
Absolutely. Relevant to voting: either one could form a rationale for not voting for Biden (or for not voting at all).
I highly recommend that anyone who is skipping around in the thread and didn’t read this post, click on the link and read it. It’s horrifying–but probably represents an all-too common type of voter.
If the election comes down to a few thousand people in a handful of states, smaller things become more important.
Biden can bounce back from this. The problem wasn’t his answers, but the visuals. He really needs another debate now.
Yes–and the fact that the visuals will be appearing in GOP commercials everywhere (online and on television) in heavy rotation for all the months between now and Election Day.
I think a lot of the population is like that, but I’m not sure how many voters are like that. If they don’t care about politics, they might not care to make the effort to cast a vote.
The rules were pretty much designed for Biden as it was. He could answer and give his rebuttal without interruption. That wasn’t for Trump’s benefit. You really think notes would have helped? Add shuffling papers to what you saw and tell me it would have been better.
A-ha. Thanks!
(I wonder if the notes Biden was taking trailed off into incomplete sentences with non-sequiturs at the end.
A joke! What, too soon?)
Thursday’s debate was a catastrophic success for Republicans because Trump did so well against his favored opponent as to greatly reduce the changes of him getting the nomination.
As for a future debate reversing this result, that’s implausible. At best it would show Biden having good days and bad days, which itself is a symptom of cognitive decline.
If, as likely (because standing up to group pressure is very difficult) Biden drops out, Trump is going to kick himself for not having followed his own advice. Or maybe he did, but Biden was so out of it as to make Trump’s swoon unnoticeable.
I don’t know Biden well enough to know what aides would make his answers more concise and sharp. Looking down briefly is better than what happened, but maybe it would have been worse or similar. Don’t know.
Looking at the camera, seeming interested, keeping your eyes open? Really basic. At one point I recall them saying Trump looked like he had a cold or runny nose or something. Taking cold medicine, if another Simpsons episode proves prophetic, may not have been the strongest option. It probably has limited efficacy in justifying the performance in the minds of many, even if completely justified.
To be clear, I want Biden to win. I think Trump would be a disaster for many reasons. Biden has my sympathy and support, but he also really needs to deliver.
What do you find confusing? Reading a teleprompter is much easier than trying to memorize material for a 90 minute debate. It doesn’t conflict with the idea that prep work for a teleprompter doesn’t allow for memorizing a few zingers.
He’s clearly slowed down since his days as a Senator. Everybody and I mean everybody saw it in the debate. He couldn’t stay on point. I gave another example of it in the G7 veteran celebration and that’s different how? It was a photo op and he couldn’t stay on point.
Biden sucked. No doubt. But I can’t believe that Trump impressed anyone that wasn’t already going to vote for him.
The shitty result is that Biden needs every undecided vote he can get. If his performance causes people to sit out the vote, that’s a big loss.
I can’t figure out how to embed a YouTube video, but Meidastouch posted a 17-minute vid indicating that in two post-debate snap polls / analysis (538 was one), Biden bumped up and Trump down.
Don’t know how reliable this is, but I choose to be encouraged. 
If you want to search for it on YouTube, the title is something like “Trump is furious over debate poll numbers.”
And if you post it here, that’s your good deed for the day.
Yes, lost in this discussion is Trump’s performance. And if his stream of conciousness lie fest cost him support, I won’t be surprised.
Thank you, kind sir.