This is some of Trump’s jabbering at his Moms for Liberty appearance. Jamelle Bouie on TikTok points out that Trump is totally off the rails, but the coverage of the appearance in print media doesn’t indicate that at all.
There’s a big story here, and the big story is that, even in the most relaxed environment possible, Trump is addled. He is unable not just to speak truthfully about a topic, but to speak coherently about a topic, even total softball topics. Trump hasn’t just deteriorated, he’s clearly cognitively impaired, and it’s bizarre to me that this isn’t just a major story. My understanding for most of this year is that whether someone could actually do the job of President was the major issue, it was why Biden was subject to so much scrutiny. But now that Biden is no longer in the race, it’s not an area of concern for anyone, even though you can watch Trump clearly and he has declined precipitously from 2020 even, and he wasn’t particularly coherent then. […] Trump is just not there.
For anyone thinking Trump’s obvious mental decline means that he’ll do terrible in the debate, you might be right, but I’d be cautious with that prediction. In the last debate he just word-vomited nonsense, and he got very little negative attention for it. Even if he’s in a mental decline, he’s still perfectly capable of verbal diarrhea, and the debate format will allow him to spew for a couple of minutes without answering the question. This puts Harris in a position where she either has to pick one of the dozen lies that he told to refute, or try to make her own positive point. In other words, even dementia Donny is still in the driver’s seat in the current debate format. (And, yes, I know that Biden’s performance was the shock of the night so that got more coverage, but I assume Harris will do well and she will get zero credit for it, since that’s the expectation.)
If Republican primary of 2016 taught us anything, it’s that there’s nothing to be gained politically by debating Trump. The format and the moderators can’t handle him, and neither the format nor the moderators have changed in 8 years. For example, does anyone reading this think that a moderator will ask him about the statement quoted above?
Of course, I was hoping that he wouldn’t show and would therefore give Harris 90 minutes of free media, but a dream is a wish your heart makes, and sometimes your heart gets broken.
Finally, just to drill in on Trump’s anti-trans bigotry for a moment, anyone who sent their kids to school in the current century knows that it’s almost impossible to have the nurse give your kid Advil, much less kidnap them for gender reassignment surgery. And in red states, they’re so paranoid about kids turning trans that a friend in one of them told me that they had to give his kid’s teachers permission to use a nickname (and it was like “Pete” for “Peter”, nothing gender non-conforming). So, Trump’s blather should be seen by any parent, R or D, as idiotic on its face. The fact that a bunch of R parents will take what Trump said seriously is at the core of the deep problem we’re facing with his hardcore supporters.
(The Bouie video is via LGM.)
Baud
I’m glad the “black jobs” thing from the first debate survived Bidenpalooza July to some extent.
hells littlest angel
Unless Ronny Jackson preps him just right, Trump will be a babbling loon in the debate, and Harris can refute him with little more than side-eye.
MattF
@hells littlest angel: The Admiral has had lots of practice.
sdhays
I’ve been thinking about this. Harris is a prosecutor, and all things being equal, she can curb stomp him in the debate. But an aggressive curb-stomping could be considered “unpresidential” for all of the obvious reasons. She has her work cut out for her, just like Hillary.
Fortunately, Harris is more popular than Clinton and the Donvict is addled. All she has to do is mention how she “isn’t quite sure what Donald just said, but here’s what his campaign says and why it sucks and here’s what I’m going to do/think” and it will get picked up by the news. Not the New York Times, of course, except to say she was rude, perhaps. But others will. And then his addledness could become part of the “narrative”, depending especially on just how bad he is in the debate.
Princess
If he word vomits and is loud, the media will give him the win. He’s a hard guy to debate. You want to stop and point out each nutso thing but that doesn’t work since it’s like a firehose. My guess is Harris’s best bet is to pretend he’s not there and do her own word vomit, ie stick to her talking points, but make it coherent. Nothing matters but the vibes anyway.
Geminid
I think Trump is afraid of Kamala Harris.
rikyrah
There are things that he will not be able to do with MVP that he did with Hillary.
No way she will allow him to stalk her . Uh Uh😒
rikyrah
@sdhays:
She needs to.curb stomp him.
