The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Trump Won the Debate, But …

Posted on | October 23, 2020 | 2 Comments

BERRIEN COUNTY, Michigan
“C’mon” — Joe Biden used that seven different times during Thursday night’s debate, sometimes as “c’mon man,” other times as “c’mon, folks.”

It’s a tic, a mannerism, a habit, and you could see Biden get rattled after he made the mistake of bringing up Rudy Giuliani, which opened the door for President Trump to talk about Hunter Biden’s laptop. To this, Biden replied with his canned “Russian disinformation” response, and Trump was astonished: “You mean the laptop is now another Russia, Russia, Russia hoax? You’ve gotta be kidding. Is this where you’re going?”

Of course, Biden’s biggest error was on energy policy:

“I have never said I opposed fracking,” Biden maintained. He challenged Trump to show the tape. The moment the debate ended, Trump did just that by tweeting out video of Biden pushing for a ban on fracking on numerous occasions. Biden, who boasted “my reputation is for honor and telling the truth,” did not tell the truth here. More importantly, the energy issue revealed the extent to which the Democratic nominee embraces fringe positions.
The former vice president’s shocking statements on oil raised an important question: Is the Unabomber Joe Biden’s energy adviser?
“I would transition from the oil industry, yes,” Biden, taking the president’s bait, admitted. “The oil industry pollutes.” He argued, “It has to be replaced by renewable energy.”

No honest person could argue that Biden won the debate, and the question therefore becomes, how much of a difference will Trump’s debate victory make in the election?

Consider this: More than 50 million people have already cast their ballots in early voting; that’s about 40% of the entire vote in 2016. In other words, a substantial number of votes cannot be effected by the debate, or by anything else that happens in the final 10 days of the campaign.

What we can expect, however, is that Trump’s success in Thursday’s debate will blunt the “Landslide Joe” message from the media. Texas obviously is now safe for Trump, and Pennsylvania is still within reach. While it looks like Biden might carry Wisconsin and Michigan, if Trump can win Pennsylvania, Biden’s path to 270 becomes sketchy.

A week from now, expect to see the major polls adjust their numbers toward Trump. Predictions of Biden possibly winning Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio and Iowa were always wishful thinking, and pollsters know this. Suddenly, their forecast models will get readjusted, so that they don’t end up with egg on their faces Nov. 4.




 

Category: Debates, Election

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2 Responses to “Trump Won the Debate, But …”

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