This seems like the best (mini)thread to read.
Maybe I'm just looking for copium, but worth remembering it's important to listen to the people who study the stuff most closely. Punditism isn't just limited to the official pundits, and social media def fosters a bad doomerism x punditry interaction.
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
I mean, obviously if you're the Biden campaign you'd much rather have a strong performance than a weak one. But as I started out posting before the debate started when I had no idea what would happen, the effects of debates on polls and election outcomes are small to nothing bsky.app/profile/jonm...
I think holding presidential debates (or leader debates in parliamentary systems) is generally good for a country, even though the scientific evidence undeniably shows they have no important effects. So I'm basically a doctor recommending supplements is what I'm saying.