He is used to being a bully. She needs to shut that shyt down.😒
NeenerNeener
OK, that explains that “black dems in Texas becoming repubs because they don’t want their kids becoming trans” thing I saw the other day. These ladies were always closet Republicans if they believe Trump’s BS. Or they don’t exist except as Russian bots.
rikyrah
JoeyJobs in Pittsburgh👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
divF
OT: Here is a line from Cheryl Rofer’s latest OP at LGM.
I hope that Tony Jay sees this.
rikyrah
Acyn (@Acyn) posted at 3:13 PM on Mon, Sep 02, 2024:
Walz: The Wall Street Journal… they did another story that said oh, he’s actually richer than his statement says because he has a “defined benefit pension plan.” That is my wish for every American to have a defined benefit pension plan. https://t.co/kVYYLa3rNK
(https://x.com/Acyn/status/1830700631059022214?s=02)
different-church-lady
Because Democratic surrogates freaking out about Biden was the bigger circus.
Baud
@rikyrah:
Video
https://www.youtube.com/live/2M0fHti7DZI
Wag
@rikyrah:
Agreed, 100% Stomp him hard and repeat as necessary
@NeenerNeener:
Russian bots until they show themselves.
bbleh
So re the debate, (1) he WILL be dosed heavily, and one has to assume optimally since they’ve had a lot of practice by now, although admittedly his condition is beginning to deteriorate rather rapidly, and (2) how he will behave and what he will do is ENTIRELY KNOWN at this point, so there is no excuse for Harris’s prep team not to prep HER optimally.
It is worth noting that DESPITE Biden’s performance at the last debate, the Felon DID NOT DO WELL. The “dial” ratings were negative: every time he opened his mouth and jabbered away as he usually does, the focus groups reacted negatively. His schtick DOESN’T WORK on a general audience, and I think it’s safe to assume that there will be a large audience for Harris’s first debate.
I think also it’s still a significant possibility that the Felon ducks out at the last minute, because his handlers know all this perfectly well, and even though he won’t want to, they might prevail. (Hmm, and if they co-opt Ronny …)
surfk9
@rikyrah:
Me and my wife are living off of a defined benefit plan and doing quite well. Go CalPERS!
Scout211
This.
Trump was just “being Trump,” but Biden was not performing up to his previous debate performances. There was no comparisons, just evaluations graded on a curve. Biden failed but Trump passed. Sigh.
I personally don’t care about wins and losses in a manufactured
debateperformance that involves answering silly biased questions. What I care about is how Harris will get her message across to the audience of voters, especially the ones who are still undecided. I think she can do that. She does it in every speech and in every interview she does. She will do well in the televised performance formerly referred to as a debate.sdhays
@rikyrah: Agreed. But it’s not the same if, say, Gavin Newsom was going to be doing the curb stomping.
Or maybe not. I would love to have moved on from being a country where too many men (in particular) shit themselves seeing a woman embarrass and dominate a nasty old white man.
Baud
@bbleh:
This. And, frankly, Harris is nicer to look at than Trump. It’ll be shades Kennedy /Nixon.
VeniceRiley
I’m hoping for some “Wow. I wouldn’t trust that fella to be my Uber driver.” and “Bless your heart. Do you want to watch TV before your diaper change and beddie time?”
But that’s just me. She’s going to bring out “I am speaking” and Tulsi Traitor will have prepped him for it. We’ll see how that plays.
K-Mo
September 10 is still almost 2 months away from the election. MVP needs to just keep establishing her credibility by showing she is in command of her own message. I wouldn’t try to knock him out with anything, just stay steady, bat back a few of his big whoppers, and promise to clean up the bevy of garbage he strews about in the coming days.
Turn everything into an opportunity to show her own brand of charisma. She should be ready for him to start becoming very aggressive with her. Again, this is not the time to burn him to the ground. She will need to assert herself, call out childishness, and stake her claim to positive, serious leadership. I think she will excel at this.
JaySinWA
I wonder if this is like the feeling that all [schools |teachers | politicians | etc.] are bad, but mine is okay phenomenon? The local counter example doesn’t generalize for some reason. Kind of the opposite of this thing is broken somewhere so it is broken everywhere.
