You aren’t being honest with yourself. In no way, shape , or form can Trump claim any type of victory here. Now, Harris didn’t really “win” anything either, slough I will concede that she was very compelling on abortion, and I do think it will resonate.kobeunderbite wrote: ↑Wed Sep 11, 2024 5:31 am Ok now I actually watched it in full. I do think that Trump 'won' at face value, but narrowly. He was the dominant presence in the debate which reflected in his having 25% more speaking time. Those things factor in even on a subconscious level. And the moderator gang-up was so blatant that it may have even worked to Trump's advantage in its unfairness.
However the real story here is the missed opportunities for Trump. On every subject I found myself begging him to talk about x, y or z and to ask specific, obvious questions of Kamala and he never did. He didn't hold her to the fire enough on anything - not on Afghanistan, not on meeting with Zelensky just before the war broke out, not on her shapeshifting and lack of baseline principles, not on inflation, not on the idea that he, not the democrats, weaponizes the justice system or divides based on race, not on taxing unrealized gains. He should have LED with his plan to fund IVF on the women's health questions, instead he saved it meekly for last.
It was painful to watch as a Trump supporter because I just know that a sharper candidate whether it be Vance, Vivek, RFK, etc. could have absolutely torpedoed Kamala. But the sad truth of it is that Trump, after three election cycles, is not an amazing debater. He is just okay. In a group setting he is the GOAT, but 1-on-1 doesn't play to his strengths nearly as well. He doesn't have the ability to rapidly process the lies being stated or recall the necessary facts and numbers in real-time in the way that other leaders can. Watching Bibi Netanyahu's conference with the English press the other week, I was amazed at how sharp he is and the mastery of the facts he has on every subject he is challenged on. I felt similarly when watching Putin's interview with Tucker. Trump is not that kind of leader, he is an energy/confidence guy, not a details guy.
For me Kamala came across as the most coached and rehearsed candidate ever. Even her expressions felt extremely artificial and planned in advance. I don't know how much ordinary people are able to detect that kind of stuff, though. To her credit her preparation stuck, because she doesn't have Alzheimer's like Biden. She had a gameplan and she implemented it reasonably well and the fact that she was cogent and poised 'enough' was a victory given where she and Biden had left the bar heading in.
Trump should debate again if he actually plans to do some basic preparation, otherwise just leave it be. It probably won't even matter, the result will come down to who is able to generate more votes and rig successfully, not who can actually inspire more people to support them.
As far as executed strategy, Harris by a mile. It was obvious that Harris plan was to simply remind America who Donald Trump really is, a self centered egomaniac who can’t simply look foward. And when he started rambling on about pets being eaten, and babies being murdered after birth, even she couldn’t contain her own excitement at times. What a spectacle.
Ultimately though, I am not sure how much of this really moves the needle, as most people already know who they are voting for. At thi point it will boil down to voter stamina…If the left shows up like they did 2020, Trump will lose. If they don’t, he wins…
And we better hope he wins…