My housemate and I are going to have a drinking game while watching the debate, taking a drink any time specific words or phrases get used by Trump. Immigrant tops the list I’m compiling, a double if crime is used in the same sentence. Witch hunt is another as is weaponization of the justice department. A bonus drink if either of them says shark. I’m hoping Dark Brandon will throw in shark somewhere with a sly grin. I welcome other suggestions…
Great idea! Other words to look for include: rigged, Biden Crime Family, crooked, windmills, water, failing, and the ever-popular: "We're working on a plan for that. It will be a beautiful plan. The most beautiful plan. You'll see it in two weeks."
I hope Biden calls him on his "plan in 2 weeks" BS. Better yet, has a list of them that he can rattle off, and point out that ZERO of them materialized, "you were lying then, are you lying now?"
It always brings to my mind the scene in Total Recall where Arnold Schwarzenegger's character is going through customs after arriving on Mars. Too bad Donald's head never explodes after he says "two weeks" though.
The brilliant Keith Knight (of "Knight Life", (th)ink, and KChronicles cartoons, Hulu's "Woke" fame and more, to many of us, known for his superb talks about racism that encourage civil dialogue using his comics to illustrate) did a great postcard and poster for the last election. (See the Voter Suppression game postcard here from Syracuse Cultural Workers https://syracuseculturalworkers.com/collections/postcards/products/postcard-voter-suppression-bingo?variant=40401790501061) that lends itself to your drinking game albeit as a bingo-like game. I'm hoping he does more for this election. Let us know how your game goes. I may watch with captions and not listen to voices tho' I can't decide if body language or words from the dictator-wannabe is more offensive.
I was going to suggest taking a drink every time he comes out with an incoherent sentence, but then realised that as a doctor I really cannot encourage someone to wreak that kind of havoc upon their liver.
Down is up and up is down continues to be the game plan of the Republican Party today. This is the chaos piece of taking over a Country.
I have a gut feeling I can't shake. There is a massive bloc of voters right now who are so sick of all of this. They realize who and which Party are the sane, productive one. These voters are outraged that trump, Leo Leonard and Harlan Crow, Heritage Society and many other far right entities think they can walk in and take our Democracy.
We have a fight on our hands for sure. In the end we will prevail.
Well, as a male what they also need is a good kick in the n***..
Also, may I ask if it's just me, that any women for Trump people I know have a Maga male/religious right male in their lives who heavily influences them? My late brother in law was Fox news 24/7, just as Trump was ramping up to run in 2015 and I couldn't recognize my sister in many ways on her views. He passed away and she is gradually more like her old bossy eldest sibling self. It might be just something I see.
I’m so grateful I divorced my right wing ex … I found who I was away from him AND have a relationship with both adult kids. He’s missing out on his own kids.
As are the media ignoring our voting power. That's fine. We came out of the shadows in the 2022 Midterms to stop the "red tsunami" cold. I firmly believe there are good people everywhere who love our Democracy and everything that means.
So long as they turn up and vote (for Biden and EVERY Democrat on the ballot), wonderful. If instead they throw up their hands because they've decided that the system is irretrievably f*cked, and stay home for the election, we're doomed.
I'm wondering how many people will actually watch the debate. MAGAts probably won't and wouldn't believe their own eyes even if they do. A lot of Biden supporters may not bother because we already know who to vote for (just like the MAGAts may not bother for same reason) and we can't stand listening to TFG. Many may wait for the analysis from excellent sources like Jay, HCR, etc. I want to see Biden prevail and Trump melt down but don't know if I can stomach actually watching for 90 minutes. Anybody else feel the same?
I wish Jay would live blog it, but I don't want to encroach on his already busy days. Either way, I'm not watching it live. The Convict in Chief literally makes me ill.
I would rather (inset horrible thing here) than listen to Convicted Felon Trump on purpose but I really want to see him implode on live TV.
He is under the control of a silenced mike when all he wants to do is interrupt, he'll have no teleprompter (not that it ever helps him), his handlers can't spin or edit live action, he'll have no live audience to worship him, and no one will be able to interpret or justify what he says in real time like they can with videos and print articles.
