Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

We still have time to mess this up!

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

Schmidt just says fuck it, opens a tea shop.

The media handbook says “controversial” is the most negative description that can be used for a Republican.

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

Democrats have delivered the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and now… the Big Joe Biden Deal.

Elections aren’t won by handwringing, cowering, and/or bashing your own candidates.

Motown is Joe-Town!

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Bad news for Ron DeSantis is great news for America.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Compromise? There is no middle ground between a firefighter and an arsonist.

You are here: Home / Elections / Election 2020 / Presidential Debate Open Thread

Reader Interactions

356Comments

  2. 2.

    Benw

    Only 10 minutes until the critical undecided voters dig into the issues by tuning into Fox News to watch the candidates tangle with America’s Truth Troops!

  3. 3.

    Steeplejack

    Okay, I’m ready—full of trepidation but ready. I just finished dinner, and before that I went out to get some provisions and replenish the strategic alcohol reserve.

    Deep breaths.

  13. 13.

    cain

    my two velociraptors are here as well – we are ready (after they fucking knocked some plants and making a huge mess in the kitchen)

  14. 14.

    piratedan

    wonder if Biden will ask Trump to explain the extraordinary series of events that took place to illustrate his crimes against the nation…. that would be fun.

  15. 15.

    Steeplejack

    I think there is a good chance that Trump has an apocalyptic meltdown tonight.

    And I hope that if when Trump brings up Hunter Biden, Joe Biden unloads on Ivanka, Don Jr. and Eric and zeroes in on Trump’s Chinese bank account.

    Those are my goals for tonight.

    Kristen Welker is meh. I hope she does a good job, but I’m not holding my breath.

  18. 18.

    different-church-lady

    Cole:

    If I were Biden I would answer every question in 30 seconds and just cede my time to let the crazy man babble

    That’s ridiculous: he’ll already be babbling before Biden starts to answer.

  19. 19.

    Keith P.

    I’m watching the Rudy-Borat bit right now  in lieu of the debate.

     

    EDIT: First LOL part is SBC whispering to Rudy while he’s being interviewed by the daughter – “If I were you, I’d stick to marrying your cousins”

  24. 24.

    RaflW

    As we head into the debate (which I will absorb via twitter and BJ, not by watching), I see this

    @aravosis
    The ten states with the highest per capita number of Covid cases all voted for Trump, and 9 out of 10 have GOP governors.

    And I think about how, early in the pandemic, it was of course the international gateway cities, and the coastal ones at that, which bore the brunt of early Covid. The hinterlands were months away from the hard part.
    The autumn surge is under way, but at the same time that people in most every state are now voting. How that plays out (or if it matters, given the other issues) will be one for the political scientists to digest, I guess. Some day.

  26. 26.

    dmsilev

    Take a moment to pity whoever is in charge of deciding on Trump’s medication dosages for tonight.

  32. 32.

    Steeplejack

    Okay, I can see Michael Steele’s point (on MSNBC): hit Trump once on the Hunter Biden issue and then let it go; don’t get bogged down. But I want that one hit to be a K.O.

    I’ll be going over to the plain feed on C-SPAN once the actual debate begins.

  34. 34.

    Kay

    Judd Legum
    @JuddLegum
    ·13m
    3. In texts and emails released to the WSJ, Bobulinski acknowledges he was planning to do business with Hunter Biden but the entire deal fell through in the Summer of 2017.
    Bobulinski never did any business with Hunter Biden.

    And the big WSJ story is…an editorial.

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    Okay, this is what I don’t like about Kristen Welker. She always comes across as a little too pleased with herself. Possibly my personal bias, but I’ve watched her White House reports for a long time.

  52. 52.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    The wife has decided to watch it. So I guess I’m getting exposed.

    Oh Lord. I count 5 lies in the first 30 seconds.

  54. 54.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Steeplejack: Given the stunt they’re going to pull with this former Navy lieutenant that Breitbart and Fox News surfaced yesterday and who is now the President’s personal guest at the debate tonight.

  62. 62.

    different-church-lady

    “Tonight’s debate rules have been altered slightly. After the first interruption, the offending party will have his microphone muted. After a second interruption, the offending party will have a My Pillow placed across his face…”

  71. 71.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    He’s gonna distribute the vaccine in weeks! Wowzers! And he saved 2 million lives! And everybody in the world congratulated him on having the best response!

