Real Time Debate Night Commentary Thread!

One other thing, about the lies and fact checking. Her claim that Trump supported Project 2025 and that there aren’t any American servicemen in combat zones and her statement about his position on IVF were among her big whoppers last night. She didn’t get fact checked by the moderators, a single time that I can remember. Originally Posted by Tiny

As I just mentioned in another post, you are correct. Fact-checking is NOT the job of the moderators. But Trump made by far the most incorrect statements during the debate.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...ris-rcna169687

https://www.politifact.com/article/2...-harris-trump/

As I just mentioned in another post, you are correct. Fact-checking is NOT the job of the moderators. But Trump made by far the most incorrect statements during the debate.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...ris-rcna169687

https://www.politifact.com/article/2...-harris-trump/ Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX

Trump’s lies were blatant and never ending. Most of them were used to attack Harris or to defend his own positions.

Harris’s lies were more of an evasion, using them to avoid answering the question asked.

I think the moderators would have pressed Harris to be more honest about some subjects if Trump would have let them but instead they were busy dealing with Trump’s insane statements.

The spin continues to echo the “Mainsteam Media is at Fault” mantra that is atop the Ten Commandments of MAGA.

Trumps tirade was unexpected but unsurprising. And he swiftly answered the question “isn’t he smart enough not to fall for that?” In embarrassing fashion.

On a Fox News stage, she still rips off his head and pisses down his neck.

It was an utter obliteration. She succeeded in reminding the world what a piece of shit Trump truly is. Just by talking about people leaving his little rallies. So easy even a caveman could do it. LOL.

Harris has the money to edit and release any number of Trump’s shit-the-bed moments from last night to swing states in high frequency. He didn’t hold back. He said something horribly offensive to just bout every key voter demo.

But of course, ABC ganged up on poor Twitler.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

* Lebowski 2024 *

Her saying that they want another debate and actually having another debate are two totally separate things. Everyone that wins claims they can’t wait to prove it again but rarely do they ever really try to have a rematch. We both know that’s the gamesmanship part. She’s got nothing to gain by giving Trump a chance to look less crazy and less Trump in a second debate. The NBC debate was set for 2 weeks from now. It ain’t happening and I suspect it won’t happen in October either since both sides will find any reasonable rationale to disagree to it. If you really believe that she wants to give up 2 weeks of campaigning to prepare for and participate in a debate when she could be having well attended rallies and following up on her victory last night, you’ve got a lot to learn about politics.

Yes Timy, her camp says “let’s debate again.” What they mean though is - well throw that out there so Trump spins his wheels again but we’re not gonna do it. Trump says he won and doesn’t think he’ll debate again. On Fox last night and today he said “I won, I don’t think I want another debate”. Then she gets to say “I am not running from him and offered a debate”. Originally Posted by 1blackman1

That's a reasoned reply and you have more experience with the political process than the rest of us. I still disagree. This is what Kamala's campaign chair said last night,

Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump,” she wrote in a statement. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?

The campaign manager's throwing down the guantlet.

I don't think she'd need 2 weeks of preparation. She already did that.

As I just mentioned in another post, you are correct. Fact-checking is NOT the job of the moderators. But Trump made by far the most incorrect statements during the debate.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...ris-rcna169687

https://www.politifact.com/article/2...-harris-trump/ Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX

Why do you believe the moderators shouldn’t fact check. I’d disagree wholeheartedly with that thinking. They ask the question and the person says something insanely stupid and claim it as a fact, they should step in and say - that’s not true let’s stick to facts. A person can state their opinion all night long but a news person, which the moderators are, should try to ensure that the statements are as factual as correct. Depending on the debaters to fact check one another would devolve into there being no time to ask questions and get answers.

That's a reasoned reply and you have more experience with the political process than the rest of us. I still disagree. This is what Kamala's campaign chair said last night,

Under the bright lights, the American people got to see the choice they will face this fall at the ballot box: between moving forward with Kamala Harris, or going backwards with Trump,” she wrote in a statement. “That’s what they saw tonight and what they should see at a second debate in October. Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?

The campaign manager's throwing down the guantlet.

I don't think she'd need 2 weeks of preparation. She already did that. Originally Posted by Tiny

Disagree as you will. There might be an NBC debate in October but I have my doubts. She understands that she needs every second out there on the campaign trail. That’s far more important than another debate. She also isn’t gonna just wing it at debate number two. She’s a seasoned debater and lawyer so she would prepare properly so that’s wasted time that she could be shaking hands kissing babies and doing rallies which people attend and don’t leave early because they’re bored to death.

As I said before. Gamesmanship. Can’t wait for the rematch. All the while making the rematch as difficult as possible. Also, she has the leverage now so it’ll be completely on her terms if it does happen.

I didn’t remember, was “telling the truth” one of the ground rules of the debate?

Trump would have pointed out in the first 15 minutes had that debate been on ECCIE.

The first punch that landed was when Harris walked over to Trump before the debate and offered her hand to him and introduced herself to him.

