Presidential Debates Discussion Thread

Danny Bateman

Danny Bateman

Donor
Title pretty much says it all.

What are we thinking the outcome of the debate(s) will be? Will Trump and Clinton keep it honest? Will the moderators say anything if they don't? SHOULD they?

Starts tomorrow at 8 PM CT and runs for an hour and a half uninterrupted. Lester Holt of NBC News will moderate the first debate. Airing on pretty much any major broadcast or news channel, as well as being live streamed on Facebook and Twitter.

Personally, I've been waiting for the debates for a long time. I really think it is Clinton's best chance to expose Trump as an ignorant, impulsive fool who is ill equipped to handle the job of POTUS. I still think that will happen, I just have to hope that people notice and/or care. Trump's key demos seem to know and not really mind at this point.

It's also his chance to prove somehow that he isn't lacking in the requisite knowledge and temperament to do the job. I think that's almost assuredly not going to happen, but we'll see.

In any case, I've got my popcorn and beverages ready...

 
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I don't think the debates will change much of anything. People who support either candidate are already being willingly ignorant or accepting of their favorites flaws. I can't see how it will make a difference for anybody who has been paying any attention so far. There may be some undecideds who pick a side based on the debates but I'm guessing just as many, or more, will choose to back off supporting either of these rotten candidates. I'll probably try to watch for the entertainment value but I hold no hopes of arriving at any eureka moment that will change my mind of never voting for either one. I'm finding Johnson to be a little flaky the more I learn about him but a little flaky is still light years ahead of the other two.

 
I don't think the debates are going to change anything. The public has had months to form their opinions on these candidates and the debates won't do much beyond reinforcing their existing opinions. I know I'll be watching simply for the entertainment value. Trump doesn't stand a chance at looking intelligent or presidential, not that that will do anything to lessen his support.

 
It's true that the majority of people who will vote have already found their candidate.

However, I think there's an axiom among those who run campaigns that got something along the lines of "it all comes down to 10%." That's roughly the amount of people who actually sit on the fence, could legitimately go either way, and usually wind up deciding elections. Consolidating your base is useful and necessary, but it's going to happen almost without fail. A candidate like Trump is proving that.

Johnson's numbers have been dropping down to mid to low single digits in a couple recent polls, and Trump's gains are concurrent with reliably Republican voters in the past coming home to roost from GJ.

I think the debates will probably have a strong effect for that 10%, and thus they matter a great deal for what wind up being the most crucial voters.

Given the slight lead for Clinton right now, it's particularly high stakes. Neither has much room for error.

 
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Supporters of each will see what they want to see. News may be major gaffs by Trump or major coughing spell by Clinton - perhaps a 'got you moment'

For me, not having Johnson in the debate will be disappointing - he qualifies for the ballots in all states and yet is off the debate. It would be interesting

to have seen how a 3rd person would have changed the debate dynamics. Johnson could have taken the high road and look more presidential than

Trump or Clinton.

 
Here's how I think the debates will go.

Moderator will ask questions, candidates will feed the world a pile of crap, Trump will act like a jack a$$ at times,, Clinton will do her best to act honest....after the debate, all the networks will try to tell us who won the debates, supporters of each candidate will declare victory and that the other candidate is disgustingly dishonest and is going to destroy everything good about America......funny thing is.....at that point, we will have reached the only point where both sides are correct.

 
NM11046 said:
You have got to be effing' kidding me. Consider my mind blown. WTH are we doing America?

http://www.spin.com/2016/09/trump-who-lied-87-times-last-week-fights-to-keep-fact-checking-out-of-debate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=timeline
Click to expand...
This is a very touchy subject. My first and quick reaction is....hell yeah.....we need the moderators to fact check these bastards.

Well.....then.....I start thinking about it. There isn't anybody moderating that is going to know every single fact a candidate might throw out there. So....what happens when the moderator corrects a fact from one candidate while not correcting a false fact from another simply because they didn't know it was false??? OR.....What happens when the moderator is actually wrong???

 
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BigRedBuster said:
NM11046 said:
You have got to be effing' kidding me. Consider my mind blown. WTH are we doing America?

http://www.spin.com/2016/09/trump-who-lied-87-times-last-week-fights-to-keep-fact-checking-out-of-debate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=timeline
Click to expand...
This is a very touchy subject. My first and quick reaction is....hell yeah.....we need the moderators to fact check these bastards.

Well.....then.....I start thinking about it. There isn't anybody moderating that is going to know every single fact a candidate might throw out there. So....what happens when the moderator corrects a fact from one candidate while not correcting a false fact from another simply because they didn't know it was false??? OR.....What happens when the moderator is actually wrong???
Click to expand...
Agreed, but remember he's got that earpiece in, so somebody in the booth is in his ear with facts before he ever opens his mouth. Even if he didn't catch all, there will be flagrant misinformation shared, and zombies in the audience that will latch onto it and recite it tomorrow like it's fact. I'd like for some of that to at least be contested. Otherwise we risk the name calling and grandstanding as a distraction instead of an actual debate of issues.

 
NM11046 said:
BigRedBuster said:
NM11046 said:
You have got to be effing' kidding me. Consider my mind blown. WTH are we doing America?

http://www.spin.com/2016/09/trump-who-lied-87-times-last-week-fights-to-keep-fact-checking-out-of-debate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=timeline
Click to expand...
This is a very touchy subject. My first and quick reaction is....hell yeah.....we need the moderators to fact check these bastards.

Well.....then.....I start thinking about it. There isn't anybody moderating that is going to know every single fact a candidate might throw out there. So....what happens when the moderator corrects a fact from one candidate while not correcting a false fact from another simply because they didn't know it was false??? OR.....What happens when the moderator is actually wrong???
Click to expand...
Agreed, but remember he's got that earpiece in, so somebody in the booth is in his ear with facts before he ever opens his mouth. Even if he didn't catch all, there will be flagrant misinformation shared, and zombies in the audience that will latch onto it and recite it tomorrow like it's fact. I'd like for some of that to at least be contested. Otherwise we risk the name calling and grandstanding as a distraction instead of an actual debate of issues.
Click to expand...
Hey...I would love for there to be fact checking right in the debate. But, all I'm saying is, there is a big chance of the political leanings of the moderator to come out then.....OR......the moderator to just be wrong.

And....with these two, I would absolutely love it.

 
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Remember Moderator Candy Crowley (wasn't that her name) who came to Obama's defense and corrected Romney in the 2nd debate. As I recall, she was wrong.

 
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