Aha, I found a reference to Fenno’s paradox. I knew I read about it before. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenno%27s_paradox
Redshift
I remember Reagan’s responding to Carter in debates with “there you go again!” implying that what he was saying wasn’t true without ever saying it, and without refuting anything. It was incredibly annoying and the press thought it was brilliant. I hope Harris has something like that teed up, to convey “I don’t have time to call out all his lies, but you know he lies all the time so look it up, now here’s the reality.” There’s no way to win by chasing a Gish gallop.
Geminid
@bbleh: If they get the dosage right, Trump just sound like Fred C. Dobbs, the character Humprey Bogart played in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. But if they get it wrong, Trump will channel another Humphrey Bogart character: Captain Queeg.
Professor Bigfoot
“Whatever. Every prosecutor knows felons lie. This particular felon is no exception. At any rate, to answer your question…”
lollipopguild
@sdhays: Harris does not have to be nice. She can stand up to him verbaly and tell him “what for” and millions will cheer. I think that if Ted Cruz had walked across the debate stage and punched donnies lights out for him (after trump attacked Cruz’s family) that trump would have been finished.
Scout211
Maybe. But IMHO it’s been more effective in her campaign so far to belittle him and paint him as unserious, weird and silly. He hates for people to make fun of him. She could just roll her eyes and do that “now there you go again” kind of put-down that’s more “bless your heart” than “you are an asshole.” I think that would get to him more than a direct attack.
But I’m just spitballing here because I’m no consultant and I do trust her team to prepare her well.
ETA: I see others are thinking “bless your heart” and “now there you go again.” Great minds.
Baud
She could shoot him and win over all the gun nuts.
Terraformer
It is this failing, this blinding and obvious decision to dispense wholesale with the “is he too old/demented” coverage that the press and media told us was the measure of a candidate’s worth as a President, but about which they no longer care after Biden dropped out, that is most emblematic of the contention that they must be ignored, rejected, and ridiculed going forward
pat
I am actually thankful for Biden’s debate performance, because now we have not Two Old Men, we have a lively woman for president and an even livelier man (excuse me: coach :)) for VP and the repukes will really have to work especially hard to steal this election.
I don’t think they can do it. Woohoooo……
Suzanne
I am a mom of a trans kid, and the process of getting trans kids physical and mental health care — even in a major city — is lengthy and cumbersome.
zhena gogolia
@Terraformer: Yes.
Mallard Filmore
@rikyrah:
Turn around and say: “The little boy’s room is just over there. One of the stagehands will help you.”
NutmegAgain
@sdhays: I’d say that walking that fine line is something a great many profession women know about, and have experienced. Too assertive, even energetic, and you get pushback. Otherwise you fail to engage suitably. I think VP Harris has this.
Baud
It won’t be a town hall, so there should be no opportunities for stalking.
Ksmiami
@sdhays: I’ve been thinking a lot about this- I think, like Ryan Reynolds, she should just pretty much brush off Trump and break the fourth wall often- just address the American people directly and do put downs like can you guys believe this freak.. type stuff. People love being directly addressed and spoken to. And Trump will hate it.
Suzanne
@Redshift:
This is true. This is also why we should not expect any fact-checking to take place. It’s simply infeasible in a live format. Maybe if they have a version of “community notes” or “readers added context” overlaid on the screen, but even that would be silent.
She should say something like, “what the heck are you talking about?!”.
hrprogressive
Convicted Felon Donald Trump could speak in tongues, and MVP Kamala Harris could simply say her name and that she thanks the moderators for having them and the Corprofascist Media will blast out headlines about how Convicted Felon Donald Trump is awesome and how VP Harris is (insert racist, sexist, bullshit line of attack du jour, here).
The coverage is rigged because this is what the shareholders want.
I’ll keep saying it till people get it.
KatKapCC
@Redshift: Harris isn’t Jewish but since her husband is, she could bust out a good sigh and eyeroll and an “oy gevalt” after his lunatic babbling. Said in the right tone of voice, that little phrase can convey a LOT of meaning.
sdhays
@lollipopguild: Yes, absolutely. I’m just saying she has a higher bar than a man would, that’s all. She’s going to crush it.
apocalipstick
@hells littlest angel: I don’t think Harris should refute him. She should point and laugh.
SpaceUnit
My concern is that our shitty corporate media are desperate to hang some negativity on KH and will find a way to do so no matter how the debate plays out. They’re running out of time.
My guess is that they’re already gaming out the lines of attack.