    His mouth isn’t open while Joe is speaking! They got the dosage right! Am I using too many exclamation points!

  78. 78.

    CaseyL

    The Guardian blogger says they’ll be doing fact checks during the debate.  Their poor little fingers will fall off if they try to keep up with Trump’s lies.

  85. 85.

    dmsilev

    Biden actually gives an answer to the question that Trump dodged. Again, I know you’re all shocked.

  91. 91.

    mad citizen

    I didn’t really hear a plan for covid from Joe.  Though may have missed it ‘ cause reading the blog.  Heard him say wear masks.  Not that this event matters.

    Like how it’s turning on trump’s actions and bs though

  97. 97.

    James E Powell

    I’m watching Giants vs. Eagles. Just saw my first anti-Biden ad. It’s “if you’re for Trump, they you ain’t black” and the crime bill. Not sure that’s going to work.

  101. 101.

    Spanky

    I had a couple of Pepperidge Farm Double Chocolate Nuntuckets, but I’ve cut myself off. I can’t binge like I could when I was a younger, wilder man.

  108. 108.

    cain

    YOU ARE LYING MF. Behind you? what the fuck are you talking about? he’s not the goddam president!

  110. 110.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Kay: Given that the WSJ’s editorial page is a bunch of right wing nuts, that they ran the debunking says something about how weak this chucklehead’s story was.

  111. 111.

    CaseyL

    Sounds like Trump is reporting from the weird universe he inhabits.  Solipsistic little shit.

  114. 114.

    PsiFighter37

    @Baud: Still got 75 minutes to go and embarrass himself. I hope part of Joe’s prep was to get under Donnie’s skin.

  116. 116.

    Steeplejack

    What is this whole “the Army will distribute it” thing that Trump has been saying for a long time about the vaccine? It has Big Dictator Energy, but how would it actually work? And wouldn’t it possibly violate the “not deploying the armed forces on U.S. soil” thing? Possible essay question for later.

  123. 123.

    Adam L Silverman

    Basement, drink!

    By the way the basement reference is a signal to the QAnon nutters who believe that children are being trafficked by Democrats in basements.

  126. 126.

    SFBayAreaGal

    Stockyard Oatmeal Stout sitting next to me. I raise my bottle to all of my jackals that can tolerate this orange monster.

  133. 133.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Quinerly: I bet we could, only children and all =-

    Eta: I tried, even with Hal Sparks wisecracking and calling out the lies, I took one look at that orange pouty face, and nope, click, done.

  134. 134.

    Percysowner

    @John Cole: Me neither. I tried and the Orange One opened his mouth and I decided to follow it via live blogs. The Internet will post anything interesting and I am DVRing it, so I can watch later.

  135. 135.

    Steeplejack

    I’m pretty calm so far. Almost every word Trump says is a lie, including “and” and “the,” as the old joke goes, but I’ve heard it so many times before that apparently I’ve built up some resistance.

  138. 138.

    dmsilev

    First “interrupt the moderator”. She’s doing a pretty good job so far keeping things under control.

  144. 144.

    catclub

    @RaflW: The hinterlands were months away from the hard part.

     

    and a real federal response and mask mandate could have stopped it from getting to them .

  147. 147.

    mrmoshpotato

    HOLY SHIT!  The orange pile of shit was just all “I was kidding about injecting bleach.”

    ??????????

    Ok, done with this.

  148. 148.

    James E Powell

    Trump’s performance actually doesn’t matter much.

    Our guy just has to look & talk like a president.

  152. 152.

    cain

    Trump is being a lot more sedate this time than the first debate.. but he’s still a fucking liar.

  154. 154.

    mrmoshpotato

    HOLY SHIT!  The orange pile of shit was just all “I was kidding about injecting bleach.”

    ??????????

    Ok, done with this.

  155. 155.

    Leto

    @WaterGirl: maybe it’s fascism? maybe it’s Maybellene?

    Edit: but color wise, he’s third from the left. Red C*something (I can’t read it, but that’s his color)

  158. 158.

