The only time I ever voted third party, although I knew it wouldn’t work, was in the 1992 Perot/Stockdale ticket. I watched Gore and Quayle blather on with weasel worded answers. When Stockdale was asked his position on reproductive rights he said it all “I believe that what a woman does with her own body is her business, period” When the moderator shrugged as if to ask was this all he repeated in a firm voice, “Period”.
Since that Clinton debate I am not surprised this rule is now boilerplate for any debate.
The question is, what happens if he just does it anyway? The moderators call him out and it just proves the fix is in with the liberal ABC people (not really but that is how it will be spun…the deep state has it out for Trump). Trump is being denied his freedumbs!
Just arm Harris with a taser.
ISTR that this had several hundred posts of back-and-forth prior to the June debate with people asserting that he’d practically march across the stage and try to steal Biden’s microphone, and then the debate came and he didn’t move an inch.
My prediction is the same now as it was then - he’s not going to leave his podium because he’s a coward of a bully.
I think that’s likely, and I certainly hope so. I like the way you put it!
It’s also predictable that Trump will announce that he was treated “very unfairly” (what with Harris and the moderators colluding to focus on those pesky things called “facts”) and will insist that the next debate must be held on Fox News under Trump’s terms. This is where I think it’s crucial for Harris to offer to debate on any legitimate network, but not a Republican mouthpiece now famous for spouting nearly a billion dollars worth of lies and that may be liable for even more.
I just hope Harris responds to one of Trump’s comments by straight up laughing. Just laugh for the entirety of her allotted time for a response. Trump’s ego can shrug off a lot but he hates being laughed at.
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Then it isn’t a matter of principle. It is a matter of:
(A) How will the audience be chosen?
(B) To what extent can the Fox moderators be trusted to obey agreed rules?
(C) How good is Harris at handling hecklers? (pretty good)
(D) Would any swing voters give Harris points for walking into the lion’s den (I’d trust Harris advisors to give her good advice here)
I think that Fox really would run it in a normal fashion with the promised centrist moderators.
But suppose, worst case, Fox fires the agreed centrist moderators, right before the debate, and out walks Hannity and Watters. Then they try to make it all about trans kids. I don’t think she would be dumb enough to answer their specific questions. She’d point out that it was an ambush, say what she wanted, and get credit for unfair treatment. This might even be the best case for Harris – I just do not think it will happen.
Oooh! Also being ignored! That is brutal.
Imagine if Trump answered a question with his usual nonsense and then, when it is Harris’ turn, she just said, “Think about what just came out of his mouth. It deserves no response.” And then Harris goes silent for her two minutes.
I cannot imagine that ever happening but I would bet Trump’s mind would explode. I’d love to see it.
A guy can dream.
ETA: More broadly, the Harris campaign really needs to lean in to figuring out how to provoke Trump. Get in to that and never lay off.
How about this reaction from the movie Dodgeball?
It should be queued up to the relevant few seconds. If not, it starts at 1:55.
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A debate on Fox would be…
MODERATOR: Vice President, why do you hate America?
HARRIS: I don’t hate America, I was proud to serve the State of California and to fight for justice in my time there, and have been honored to serve this country as Vice President…
MODERATOR: President Trump, why does the Vice President hate America?
TRUMP: Well as everyone knows, she’s invested in keeping an open border, and changes her mind every week about what race she is. And she’s just a nasty person, very far left radical…
MODERATOR: Vice President, since we’ve established that you hate America, how are you going to ensure that it becomes a socialist wasteland?
I like it too.
I’m looking foward to the debate. Hopefully Harris can appear friendly and knowledgeable.
While Trump spouts off illogical stuff that makes him look like an ass.
Of course, as others have noted, this will in no way be a debate but a Gish Gallop of increasingly shocking lies with the occasional glimmer of truth. Harris should expect that as well as whatever equivalents of physically entering Hilary’s personal space as a form of intimidation. Three debates is a lot; I could see Trump wanting to do ten if it distracts from other events around that week. Frankly, a Vance and Walz debate would be more interesting and less of a slog. The debate is the political equivalent of Musk and Zuckerberg going at it at the Colisseum, in terms of eventual substance.
That’s the thing though…Trump has ALWAYS done this. But it somehow works for him.
Harris needs a counter. No one has found one yet.
Let’s be honest. 90% of the debate is optics. Few people are going to be swayed by a candidate’s opinion on the issues. They are looking for who appears more Presidential. Harris just has to appear cool, confident and rational. She has to not let Trump bully her. Then she can essentially sit back and let the public contrast the relatively young, vibrant and enthusiastic candidate with the rambling old man. Hopefully she can also fact check him somewhat in real time but she doesn’t even need to do that.
The Harris campaign put out this rebuttal to just about everything Trump said today. I hope she will do the same at the debate, but I worry that there will be so much garbage for her to reasons to rust it world be futile.
Thanks for that. I’m loving the Harris-Walz campaign more and more every day. They have a wicked, joyful sense of humour that reminds me of Obama, and indeed I haven’t been this fired up about a presidential ticket since Obama in 2008. Gotta love the subhead to “Donald Trump’s Very Good, Very Normal Press Conference”. which was “Joy and Freedom vs. Whatever the Hell That Was”! 
The dimwitted reptilian troglodytes are going to have a hard time with this. All they can do is keep repeating “radical leftist” like a drunk uncle talking to himself, which they mostly resemble!
I agree.
I am still worried about this election but I am really glad dems have this ticket. I think it is a good one and it gives me hope.