While I think it's awful to make fun of someone with dementia or disabilities he and his handlers have opened him up to brutal mocking because he is unable to speak with any kind of normalcy.
There's no way he will come off looking good in any way.
He is a deeply flawed and incompetent person who is in way over his head.
I figure if he has those horrible moments, I can watch them on recorded video. I don't really understand why his minions have let him get even this far. I'll be truly shocked if these debates happen. He's incoherent on his best days.
Agreed. It's like being on a highway in a long line of traffic due to an accident; you've seen a Life Star helicopter arrive and leave so you know it's bad. You know you shouldn't look as you pass. But 99% of the time we look. It's only human to "have" to see a disaster.
Personally I think it is dangerous to assume he will implode... Granted there are very few times where he is under control, but eventually at his recent trial he managed to behave after believing the judge WOULD lock him up otherwise. I suspect he may have been sedated, and they could do it again. He has also had one or two instances of almost "normal" behaviour in the past, and with all the talk about him being unhinged & vomiting irrational word-salads of late, just being calm-adjacent would be in his favour. Just like with all the right wing talk of Pres Biden being "sleepy" & suffering from dementia means that coming across as sharp and onto it is a low bar to clear for him. Personally all the unending hype leading up to this drowns out other important & consequential things happening. I only read THIS one because Jay is so good about explaining stuff that I might have missed!
My plan was to watch it muted when TFG speaks because I can't stand hearing his voice. I am also not big on watching Biden speak because although I am rooting for him I am too anxious that he might have a foot in mouth moment. This is all very stressful. So now I am trending to taping it, reading the analysis and then maybe go through it to the interesting parts.
Remember, like it or not, Biden is a life-long politician. He is good at this stuff. He's spoken on the Senate floor for decades. He just travelled the world meeting all kinds of leaders and putting our interests first. I didn't hear of any embarrassment.
Donald Trump is none of these things and without a teleprompter, he will be winging it which is never good for him.
I've said to my friends it's a tossup between watching the debate and poking my eyes out with a rusty fork. Maybe I'll watch it with the sound off and closed captioning.
I definitely want to see this and I’m 100% Biden. I want to see him make Trump look more foolish than he normally looks in public, BUT, as usual any MAGAats watching wouldn’t care, even if Trump was missing words and calling Biden Hillary. I have a feeling Trump is not going to show though. He’s a chicken and doesn’t want to give Biden the opportunity to show his intelligence.
I will likely watch, even though I consistently mute my TV when the orange buffoon is on, but I am curious to see how he handles having his mic cut every time he tries to blither on and on.
Please, not a "debate", but a uniquely American form of political theater, where "spin rooms" feed reporters and their audiences "analyses" of why their candidate "won" and the other guy "lost".
And in turn the MSM will critique who looked "presidential" and who lacked such subjective "qualities".
My wife and I will be streaming our favorite Euro mysteries on MHZ rather than wasting our time watching yet another tiresome vaudeville revival.
I worked for PBS as a Master Control Operator, and our station had"British Night" where all of these shows were aired. That was always my favorite night to work I loved Foyle's War.
I agree...it will be an entire festival of "cringiness". Still, I will try to tune in for as long as I can stand the Melon Felon's whining nasal voice.
True. My wife simply can’t stand to hear his obnoxious voice *nor* anyone impersonating him (I’m a big watcher of the opening monologues of Colbert, Kimmel, and Meyers the next day on YouTube). Well listen as long as we can, then read all the recaps on Substack the following few days….
Oh thanks, @Lance Khrome - we thought we were being not as attentive as we should as we planned our Thurs. viewing on a different streaming option tho' with the same genre in mind.
My husband's watching women's basketball. But if Kuo and/or Borowitz live blog it, I could maybe stomach it, even if I normally eschew watching or reading about the former president any time or anyplace.
👍💯👏 Thanks! I watch from overseas & agree that this does not qualify as a "debate" in any decade I have personally lived through 😜 I am considering following The Borowitz Report live-chat as Andy does have a unique way of making these things entertaining in spite of being otherwise a "must avoid" 🤷
I realized as I was reading this how predictive Trump’s playbook is - and how winning. Every article about the debate is about Trump, not Biden, and whatever the outcome, every article will be about Trump, not Biden. His base will love him and continue to see him as victim, martyr and savior and the rest of us will continue to wonder why he ignores facts, etc etc. I think his strategy is very sound and successful, which is heartbreaking. My respect for Biden is so strong; I wish he got the coverage he deserves.