    Sebastian

    @RaflW:

    I’ve been convinced for a while that Trump doing his adulation tour across red states is seeding COVID amongst his base. Anti-mask behavior and the timing, several weeks before the election, could lead to a worst case scenario for him where his voters, propagandized to not vote by mail, will be too sick to vote come election day.

  161. 161.

    catclub

    @Mallard Filmore: ! Trump is whining that China didn’t do his job for him.

     

    “Suppose China DID send it here on purpose as an act of war. Why was your response to it still so bad?”

  167. 167.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Yutsano: The generals can’t do anything about this in regards to logistics. Unless the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is successful, and right now its trial is suspended because there was an adverse event, the capacity to distribute any of the other leading potential vaccines from Moderna and Astra Zeneca require a delivery and storage system that doesn’t exist. The only one that wouldn’t require it is Johnson and Johnson because it is the only one not based on a new technology/delivery method. The DOD can’t solve that problem any time soon because the military doesn’t have the refrigerated vehicles or storage that would be required. It simply does not exist.

  169. 169.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Joe gives specific guidelines on how to reopen. Trump says “he wants to shut down everything forever”.

    Repeat.

    Repeat.

    Repeat.

    Also, teachers don’t have to worry, hardly anyone of them will die from exposure to the kids.

  175. 175.

    Anotherlurker

    I tried to watch. I really did. I can’t do it.

    Thanks to all who have a stronger stomach than me, who can actually listen to trump’s lies.

  176. 176.

    Yutsano

    Joe is outright mocking him!

    EDIT: “No blue states, no red states, just the United States!”

    Dolt45 is all over the place.

  187. 187.

    Suzanne

    @cain: They’re all over plexiglass and acrylic, now they’re on to polycarbonate, tempered glass, and decorative resin.

    i should note that none of that barrier shit works. At all. There is zero evidence, as we do not breathe like Drogon.

  189. 189.

    Kay

    @trnc:

    One of the things Trump supporters do to distract from covid is to tell you how suicide and drug abuse spiked as a result of the stay at homes. A “normie” thinks “right- problems with covid” but they think it’s an indictment of liberals. They are to the point where they speak in a kind of code. You have to know the whole narrative or you’re lost.

  192. 192.

    Steeplejack

    Okay, Welker has dialed it down a bit, so I’m okay with her now. As if anyone cares.

    Is Trump getting more screen time than Biden now? Or is it just that Biden is letting him blow?

  194. 194.

    guachi

    Biden should have said that he understands why Trump is so upset with China’s response to the coronavirus considering Trump pays more in taxes to China than America.

  197. 197.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    OK, enough. Can’t take it. At least not with the visuals. Moving to the next room, listening with one ear.

  203. 203.

    debbie

    I think my neighbor will be knocking on my door soon. I lost my mind at his “I think he’s a Democrat.”

  206. 206.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Oh, he could raise gazillions with a few phone calls. He’s just too honorable to do it.

  208. 208.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Had that conversation with a coworker today. He said ” If Biden wins, hes going to shut the country down”  I asked him to please A: stop watching Fox. B: check your sources. C: Show me where he said that.

    Pointless conversation, I know, but wtf.

  212. 212.

    Steeplejack

    Welker gave Trump too much time on that “taking Wall Street money” rebuttal. And Biden should have been given a brief opportunity to rebunk.

  217. 217.

    trnc

    @Kay: I somehow missed that, even being fairly tuned into right wing crap. So once again, awesome for his base while everyone else scratches their heads.

  218. 218.

    mrmoshpotato

    @raven:

    It’s not near as much fun without numbnuts screaming. 

    Calm is worse because we all know what a ranty, orange shitpile he is.

  221. 221.

    Keith P.

    Interesting strategy by Trump to take time during the debate that if he wanted to, he could call up a bunch of major Wall Street companies and beat all of Biden’s fundraising records.

  224. 224.

    Adam L Silverman

    @MomSense: If we had two more debates, the way he’s darkening the shade of his makeup, he could be running for reelection as America’s second black president.

  230. 230.

    West of the Cascades

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: Yeah, it’s definitely better when I can only hear (but not see) Trump. Biden sounds presidential, Trump not so much. “His buddy Rudy Giuliani” ought to get a rise out of the Orange One.

  232. 232.

