For The Record -- First Presidential Debate 2020

[ancianita]

Now that we won this one.

Start 27:45

Post debate comments at the top of The 11th Hour:

Claire MacCaskill: I'm 80% sad and 20% mad. If you were watching this for the first time, you'd say about Trump, "what's wrong with this guy" and about Biden, "this guy sounds like he knows what he's doing."

James Carville : Trump lost the audience. 28 minutes into it was unwatchable -- and he's 9 points down!
Re Trump's "stand down but stand by," words: we're not prepared to address this, because even Chris Wallace couldn't even handle this. This accomplished nothing for Trump, Biden did fine but it was a tough night for Democracy.

Lawrence O'Donnell: Biden maintained his lead. The guy behind him in the polls had to move up, and I didn't see one moment when he moved up. Quoting a woman: "my soul hurt" and I think millions of women felt that way tonight.
Re the Presidential Debate Commission, it's behind the times and it will not fix this debate problem. Turning off the mic couldn't be done without agreement from both sides, but Trump wouldn't agree because his whole goal is to talk through whenever Biden is talking. The president refused to take a stand against white supremacists, and so each and every future moderator must ask that exact question about whether he'll take a stand against white supremacists, to get that on public record.

Eugene Robinson: I don't know what the hell we just saw. I'm the reverse of Claire -- 80% mad and 20% sad. Trump came to disrupt a debate, being unqualified to address issues, just to prove his alpha maleness. He didn't succeed in advancing his campaign claims against Biden and so didn't help himself. I don't see the point in repeating this exercise. The American people didn't learn anything except that Trump is a bully.
I don't think the integrity of the election was a good question, because it fed into Trump's narrative.

[blue-wave]

1. And Dana Bash and Jake Tapper from CNN

Dana Bash: "This was a shit show."

Tapper: "Dumpster Fire"

And yes, they are placing blame where it rightly belongs. In tRump's lap. Please let the national nightmare of the last four years be over soon!!

Personally, I had to turn it off as my stomach churned from the horror and disbelief of what I was hearing from tRump. God save America!!

[Bayard]

2. In retrospect,

I wonder what trump had been snorting. He acted like someone on a drug that makes you aggressive and stupid. If this is what he's really like behind closed doors, I hope someone has the White House china locked away.