Baud
@hrprogressive:
“Trump impresses nation with multilingual abilities.”
Steve LaBonne
@Ksmiami: Exactly right. And on the other hand what she ABSOLUTELY MUST NOT do is make the fatal mistake of trying to refute a Gish gallop point by point. With limited time to respond, it’s literally impossible. I’m confident that she understands this.
Ksmiami
@Steve LaBonne: yep- forget direct counters to his bullshit. Just make him into a joke and carry on
MattF
@apocalipstick: So rude. And (worse), NASTY.
catclub
This. I think Kamala can just point out that what he said had nothing to do with the question and move on to her points. We shall see.
catclub
Turn and face into the camera: “Anybody else have a crazy uncle?”
Frankensteinbeck
From the white press. Univision was all over what a demented freakshow he was. The focus groups and first polls said undecideds saw him and recoiled. Yes, please, Harris, debate him. Make people see him without the media filter, and without the total freakout about Biden that yanked the news away.
There is a mountain of stuff going on here. Conservatives in general are big on ‘if nobody knows it exists they won’t want it’. They view their children as property who can’t have any innate desires. If those children did it would reflect badly on the parents, who obviously are perfect. It’s all the same kind of thinking that says if anything isn’t exactly the way they want, it must be bad people opressing them.
So yeah, if their kids are in any way even slightly open to queer anything, it must be some indoctrination conspiracy.
These are people who will evict the child from their house for being gay. They do not operate by standards any decent person can understand.
Ishiyama
Joe & Kamala’s joint appearance today had a touching moment when, just as Joe was introducing Kamala, he reached for her hand, and she held it as one would that of an elderly relative, giving emotional support by the human contact.
Anoniminous
If I had zero ethics I could start a terror campaign about how schools are stimulating their little git’s Trans-Acting factors by freely allowing them to self-administer dihydrogen monoxide – a very dangerous chemical BTW, causing thousands of deaths annually when people accidentally inhale it – and any number of disaccharides in their school lunches.
MattF
@catclub: I can tell you from personal experience that the subject of ‘crazy uncles’ is likely to be a sore spot for the family.
apocalipstick
@MattF: I hope!
KatKapCC
@catclub: Or this timeless quote.
Ishiyama
You know that, when Kamala says: “Same old tired playbook”, she’s really saying: “This sh*t again? Spare me.”
Juju
@Terraformer: It’s the same thing they did with the emails and poor tech security. When it was Hillary it was important, but once it was Trump, it was oh well, what are you going to do? Trump is Trump.
Jeffro
the only thing we need to be concerned about is whether or not Harris goes into “Kaine vs Pence mode” and sputters through the whole thing while trying to refute trump’s lies and nonsense.
after her “that’s it” response to Dana Bash, I am no longer concerned.
“Hello America, I’m Kamala Harris. Even though this is a ‘debate’, I’m not planning on responding to this…person’s…nonsense. He lies like he breathes, and doesn’t really know much of anything, anyway.
Instead, I’m here to talk straight to you, the American people, about X, Y, and Z. About how we can move forward together, about how we can leave Donald Trump behind…together.
So, let’s talk about X, Y, and Z…”
Other MJS
Harris’s messaging has been so amazing that I feel pretty good that all of the “yes, buts” raised here have been considered in detail.
It’s impossible to argue with Trump because almost nothing he says is coherent enough to be contradicted. I wonder if KH could slip in “Can somebody translate for me?”
Juju
@Redshift: That line was so good that Reagan used it again in his first debate with Mondale. I actually didn’t remember Reagan using the line in the debates against Carter, but did remember him using it against Mondale. I don’t recall watching the Carter-Reagan debates, so I thought you were wrong, because I did watch the Mondale-Reagan debates, where I remember Reagan using that phrase, but I looked it up because I didn’t want to make an ass of myself. It turned out we both would have been correct.
AM in NC
I’m with everyone here who hopes that after EVERY Trumpian nonsense gish gallop she makes a one sentence comment mocking his nonsense and lies in general, complete with eyeroll and sigh, and then pivots into but here’s MY plan for solving X problem.
Mock him more in sorrow/bemusement than in anger, and watch him become increasingly unhinged as the evening goes on.