    Ivan X

    I thought that maybe if I read the commentary here I might be able to take it, but even that is too much for me. Maybe because I could only be comforted by news of Hindenburg-like performance by Trump and Babe Ruth-like performance from Biden.

  235. 235.

    jl

    Anybody on the internet getting out color swatches so we know what to call it?

    Just saw the exchange about Big Money Biden. Too bad Biden is too senile get out coherent on-point, concise responses to Trump’s BS.

    If keeps going like this, the corporate news pundits will talk about the incoherence gap. Good news for Trump?

  237. 237.

    L85NJGT

    When he’s not speaking, Trump presents terribly in the side-by-side. Shitty, not interested body language, interrupted by frequent head tics and a perma-frown.

  238. 238.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    “I never got any money from Russia”. Um????? Paging Eric “we have all the money we need from Russia” Trump.

  239. 239.

    Leto

    @MomSense: people think he’s going to Russia, but everyone will be surprised to find him on a corner in Paris, upturned hat and grinder monkey beside him.

  249. 249.

    Bobby Thomson

    This prevent defense fucking sucks.  Joe’s letting a lot of bullshit go that he could deal with in 10 seconds, e.g.: “unlike you, my tax returns are all public and everyone can see that everything you just said is a lie.”

  251. 251.

    jl

    There’s a pillow and sheet Biden scandal? Was that scandal broken at the beginning of the debate.

  252. 252.

    NotMax

    “Nobody has been tougher than me on Russia.”

    This word nobody you use, I do not think it means what you think it does. Also the word tougher.

  258. 258.

    Kay

    @trnc:

    I hear it a lot, to the point where I know exactly where they’re going.

    Someone nice asked me yesterday about the Hunter story and I actually took a breath to respond and then thought “I don’t have the energy to explain this”. So I asked her about her metal roof.

    Can’t be over soon enough.

  261. 261.

    Amir Khalid

    I’m watching the NBC News livestream on YouTube.  It’s marvelous what knowing that someone can make him shut up does for Trump’s behaviour. But his responses to Welker’s questions are as estranged as ever from reality.

    Now he’s making bullshit excuses for his campaign’s lack of funds.

  276. 276.

    schrodingers_cat

    I cannot watch the stupid liar who was installed by Putin with the help of misogynistic and xenophic bigots to the highest office in the nation. I tried and failed. Every time I watch him speak my brain cells die and my BP shoots up.

  278. 278.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @Steeplejack:

    The pivot! This is it!

    Next thing, Halperin, Matthews and Lauer will have a chat show at 8 pm to talk earnestly about “both sides”.

  280. 280.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    What the hell is he talking about with 3.5 million from Russia and “somebody gave a press conference tonight”? Is this new “dirt” from Giuliani?

  287. 287.

    Leto

    I started 30 minutes ago with a handle of whiskey. I have my local place on speed dial and they’re bringing more. Wish me luck.

  295. 295.

    Steeplejack

    I’m getting a dissatisfied feeling that Trump is getting more air time. But maybe it’s that he’s just putting out such extreme, expansive bullshit and Biden somehow sounds “smaller” because he sticks to, uh, reality.

  296. 296.

    jl

    Shit, I didn’t know that couple (edit: or maybe a lot more, come to think of it)  of grand I pay in fed income taxes was just a filing figure.

    But, it would really piss me off if The Big Man swiped it all for Amtrak passes. Is The Big Man Biden? Maybe! Some are saying….

  297. 297.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: I’ve known LTG Williams since he was a one star. At that time he was Deputy Commanding General for Operations at US Army Europe and I was the Cultural Advisor to the Commanding General of US Army Europe. He is a very good general officer/flag officer.

  307. 307.

    Llelldorin

    Thanks to all of you who are watching this live. I haven’t had a drink in almost two years, and I was afraid that if I tried watching this directly my liver and pancreas wouldn’t see another dawn.

  314. 314.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Trump decided to play the statesman at the 11th, wonders will never cease.

  317. 317.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Omnes Omnibus: He’s convinced that Biden has been given millions in donations, in exchange for promised favors if he’s elected president, from the major players on Wall Street. The President, his surrogates, and his supporters are so cocooned in their own sealed informational bubble that they’re just talking to themselves. And what they’re saying makes no sense to anyone else outside of the informational bubble.