Secret ear-piece relaying instructions, CNN giving Biden the questions in advance but not giving them to Trump, etc. Pretty sure Trump leveled all these accusations in 2020
President Biden should leave a urine sample immediately before the debate. The convicted felon should be invited to do the same. The samples should be labeled do that the lab doesn’t know whose is whose. Test for drugs. Report the findings. I’m betting the President’s would be sparkly clean and the convicted felon’s not. But this is just a fantasy because there is no way CFT would agree to it.
Unless being seen doing it, I don't trust that he'd not provide a sample from .. well, not one of his sons other than the youngest who may not be on drugs.
Having said he would debate Biden any place, anywhere, Trump’s pulling out now would probably be a fatal error, because no matter what the rationalizations are, he will be seen as a liar and even worse, a coward.
😱 O no! Not a "liar" and a "coward" 😱 Rational people already see him like that, and his base already ignores all the evidence 🤔 Big gamble either way IMHO - have a bad performance & generate a lot of video clips to be re-played or pull out & generate a lot of video clips about the "anytime, any place" boast 🤷 OR turn up and stay calm & vaguely coherent and avoid both scenarios?
No matter how he plays the results, Trump will have exposed himself to viewers and, as witnessed last weekend's campaign speeches, it will not be a pretty sight.
Yes, and to whom will it matter most? Who ARE the "undecideds" if they don't already observe all the impossibly frightening words from his mouth and more, if they are not reading even appropriate commentary about Project 2025? The June issue of The Nation magazine has superb essays about "2025" and Steve Brodner's Substack, "The Greater Quiet", is showcasing it with commentary and his superb illustrations. One edition: https://stevebrodner.substack.com/p/project-2025-vought-with-peril
it’s very hard to win a defamation suit if you’re a big public figure because of the broad protections in New York Times v. Sullivan. And he has another protection within the Speech or Debate clause. That suit can’t really ever be brought.
Well, yes, but that's why I raise libel per se. The requirement for malice is tied to intent. With libel per se, if you accuse someone of having the plague, there is no need to prove intent. As for speech and debate, Jackson didn't say it on the floor of Congress but in a podcast. Just like Trump claiming his coup attempt or extortion of Zelensky were in furtherance of National interests, this was clearly Jackson doing CAMPAIGN work, not government work.
I know it won't happen an it's a longshot, but I wish people would start pushing the envelope. Something has to be done about the rampant lying that goes on now. "More speech" to combat it is an idealistic approach, but it's just not working. No one pays attention to the followup. This is the GOP playbook now (particularly in the "impeach Biden" rhetoric. Make 100% false accusations, and don't worry if it's debunked a week later, because it's too late to suck out the poison.
Bet Melania won't even be there at the debate! The orange person must be the most reviled individual in our history at this point. Go Biden! Vote Blue!
No audience for this debate. Biden set the terms and Trump unexpectedly agreed to them so attacks on location, biased moderators, and no audience are unfounded because Trump agreed to them. Not that rules of logic or consequences apply to him.
No audience which makes it tougher for Trump because he plays best if he knows he is being applauded. And I'm guessing a ton of others will be there - advisors for both and Secret Service plus crews.
The debate will be on all the networks. I’ll be watching ABC because David Muir is my favorite newscaster. He is no nonsense, and tells it exactly as it is.
My housemate and I are going to have a drinking game while watching the debate, taking a drink any time specific words or phrases get used by Trump. Immigrant tops the list I’m compiling, a double if crime is used in the same sentence. Witch hunt is another as is weaponization of the justice department. A bonus drink if either of them says shark. I’m hoping Dark Brandon will throw in shark somewhere with a sly grin. I welcome other suggestions…
Sioux Fleming, I predict there will be at least two very inebriated debate watchers on Thursday night! 😉
Trump will mention Obama. It’s a double if he says Obama while meaning Biden.
Trump will mention Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Gotta slip in that scary bad Muslim name that (somehow) proves he's not really an American.