Both candidates did a great job of avoiding questions and failing to answer them. This is the 2nd debate where Trump was asked to expand on his deportation policy if elected and totally changed the subject. And Harris did the same on several issues.

And I agree with anyone who says the moderators were unfair in doing fact-checking during the debate, very detrimental to Trump. Their job is to moderate, not fact-check.

Harris won the debate. She acted more presidential than Trump and succeeded in baiting Trump who got off-message and started floundering around. Certainly nowhere near Biden's horrible performance in the earlier debate, but not good. Harris landed more punches during the debate and had Trump on the ropes very often.

Tiny, I agree with you that it may have not been a knockout, but it could be a TKO. Will it make a difference in the minds of those undecided voters? Yet to be seen but the upside for Harris outweighs the downside in my opinion. A poll after the debate had Harris ahead 63-37 as far as who won the debate. Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX

I agree Speedracer. I understand the people polled overall were slightly Republican-leaning. I wouldn't have thought that 63% would say she won, but please realize I mostly said "cunt hair" because I think it sounds cool, when you're talking about Kamala. Yes, she clearly did better than Trump.

As I just mentioned in another post, you are correct. Fact-checking is NOT the job of the moderators. But Trump made by far the most incorrect statements during the debate.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/202...ris-rcna169687

https://www.politifact.com/article/2...-harris-trump/ Originally Posted by SpeedRacerXXX

You don't need fact checkers for Trump. You know when he's lying, it's so obvious. He probably knows that people realize he's not factual, although he'd characterize it as exaggeration or superlatives instead of lying or lies. I believe the Waco Kid has described this phenomenon before more articulately than I just did. Maybe he'll weigh in this evening.

Why do you believe the moderators shouldn’t fact check. I’d disagree wholeheartedly with that thinking. They ask the question and the person says something insanely stupid and claim it as a fact, they should step in and say - that’s not true let’s stick to facts. A person can state their opinion all night long but a news person, which the moderators are, should try to ensure that the statements are as factual as correct. Depending on the debaters to fact check one another would devolve into there being no time to ask questions and get answers. Originally Posted by 1blackman1

The moderators should moderate and leave the fact checking up to the candidates, the campaigns, the press and the pundits. The candidates have time to reply during the debate. What's factual is subjective. And the moderators' biases will come through. The CNN moderators did a good job with the Trump Biden debate.

I didn’t remember, was “telling the truth” one of the ground rules of the debate? Originally Posted by Yssup Rider

Lol. As you know, truth as applied to politicians is an oxymoron.

The moderators should moderate and leave the fact checking up to the candidates, the campaigns, the press and the pundits. The candidates have time to reply during the debate. What's factual is subjective. And the moderators' biases will come through. The CNN moderators did a good job with the Trump Biden debate. Originally Posted by Tiny

No, Kellyanne was wrong: there are not facts and alternative facts. By definition, facts are objective. So, “There is no state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after it’s born.” and ". . . there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community." are objective facts. Stating those facts is no evidence of bias, unless you see truthfulness as a bias.

The debate was highly entertaining.
I can't resist the following that was posted a bit ago as humor:

A reasonable, unbiased person would have watched the debate and easily determined which of the two is the better candidate. Not even close, really. Trump has always resorted to baseless hyperbolic rants, and in this debate he did it once again. I think people are tired of his gloomy, doomsday rhetoric. It is self-serving, or at least he thinks it is. That's how he rolls. Hateful negativity. I think Harris should debate him as many times as he'll allow. Additional debates will reinforce the reality that Trump is unfit to serve. I chuckled at his response to Harris pointing out that many Trump appointees have ridiculed the former president and warned us that another Trump presidency would be a trainwreck and worse. Trump explained that these former administration officials dislike him because he fired them, and they wanted to write and sell books. He said Biden doesn't fire anyone. Hmmm. Trump's contention is irrational. Weak. Illogical. But it's the best he can do to offset that very damning circumstance. There are reasons people who worked closely with Trump are worried about his regaining the presidency. He is unpredictable, self-obsessed, and lacks discipline. Their words, not mine.

The moderators should moderate and leave the fact checking up to the candidates, the campaigns, the press and the pundits. The candidates have time to reply during the debate. What's factual is subjective. And the moderators' biases will come through. The CNN moderators did a good job with the Trump Biden debate. Originally Posted by Tiny

Again, you’re wrong as is Speedy. If a debater says something that’s outright incorrect, the moderators should point out it’s wrong as a matter of fact. They shouldn’t get into what’s opinion or a policy position, that’s for the debaters. However, the moderators asking the questions should always point out that a response is nonfactual. If a debater knows they can’t just spew lies, they might and should stick to their policy and how the facts impact or are impacted. Just lying makes for terrible and uninformative debates, which is actually what Trumpers and Fox would love to have.

Trump said on Fox & Friends this morning that rather than Martha and Bret who he didn’t think did a good job last time he debated on Fox, Sean Hannity, Jesse Waters and Laura Ingraham are moderators he'd prefer.

That should tell you all you need to know about what kinda debate he feels he needs.