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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 24, 2024

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You say that — and I don’t doubt that’s how it came across (not watching the debate). But I’m also seeing on /r/politics, threads, etc that Biden partisans are crowing about some apparent Trump gaffes.

So my feeling here is, baring one of them having a complete meltdown, it’s pretty much all ready priced in that both are going to produce some cringeworthy takes the other side can point to but on the whole it’s very likely not gonna move the needle one way or the other.

EDIT: actually I take this back. Even some of the most mind killed democrat partisans i follow on X are saying this is really bad for Biden. I still can’t bring myself to watch but I’ll take their word for it.

EDIT: actually I take this back. Even some of the most mind killed democrat partisans i follow on X are saying this is really bad for Biden. I still can’t bring myself to watch but I’ll take their word for it.

People I watched it with mostly ranted about how Trump was lying, there should be fact checking, etc.

But man, Biden was bad. Democrats could have gone with literally anybody and it would have been orders of magnitude better. I don't see how anybody can watch that and come away claiming that Biden 'won' the debate.

I just checked CNN to see what the fuss was about and their talking heads were discussing whether Biden will step down as a nominee after this. If CNN isn’t even trying to spin it as a Biden win…well, it must have been a bloodbath.

EDIT: Correction, I was watching NBC, which is even worse for the Democrats.

CNN went full hyperventilating nerd.

Van Jones was crying.

The stupid things that Trump is saying are exactly the same things that he has been saying for the last 4-10 years. Biden did not look or sound this bad in 2020. I went back and checked. Trump looks and sounds exactly like he did in 2020.

Trump also has the 'advantage' that for many his skeptics, his brain getting eaten by RFK's worm is not necessarily worse. Trump being moderated by his staff versus Biden moderating his staff sorta thing.

He looks and sounds the same, but I feel like he was more coherent back then. Now it feels like i'm listening to an AI bot that randomly strings together some of Trump's catchphrases- "failing magazine! best economy, maybe ever! i'll solve it all immediately by making a deal!" without even an attempt at logic.

He missed multiple chances to really hammer Biden on specific lies (e.g. he could have used Snopes' debunking of the "very fine people" thing better here - just ask people to Google it!).

He's a bit lost in space too, he just has a functioning tether.

The most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.

The debate, I mean.

It's somehow better than 2020 with the changes to the structure so Trump can't interrupt Biden every 2 minutes like a five year old.

So probably second most embarrassing moment of our country...it's shameful that this is what the rest of the world will see.

The moderation and format were both excellent, I felt. I think leaving fact checking and challenges to the media afterward, or the candidate on-stage, is the better way to go, and I felt each candidate had plenty of time to make their case.

I agree, I think this format worked well and should be the standard going forward. Kudos to CNN for not thinking that people shouting over each other = interesting.

I mean it seemed like a really well run debate by... recent western world standards. The participants were a big problem, but I don't think we can (directly) put that on CNN!

Don't worry, November 5th is likely to supersede it.