  320. 320.

    Leto

    @Adam L Silverman: I believe it. I’m thinking about the phone calls he might be receiving: “Uhm, boss… the president is saying we’re delivering vaccines?”  Gen Williams: “I’m glad I’m a Wild Turkey man because this is going to be a loooong night…”

  323. 323.

    Kay

    @jl:

    It’s just a big lie. He’s using the fact that you pay estimated taxes to muddle the whole thing up and pretend there was or will be a larger payment later. I don’t think it will work though- the people who know what he’s talking about will also know he’s lying.

  325. 325.

    Steeplejack

    I see what the problem is now: Welker says we’re going to move on, but then Trump says, “I’ve got to respond to that,” and she lets him.

    Moving upstairs now, I guess.

  328. 328.

    West of the Cascades

    @Kay: I suspect “prepaid taxes” also is meant to refer to payroll taxes (Social Security and Medicaid) which are not what most people think about of as “taxes.”

    Nice cut-off by the moderator on the Trump word-salad about Biden asking for $10 million.

  331. 331.

    Steeplejack

    Malarkey! Big drink! Oops, I never made my rum and tonic. I’m scraping by on Coca-Cola.

  332. 332.

    frosty

    @schrodingers_cat: Every time I watch him speak my brain cells die and my BP shoots up.

    I can’t even listen to him with Sarah Cooper’s lip synch.  Brave, courageous jackals, to give us this live feed!

  334. 334.

    West of the Cascades

    “It’s not about his family and my family. It’s about your family.” Joe FTW

  335. 335.

    Martin

    @HumboldtBlue: Well, I have to file quarterly, but that doesn’t change what’s on the tax return. It still tells me the bottom line, I just get to subtract out what I’ve already paid. I can carry over any overpayments to the next year.

    No, Trump paid $750. That I’m paying 100x that is why I can’t watch the debates. It’s rage-inducing.

  338. 338.

    jl

    Make China ‘pay’ for the coronavirus? Does the moderator mean take them into the ally and beat the crap out of them, bust up their bike? Or make them pay like Mexico pays for the wall?

    If this debate continues to be Trump spewing smears against Biden for every question, and the moderator asking dumb questions, I won’t last much longer.

    ‘Strong’ email’? China paid up? What? Biden good on the substance, ‘taxpayers’ money’, but wonder how many viewers will believe it if no time to explain.

  341. 341.

    Kay

    @West of the Cascades:

    Maybe, but paying estimated taxes is something some of his supporters might know about if they’re self employed or own the business. It’s just that it’s still 750 dollars, which…wouldn’t be enough :)

    You don’t just pick a low number. It’s a real thing. It[s based on the prior year, so I supposed he’s telling us he never has any revenue.

  342. 342.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Leto: He’s not getting them. There’s an Army one star that has been seconded to the Operation Warp Speed staff and that’s the guy he’s referring to. The President makes him out to be the end all be all of logistics, because the President doesn’t know anything about logistics in general and military logistics in specific. The truth is that yes, this one star is a logistics specialists. But he’s not “General Logistics”. He’s somewhere between a baby brigadier and a one star halfway through to either 2 stars or retirement.

  346. 346.

    West of the Cascades

    @Kay: Sorry to be unclear – I think Trump and his people may be able to accurately say the Trump Organization has paid “millions in taxes” if it refers to SS and Medicaid taxes paid on behalf of employees.

    (* does not refer to any other payments the Trump Organization may be paying to the SS or its modern equivalents)

  349. 349.

    trnc

    “Joe didn’t do anything about health care.” I guess if you don’t count Obamacare, which they are literally discussing in real time.

  352. 352.

    jl

    Big question for post debate pundit blabber: Biden too coherent and on-point for the average voter?

    Is he going to lose the ‘roid rage’ vote?

    I can’t watch this much longer if they don’t figure out a way to stop Trump from lying every time he opens his mouth. But, Trump’s lies are getting so ridiculous wonder how many will believe them.

    Now Biden explains how primary elections work. Biden the explainer! (Edit: Chuck Todd will worry if the topic of how primary elections work is too wonky for the white working class voter)

    Edit2: Biden also explained how presidential election P and VP tickets work. Todd is even more worried now.

Comments are closed.