Frankensteinbeck
@Jeffro:
She’s a prosecutor, so I assume she’s dealt with the Chewbacca Defense before.
moonbat
Still marveling at the incredible weight we put on these debates, particularly in this day and age where there is no attempt at balanced coverage of the event by the MSM where Trump is concerned, especially as has been pointed out by several here that the casual observers, those low info voters we’re all competing for now thought Trump lost the last debate. It’s like the Dems have internalized the media’s double standard where Trump can be Trump but our candidate has to be perfect to the point that we enforce in on our side.
I have full confidence that Harris will have no difficulty making Trump look like the addled attention addict he is. But please, for the love of Dog, should she suffer a gaffe or misstep let’s not have weeks of hand wringing, fire all the consultants, we’re DOOMED, I TELL YOU DOOMED!! commentary. It doesn’t help us win and it does make us look like a bunch of easily played chumps.
hitchhiker
I really want her to give him that patented you-are-such-an-asshole look and say, to the camera, something like, “It’s getting harder to tell if he’s delusional or lying, you know?” and then just move on to make whatever point needs to be made on whatever the subject is.
“Either way, here’s the thing. We can’t afford NOT to help young families.”
etc
(And then just repeat the phrase, every time. Delusional or lying, it’s gotta be one. Delusional or lying, he can’t seem to help it. Delusional or lying, that one sounded really crazy.)
piratedan
@Jeffro: I would adore seeing that approach. I would even emphasize making an aside stating that none of the questions that either of us are likely to be asked will touch upon the issues that matter to you the American voter…
Namely, bodily autonomy, help for people to buy their first homes, building homes that are affordable and in places of need, further addressing climate change and calling businesses to account when they gouge you at the register.
Then pivot to state, we would be doing even more for the American people but we have a House of Representatives that simply does not know how to govern and a Supreme Court that somehow calls executive orders for debt relief illegal. we need a Democratic House and Senate to help institute legal reform, expansion of circuit courts to honor the word that everyone will receive a fair, yet speedy trial.
In other words, make it an abbreviated stump speech, fuck that’s what Trump does anyway. Might as well speak truth to power.
Baud
@moonbat: I’ve already ordered my Walz for President signs.
Sure Lurkalot
@Redshift:
Yes, there’s no reason to address anything he says in particular. She should just look his way and say, “more word salad, Donald? The American people have had enough from this buffet.” And then ask the moderator for her question.
Greebe
@Redshift: Yes. Chasing, as you say, a Gish Gallop is futile.
I do wish Kamala could ask the follow-up questions. I think she’d be brilliant.
Ishiyama
@Sure Lurkalot: “If any one of them can explain it,” said Alice,”I’ll give him a sixpence. I don’t believe there’s an atom of meaning in it.”
moonbat
@Baud: Har! But seriously, having gotten one of the major political parties to rearrange the top of their ticket once, do you think there’s even a small chance that they won’t try to do it again down the road?
Republicans have been trying to choose who they run against for at least the last four election cycles. Win or lose that is supposed to be our choice.
Another Scott
She’s smart and has seen how he operates. I ass-u-me that:
1) Her baseline assumption will be that everything he says “Post birth abortion!! I did the $35 insulin thing!! Everyone wanted Roe gone!!” will be a lie. She will have some zingers “there you go again!” to counter it, but won’t let him decide what she talks about.
2) She won’t stoop to his level. She knows his type very, very well. She knows how to deal with bullies. She know lots and lots of stuff and how far to push, and what it takes to win a conviction from a jury.
3) The reality of what happens may have nothing to do with how it is covered. Her team will push out her winning lines and his pathetic foolishness. The press will not emphasize his craziness – they never do. But if he starts screaming or “doesn’t act presidential” then it could hurt him a lot. He seems to be afraid of black women (he never went after Michelle Obama, AFAIK). He may be on his back-foot at the debate with Harris.
We’ll see.
Forward!!
Cheers,
Scott.
catclub
This is what we expect after the last debate. If his handlers are actually inside our OODA loop he will do something very different the next time. I find that hard to figure, but you never know.
Josie
I hope every influencer and every Dem politician is ready to pounce after the debate to drown out any media both sides crap that tries to bubble up. We need to act like she won big even if she doesn’t. That is what they did for Trump the last time and we can’t let them get away with it again.
