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Virginia Traxler's avatar

An excellent rendition of what happened and argument for not going off the rails. I’ve been a Democrat all my life, and we seem to have a penchant for hand wringing and hysteria that isn’t helpful. Your calm is steadying and well reasoned. Thank you!

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Marcy Russell's avatar

That so- called debate didn’t do a thing for my insomnia. Trump, not unexpectedly, was his usual bag of lies. Substance and policy mean squat to him and by extension his minions. Real- time fact checks and moderators who did little more than cue when to cut mics would certainly have helped viewers who tuned in and who might, for whatever-godforsaken reason, still be considering him. He’s a convicted felon who honestly would have more convictions racked up by now if he hadn’t succeeded in court stacking and dragging out legal decisions.

But Trump aside…..what the hell? Biden’s performance was abysmal. I always cut him slack for the stutter and for a grueling professional pace that ages and wears on EVERY President, plus he has the burden of personal family dramas and tragedies. All of that would choke a horse. But…I’m just gobsmacked by the sheer awfulness of the presentation, the optics, the several gaffes honestly, and yet a couple hours before he was on the street engaging with folks on his arrival and the following day he was full- throated at a live rally. What the hell? Did Biden have a cold? I don’t know. Maybe. If so, I’d advise pulling back on the Benedryl. His make up was also horrid as was his body language. I do agree that he was WAAAAAY over- prepped. His focus, should he go forward, needs to be pared down to something akin to FDR’s Four Freedoms speech. I suggest Freedom from Want (ex. economic points). Freedom from Ignorance (ex. Critical thinking and access to free press). Freedom from Oppression (ex. abortion rights, civil rights, democratic principles vs authoritarian). Freedom from Fear (ex. existential threat of climate change, virtues of immigration, sensible gun laws). Yeah, that’s a lot, but if he doesn’t get a load of stats crammed into his head and can just paint in broader brushstrokes of Protecting Your Freedoms, then let the surrogates do the details.

Just my thoughts. It’s nearly 5 AM and I’m fairly freaked out here.

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