They do matter because a debate can show a lot more than just answers. For example, I think for a lot of folks, the lowest point was when they started arguing about fucking golf. It showed pretty much everyone that these guys are both just utterly divorced from the real problems facing Americans. Most everyone I know IRL was just disgusted with both candidates by that moment. That nobody cared Trump lied isn’t a surprise. It’d be like being surprised that the sun rose in the east. It’s what Trump does, he’s a bullshit artist and everyone knows it, even the people who vote for him. That debate didn’t really change anyone’s evaluation of Trump. What was a surprise was Joe coming on the stage and just being an unintelligible mess. He did kind of get it together in the back half, but by then, the damage was done. That debate did change plenty of people’s evaluation of Biden, myself included.
the lowest point was when they started arguing about golf. It showed everyone that these guys are both utterly divorced from the real problems facing Americans.
You mean the short back and forth at the end of the 1 hour 30min debate where Joe Biden had clearly outlined the issues facing Americans, what he has already done and what he plans to solve them. Oh yeah a little back and forth of Joe insulting trump definitely invalidates his entire debate because it exposes that he is rich enough to play golf?? Did you just learn in that moment that Joe Biden was an elite class white boomer?
When I read stuff like this I wonder if you watched the debate or you only saw a clip with some republican opinion posted above it.
I watched the whole thing, facepalming the whole way through because it was the most disastrously bad debate performance I’d ever seen, and I’ve been watching since Kerry/Bush. Look you don’t have to defend Joe’s honor anymore, he already backed out. And yeah, it was basically like watching the candidates argue over who had a better sports car or greener lawn; it didn’t invalidate anything as much as show just how disconnected both of them are from our concerns.
He wasn’t a charismatic superstar but I genuinely don’t understand how you could watch the whole debate and think Biden looked worse or that both were equally bad. I believe you when you say you watched the entire debate. I just struggle to understand how any sentient person comes to that conclusion. Trump was making the most insanely obvious fake claims and rewriting history to fit whatever narrative he decided to ramble on. While Biden was responding to every question with thought out answers and relevant policy to address the issue.