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
A Gish Gallop works best as a debate tactic when it comes with tacit (or explicit) approval from the moderators & anybody else who is sitting in judgment on the proceedings from a position of putative authority & experience, from which they can influence how others see it.
I think it goes without saying that no Democrat would ever be allowed to get away with a Gish Gallop in these debates. They would be flayed without mercy by our profoundly biased news media.
Ruckus
The problem with SFB and his voters is that they are the same, other than money, and his actual monetary position is likely rather a lot poorer than he could imagine anyone believing. Including himself. He has all the monetary skills of a cup of dog pee. And he seems to have retired his concept of actual thought and relies on that 80 year old half cup of jello in his head that is his excuse for a functional brain, which was never all that and a cup of tea in the first place. (IOW situation normal – all fucked up) I’ve seen some say he delivers about the same speeches he has for a few years but what little I’ve managed to listen to shows his gibberish to be getting worse. It’s likely just it was never good but his delivery is getting worse, if anyone can imagine that. Now if we are lucky some of his followers will/might be able to see that and while they might not vote for Harris, maybe we’ll get lucky and they just won’t vote. I’m not holding my breath.
Almost Retired
Someone should make a bingo card with all the advice being offered the Kamala Harris campaign in this thread. And then we can all play along during the debates. With a drinking game overlay (shots for “bless your heart,” for example).
RSA
If Harris’s debate team is really, really good, she’ll be able to predict one of Trump’s lies and call it out before his addled brain is unable to prevent him from saying it. That probably requires a confluence of the stars, though.
Betty
@Ishiyama: I didn’t see it that way at all. To me it was a warm gesture showing her affection and gratitude for his full-bodied support. Not about him needing emotional support.
Mallard Filmore
“She didn’t answer any of the points that Trump brought up”
The NYT probably.
Wapiti
@Ksmiami: I think I agree. By pointing out that his “university” scammed people, that he’s been found guilty of business fraud, and campaign finance fraud… well, people can’t trust anything he says at the “debate”, can they?
He can insist that he knows nothing about the 2025 plan that Heritage put together for the next Republican administration… but you can’t trust what he says.
“Personnel is policy” – if he fills the administration with Heritage personnel, he’s implementing the 2025 policies. And if he tells you that he won’t be appointing Heritage people… remember, you can’t trust what he says. He’s a scammer, a fraud, a conman. The timeshare salesman of lies.
Randal Sexton
@sdhays:
‘All she has to do is mention how she “isn’t quite sure what Donald just said, but here’s what his campaign says and why it sucks and here’s what I’m going to do/think” ‘
I think this is an excellent formulation and avoids getting dragged into whatever psyco nonsense Trump will be spewing.
jackmac
Harris ought to wipe the floor with Trump, but I fear that may also be the MSM’s pre-debate expectations.
Therefore I also fear that anything less than a perfect and knockout debate performance by Harris will be perceived as a loss or setback. So they’ll proclaim Trump the winner (no matter what bullshit he spews).
I want the debate to be the beginning of the end for TFG, but somehow he always seems to skate away from troubles, to avoid consequences. Just maddening.
MP
I think it would be great if they would put up real time refutations of each of his lies on the campaign website. Harris could then refer to the site at the top of her response from time-to-time and then go on to make her positive points.
CaseyL
IIRTC, wasn’t there some talk about CNN’s stage managers setting Biden’s mic at a low volume setting so that he couldn’t be heard? I don’t remember whether this was ever definitely established or refuted.
I hope someone on Harris’s team gets a chance to check the PA equipment. Or send her out there with her own mic setup.
Darkrose
@Suzanne: As the wonderful folks on Maintenance Phase point out when they talk about trans healthcare, anyone who thinks people–especially kids–in the US is walking into a doctor’s office and immediately getting care without jumping through a multitude of hoops has never attempted to get health care in the US, or is lying.
Sally
@different-church-lady: I thought there was a significant block of voters who were very concerned about OldDon’s babble in that debate. They weren’t particularly focused on Biden’s performance, but alarmed that trump was incoherent
ETA: Thanks bbleh.
