The actual content in the statements by both Trump and Biden tonight is incomprehensible to ordinary people. Biden's voice does not sound good tonight at all.
But always beware of the Third Person Effect.
No effects on who wins the election. And no effects on the health of the political system. My feelings in their favor are probably because they provide fascinating info for political experts like me.
I've watched more president debates than is healthy. I can't recall one where both candidates were so unable to explain things in ways that are clear to ordinary people. All of this is inside baseball of one type or another.
I thought this pattern wouldn't apply because both candidates are so unusual. But this actually does in some ways fit the long pattern of incumbent presidents appearing unready in their first gen election debate: Reagan in 84, Bush in 92, Bush in 04, Obama in 12.
For very different reasons and different circumstances, by far the most cringe-worthy debate performance I've ever seen is John Fetterman's PA Senate debate. And his polls didn't decline and he won. Just a good warning against overconfidence
All this is true. Yet also I have no special knowledge of whether Biden's gone into some type of sudden major cognitive decline since his State of the Union. Of course it's possible. I have no idea.
I also don't know if that would hurt him with voters. We have very little evidence of this question.
If he did experience any sudden health decline, I think it would be his patriotic duty to drop out of the race.
But, for the record, at this point, only Biden could make that decision. He has the pledged delegates. There is no group of insiders that could realistically force him out.
i’d think it’s his patriotic duty not to give us trump and remove our choice for a better four years. he could certainly step down any time after not letting trump take over.
It would be since his two Europe trips, which produced none of the reporting that would have happened had he performed badly off camera (and he was his 2020-2024 normal self on camera).
even if he had, which i doubt, he still has a good cabinet and it’s the cabinet who does the lions share of the work. trump has one ready too, and it’s a doozy.
Yeah but Fetterman benefitted from people from the idea of being an unpolished outsider; Biden only loses when his entire platform, based on his tenure as a slick operating politician, looks rough.
I hear you and especially this early but one of the Biden campaign's big talking points for months is when the stark choice between the two got closer, the polls would start to move. Hard to believe tonight has been helpful
