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I’ve gone back and forth on this. You’re right that the best thing for the Biden campaign is for Trump to keep being Trump, but with less than a month to go in the election and the polls showing momentum in one clear direction, do you think the utility of the debates is outweighed by the risk?
I mean, we should be realistic: Trump could say 99 idiotic, horrible things, but if Biden has a moment where he loses focus or gives a shitty answer to something, the narrative for a week will be “WILL BIDEN’S GAFFE COST HIM THE ELECTION!!??”
Biden is objectively winning at this moment, and I don’t see how refusing to debate gains Trump any momentum, which is what he needs at this point, right?
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Another strategic blunder by Trump. I am thankful everyday that this wannabe dictator is so stupid.
He is losing badly. His only chance of improving his position is to talk to voters who aren’t already going to vote for him and convince them. The debate is really the only chance For him to do that between now and in person voting.
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good – hope he does not turn up. Who fucking needs him anyway.
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It’s too bad about the China thing. I’d love to see Trump try to transition from Twitter to TikTok.
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That is my thought. Trump has nothing to lose at this point, and everything to gain. Pulling out only costs him, unless he is still unable to function adequately. If that is the case, then this is just an excuse and he was going to pull out anyway. The idea of debating in person with someone who should still be in quarantine is insane anyway.
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five thirty eight has gotten to an 85% for a Biden win and 15% for a Nostradumbass win. I think he is essentially down to his base…literally the bottom of the barrel of idiots who will still vote for him regardless of what he does/says (to your point).
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It just troubles me that I don’t see it. No one I know, online or off, have changed their opinion of him. They haven’t even weakened, they’ve doubled down.
Maybe I just know he most avid of the avid Trump supporters, but I find it worrying.
And really does it seem right that they have that many outcomes with Biden winning above 100 and 200 electoral votes? Nothing would make me happier, but it is so hard to believe he has so little support.
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The odds are moving in the right direction but 15% is exactly equal to the odds of losing a single round of Russian Roulette, so still way too high for comfort.
Also, sadly, we may be at the “bottom of the barrel of idiots” as you say, but that’s still something like 45% of the popular vote*, so the idiots take up a huge portion of that barrel.
Edit to add:
*(according to that same Fivethirtyeight projection)
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If you are in a red area (as I am) it can be hard to buy this info. There are Trump Pence signs in a whole lotta yards, opinions for Trump voiced loudly, obnoxiously and frequently. But they are still a minority.
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On the UK’s “Have I Got News For You” quiz, when Roy Hattersley failed to appear for the 4 June 1993 episode — it was the third time he had cancelled at the last minute — he was replaced with a tub of lard (credited as “The Rt. Hon. Tub of Lard MP”), as it was “liable to give much the same performance and imbued with many of the same qualities”.
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I was thinking maybe a catgirl anime girl avatar on FaceRig for Donnie but that’s a good idea too
I’m visiting family in Pence’s home state of Indiana. I can verify that there are plenty of Trump/Pence signs to be seen here, far outnumbering the Biden/Harris signs in the rural areas. Often they are side by side with Blue Lives Matter signs, which to me is the same as announcing that an occasional murder is OK as long as the person executed is black.
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Agreed. This is a gift to the Biden campaign.
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You beat me to it!
Although with Hattersley they expected a similar performance. In Trump’s case I think we can guarantee it’ll provide a better performance…
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Hold the debate no matter what. If Trump doesn’t show, Biden gets a free hour to talk about policy and deride Trump.
Still waiting for “You can’t keep the White House safe, how do you think you are going to keep the rest of America safe?”
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I do not think that portion of the barrel is as large as you think (still large enough to scare me). This was data from Pew…it doesn’t take into account the last two elections, but it shows a clear pattern that Dem voters do out pace GOP voters. I also saw another study done (cannot find the source right now) that showed the majority of Independents lean heavily to DEM.
I believe there is a ton of truth in GOP voters are a minority but do consistently vote in every election, versus DEM voters who far out number the GOP voting base but fial to show up consistently.
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Agreed. I can anecdotally look to my own family. We live in a heavily blue state yet for whatever reason the majority of my family are die hard Republicans and most love Nostradumbass. I actually look at one of my two sisters and winder how we were even raised in the same household given how diametrically opposed we are politically speaking. I cannot fathom the value system she adheres to based on the same parents.
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From: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/not-acceptable-trump-rejects-virtual-debate-against-biden
…the president said, “No, I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That’s not what debating is all about. You sit behind a computer and do a debate. It’s ridiculous, and then they cut you off whenever they want.”
I heard a clip of him saying this on the local Fox station; it seems to me his main objection is not being able to run roughshod over the proceedings like he did last time. While I like the idea of Biden debating an orange-wigged pumpkin, I think Biden should call out Lord Dampnut’s obvious cowardice (and suggest that Lord Dampnut is too enfeebled physically & mentally to participate).
The Biden campaign should be doing far more to push Lord Dampnut’s buttons.
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Second presidential debate to be virtual; Trump says he won’t turn up.
Maybe he thinks ‘virtual’ has something to do with ‘virtue’? He’s not good with big words.
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