SW
Yep. The format favors someone who will just prattle on endlessly and appear relaxed and comfortable while doing it. Kamala’s only real goal should be to look like a potential President and be unflappable. In this format content is for suckers.
catclub
nice way of saying ‘fucking unconnected to reality’
Damien
Guys, guys, I think we all know the correct response to whatever Trump says:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=Va5_rn3vG3A&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY
Sally
@Redshift: I quite liked some commenter’s suggestion, “Back here on planet earth”. Or maybe, Back here in real America. Or , getting back to reality. Or maybe just Okaaayyyy. We prefer to live in ,La land, not la la land
There’s no point to try to engage his Soup du Jour.
Sally
@Scout211: Oh yes, I like “bless your heart” too! We all know what that means.
Sally
@Baud: Upvote.
SatanicPanic
It’s been a known thing for quite a while, but the more people see of Trump the more they hate him. I say let him babble and just interject the occasional “ can you explain what you just said?” Who cares if he lies, everyone knows he lies.
rikyrah
😢😢😢
Christopher Webb (@cwebbonline) posted at 5:40 PM on Mon, Sep 02, 2024:
Whew, she felt that!** 🔥
President Biden and VP Kamala Harris together in Pittsburgh, PA.
“You really get to know somebody when you’re in the middle of a fight. When times are hard, when the forces are mighty, when people don’t believe something can get done and they have a thousand excuses for why it can’t get done. And I have spent more time with this extraordinary human being when the cameras were not in the room, when the stakes were high and the heat was intense, and Joe Biden has always stood by the workers of America and the labor unions of America, always, always.” @VP
… https://t.co/YDpmEOaSGX
(https://x.com/cwebbonline/status/1830737631396929545?s=02)
rikyrah
🪷 Madam Auntie VP Kamala Harris for PRESIDENT! (@flywithkamala) posted at 8:17 PM on Mon, Sep 02, 2024:
We’ve never seen a picture like this of a President and Vice President. Joe and Kamala are truly unburdened by what has been. https://t.co/g5VHQ4d9f1
(https://x.com/flywithkamala/status/1830777219746041866?s=02)
cain
I think the Harris campaign probably already knows this but the deck is stacked against her. What she says will be hyper focused on and what Trump said will be skipped over.
They need to approach Trump as pretty much white noise. What they say will stand out. I would say that you don’t even bother answering the question because Trump isn’t going to. But the media expects the Dems to be for grown ups but will be exposed to a completely different set of rules and expectations that would be harder to meet.
Throw away the playbook that the media expects you to play and then do something that throw them off kilter. Ignore Trump as white noise and speak the truth.
Let Trump be Trump but let Dems be Dems.
kalakal
@rikyrah: Thank you for putting that photo up. Warms. my heart
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Go read his speeches, that’s not a Gish Gallop, more like a stoned idiot. It’s just 90 minute stream of consciousness. Best thing Harris can do is let Trump babble as much as possible until even the NYT has to admit Trump is fucked in the head.
Mr. Bemused Senior
So true. Whether it’s the MSM, the Electoral College, the U.S. Senate or the Supreme Court, the truth is that, as Trump claims, the system is rigged. For Republicans.
We have an uphill battle against this.
SFAW
@Baud:
Normally, I’d agree. But the gun nuts seem to have a different standard when the shooter is Black.
Nettoyeur
@Redshift: She already did that with her “old playbook next question” remark. She’s a prosecutor
SFAW
I’m wondering how soon after the debate Chuckles Todd will utter some version of “she was overprepared.”
wjca
I’m no doubt showing my age (which means it will go right past the younger voters). But suppose she was to respond: “Wow, Donald. Where did you get those magic mushrooms?”
Ishiyama
That’s what I was talking about. What it shows about her. And if you have ever held your aging parent’s hand like that, you know what I mean about her feelings.
randy khan
Probably the single most remembered event from the 2020 debates was Biden’s “Will you shut up, man?” which provides a little bit of a template on how to deal with Trump. But that can’t be the only thing.
Grover Gardner
I happen to think that Trump may be tired and low key, but he knows exactly what he’s doing. The trans “operation” thing? Most of his fans don’t *really* believe that, but they do believe that schools are f**king with their kids and it pisses them off. However outrageously he talks, they understand the underlying issues he’s driving at, and they agree with him.
Msb
NC starts sending out absentee ballots on Sept 6, and other states on Sept 21. The election is a lot closer than November. (Has everybody checked their registration?)