24 Comments

"Abraham Lincoln never engaged Jefferson Davis as an equal."

This should've been the right response from the Biden camp. Call Trump "The Modern-day Jefferson Davis, a disgraced demagogue who doesn't deserve to be legitimized by allowing him to debate the current POTUS."

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If these debates actually happen (and my magic eight ball has said “dubious” several times already), watching Bloated Orange melt down like the Wicked Witch of the West will be prime viewing.

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Thank you, Stephen. I too think it’s a waste of Biden’s time. Performance wise I think he’ll do just fine. I also have no doubt Trump will act like an outer space rage monster on speed. However, no matter how good Biden does and no matter how poor Trump behaves, the Nate silvers and NY Timeses of world are not going to give Biden the accolades he deserves.

I only see two possible outcomes from the MSM regarding these “debates”: Who won the debate? Well that depends on who you ask…or Biden did better than expected but it won’t move the needle.

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Debates are a waste of resources and a 19th century anachronism. They are not in any way able to assess the candidates' fitness for office.

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Great point that Repubs don't have any actual policy outside of grievance agendas and that's just not worth debating.

I'm so glad he threw in the "Wednesdays" comment. Would love to be a fly in the room (😉) when Trump heard that for the first time.

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Ooopsies, meant to reply to SethTriggs above. I swear I'm not 100.

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*breaking down your door for a birth certificate*

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Well it is Biden having an opportunity to look good in front of the camera, and President Klan Robe is going to act like a rhesus monkey on bath salts anyway. So Joe might as well rock out and do it. The "I hear you're free on Wednesdays" line was hilarious and brutal though.

These debates are particularly useless though because there's no actual policies from the Republican death cult, and it's all about slinging zingers. We all know President Klan Robe is going to say something way out of line and that's why a number of people are jonesing for Biden to do this.

And uuuuugh Nate Silver is such a hack. So tired of these clout-chasing navelgazers.

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Silver reached hi sell by date after the 2008 election. He's a ghost.

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My only quibble with "I hear you're free on Wednesdays" is it's a bit inside baseball--most people won't get that reference as they aren't following Trump's trial issues that closely. I'd have changed it to "I hear Wednesday works for you, as you won't be at one of your many criminal trials that day, rapist".

Silver is a guy who is apparently very good with numbers and so he decided to try punditry only to show us that he ought to stick with numbers.

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it really might as well be more on the nose, as you suggest. all MAGA parasites will only ever recycle lies and mindless "I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I"s anyway, because either they're tools and it feels good to parrot the deplorables with unearned power, or they're deplorables with unearned power and will cling to that power as cheaply as possible for as long as possible. all a waste of oxygen (and carbon for that matter).

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Agreed. And if Democrats want voters to be incensed by Trump’s crimes, they should act like it. Otherwise, it just seems too Daily Show

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Yeah--if our message is "this guy is really, really bad, not Mitt Romney bad, but holy shit, existential threat bad" then that has to come through in our language and actions. Unfortunately it's one of Biden's weak points--just does not consistently convey the rage we all SHOULD feel towards Trump. And voters--not those of us neck deep in the political news, but less engaged voters--take their cues from that.

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So many great points. It's exhausting arguing with all these individuals and organizations that will say anything in bad faith to move their agendas.

The one that ticks me off the most is probably Silver saying Biden represents the norms. It's true but he is applying it deceptively. I remember when I use to be excited for Nate's analysis...

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I hate the debates because they're not actually debates, just joint press conferences which give each side a chance to work in rehearsed talking points and some "gotcha" a staffer thought was real clever. They don't illuminate anything, they judge on form and not substance (sure, JFK "won" against Nixon, but for the dumbest reasons, and can anyone remember any of the substantive issues they discussed? Quemoy and Matsu?).

At least they'll do mic cutting and no audience for this one. Hopefully Biden's team has some memorable zingers lined up, or a "at long last, have you no shame???" moment where he can express the sheer contempt most Americans have for Trump.

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Waste of time🙄 Just another chance for Trump to lie.

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Don't worry, it's never going to happen. PAB's entourage are already coming up with excuses for him to back out.

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They'll probably invent another kid that's graduating or another in-law who died.

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Agreed.

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Get ready to rumble! (Trump’s guts: “We’re on it, Chief! BLATTTTHONKKKPHHHHHHHT”)

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He well and truly is stuck in the '80s.

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May 16
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That's a good one!

Of course, one good "Shut the fuck up, Donny" would redefine the whole campaign. (Ok, Biden won't say "fuck" but he could always make it "Shut the Hell up, Donny" and still have impact. He'd be saying what the world wanted to say to him for years. Do it once and be a legend!)

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sure, but i don't think anything can top when Patton Oswalt used it on Rumsfeld in response to a tweet on Sept. 11th 2011 ... he even included "you're out of your element" which was certainly true when Twitter was still reasonably-well-staffed by actual humans.

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(and owned by one)

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