The media (which wants Trump to win) already setting the framing for the debate. Biden must be "vigorous" - i.e. avoid even a single misspeak or stumble - while the expectations for Trump are merely that he not spend the entire debate screaming incoherently.
Advisers to Biden are pushing him to show himself as a vigorous president at this week’s presidential debate, while advisers to Trump hope he will rein in his excesses.
This sort of pre-debate framing lets them take almost any outcome that doesn't involve Trump shitting himself on stage or Biden batting 1.000 on never stuttering, and spin it as a win for Trump.
Again, nothing is framed in terms of the reality of the situation or the actual stakes of the election, you just do this view-from-nowhere horse race theater criticism that somehow always gets tilted to make sure the Republican candidate's fascist views are laundered and normalized.
Yup. The experience of 2008 where the media was willing to go to truly heroic lengths to prop Palin up even beyond what the McCain campaign itself was willing to do, was like a invitation for someone like Trump. bsky.app/profile/edbu...
It can't be true that a major party presidential candidate is a drooling incompetent fascist. If that's true what on earth are we doing here reporting on it like its normal? So you resolve the cognitive dissonance by coming up with elaborate rationalizations for their behavior.
If Trump literally shits himself on stage and Biden has a perfect debate (lets say something like his great performance against Paul Ryan in 2012), the headlines will be like "Joe Biden won the debate. Why don't voters love him? Did Joe Biden win by TOO much?" bsky.app/profile/ashe...
The way the feedback loop from bad faith partisan right wing media to centrist "gotta head both sides" outlets and back again is so ingrained, the centrists don't even realize they're part of the machine anymore bsky.app/profile/pepp...
oligarchic media owners remembering how they were able to destroy the hated howard dean by blowing up a single awkward moment into an endless loop of negative coverage and they're hoping they can do the same thing to biden
Pull-quote from a “mother of three” in a critical swing state, who is actually the associate chair of her county Republican Party (not revealed in the article, but appears with five seconds’ googling)
Mulligans for Republicans
"After critics question the fairness of the debate, Biden is refusing to give Trump a debate do-over. Here's why that's bad for democracy, won't swing any Trump voters, and proves Biden is too old"
"trump had masculine and vigorous vibes as he let loose on stage, biden's aged chops and reedy voice revealed the retread behind his swan song, despite avoiding major flubs."
Biden: I doubt Americans want to give up their democracy.
Trump: When I win, this election will be the last.
Press: Biden waffles in the face of Trump's steely resolve.
I'm reminded of after their first debate in 2020, the media said Trump won because he was so forceful (acting crazy and rude) and then they got polling results of the debate watchers and they thought Biden did better.
Same thing happened with Obama-McCain 2008 and I loled at the pundits flipping their positions live on air as the results came in. (McCain went from "resolved" to "angry.") Also happened with Biden-Palin 2008 and Biden-Ryan 2012.
oligarchic media owners remembering how they were able to destroy the hated howard dean by blowing up a single awkward moment into an endless loop of negative coverage and they're hoping they can do the same thing to biden
Reminds me of an old Daily Show bit about GWB vs Kerry, with the GOP surrogate setting the stage for any outcome being a win for Bush.
“Kerry is a US SENATOR! The most fearsome oratory combatants the world has ever seen!! Honestly, the public should see not peeing his pants as a huge win for W!”
It was basically each candidate’s proxy lowering expectations, outdoing each other until it sounded like the debate was going to be a contest of who could go the longest without soiling themselves.
I think Biden’s advisor gave him bad advice in encouraging him to debate a convicted felon who has no business being allowed to run for any govt office least of all President.
"while the expectations for Trump are merely that he not spend the entire debate screaming incoherently."
They're going to be disappointed, aren't they?
The whole thing is so irredeemably stupid, part of me is hoping Biden will show up in workout clothes and do a bunch of reps with free weights or something "vigorous."
"My opponent should read the debate rules he agreed to. There's nothing that says I can't have a Nautilus machine on stage."
I'm kidding, in part because the coverage would then be "The 81-year-old President may have sought to surprise with his physical fitness, but his poor kettlebell form may only have deepened concerns about whether his traps and glutes can handle the rigors of a second term."
Just remember how awful Trump had to be in a debate vs Biden for the press to actually acknowledge he was awful. Even after that it was framed as a “tactic gone wrong” rather than a character flaw or signs of mental distress
My only glass half full on all of this is that I still think the impact of the old stuff is softer than we think. Just as an anecdote my mom brought up the age issue re: debate. She got it because she saw someone mention it on the news, not organically. And it's a worry for her, not an issue.
The only good news is... Odds are north of 60% Trump spends the entire debate screaming incoherently.
First time they shut off his mic, he's going to intuit that if he shouts loud enough, Biden's will pick it up.
This might be a dumb question (and I’m sure the reason is very stupid) but why are they debating in June of an election year? Isn’t this a thing that happens in the fall after they have accepted the nominations?