Just don't take a drink every time the Orange Puffy goes on a bizarre tangent. Alcohol poisoning can be very dangerous.
Snark about shark?
Great idea! Other words to look for include: rigged, Biden Crime Family, crooked, windmills, water, failing, and the ever-popular: "We're working on a plan for that. It will be a beautiful plan. The most beautiful plan. You'll see it in two weeks."
I hope Biden calls him on his "plan in 2 weeks" BS. Better yet, has a list of them that he can rattle off, and point out that ZERO of them materialized, "you were lying then, are you lying now?"
Two weeks; I didn’t make the connection before but that’s just like the movie The Money Pit. Very apropos.
It always brings to my mind the scene in Total Recall where Arnold Schwarzenegger's character is going through customs after arriving on Mars. Too bad Donald's head never explodes after he says "two weeks" though.
You're gonna need a designated driver 😁
Not to get from the couch
Pelosi and Haley
Border wall
Persecution
Drill baby drill
The brilliant Keith Knight (of "Knight Life", (th)ink, and KChronicles cartoons, Hulu's "Woke" fame and more, to many of us, known for his superb talks about racism that encourage civil dialogue using his comics to illustrate) did a great postcard and poster for the last election. (See the Voter Suppression game postcard here from Syracuse Cultural Workers https://syracuseculturalworkers.com/collections/postcards/products/postcard-voter-suppression-bingo?variant=40401790501061) that lends itself to your drinking game albeit as a bingo-like game. I'm hoping he does more for this election. Let us know how your game goes. I may watch with captions and not listen to voices tho' I can't decide if body language or words from the dictator-wannabe is more offensive.
You better find the number of your local AA meeting place , you're gonna need it
Honestly I’m more worried about nausea just from watching Trump speak for more than a short video clip.
He's enough to drive you to drink
It won’t take long for the two of you to be inebriated. Please make a video for us!
too funny!
Ooof..... I don't know..... Might want to have an ambulance on standby in case of alcohol poisoning.
I was going to suggest taking a drink every time he comes out with an incoherent sentence, but then realised that as a doctor I really cannot encourage someone to wreak that kind of havoc upon their liver.
Y'all gonna be unconscious in about 20 minutes...
I don't think you need any suggestions, it already sounds like someone if not both are going to be to drunk to find your bed. Have fun.
I hope you can handle a lot of alcohol because I think you will be drunk as a skunk half way through!
Down is up and up is down continues to be the game plan of the Republican Party today. This is the chaos piece of taking over a Country.
I have a gut feeling I can't shake. There is a massive bloc of voters right now who are so sick of all of this. They realize who and which Party are the sane, productive one. These voters are outraged that trump, Leo Leonard and Harlan Crow, Heritage Society and many other far right entities think they can walk in and take our Democracy.
We have a fight on our hands for sure. In the end we will prevail.
Especially the women. What makes these bums think they can take away abortion AND contraception? I think we'll be rising up and kicking them out.
Well, as a male what they also need is a good kick in the n***..
Also, may I ask if it's just me, that any women for Trump people I know have a Maga male/religious right male in their lives who heavily influences them? My late brother in law was Fox news 24/7, just as Trump was ramping up to run in 2015 and I couldn't recognize my sister in many ways on her views. He passed away and she is gradually more like her old bossy eldest sibling self. It might be just something I see.
I'm grateful not to know of any trumpers in my family. It's a really sad phenomenon. We're all responsible for being decent humans in the end.
I’m so grateful I divorced my right wing ex … I found who I was away from him AND have a relationship with both adult kids. He’s missing out on his own kids.
Have you seen this documentary? The story of many lives in our country over the past couple of decades.
https://www.thebrainwashingofmydad.com/
And if you aren’t familiar with Jess Piper you might find this meaningful
https://open.substack.com/pub/jesspiper/p/daddy-died-a-maga?r=2xpfg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
We are the new Dem Silent Majority. The R's won't know what hit them in November; their stubborn arrogance and hubris are stunningly myopic.
As are the media ignoring our voting power. That's fine. We came out of the shadows in the 2022 Midterms to stop the "red tsunami" cold. I firmly believe there are good people everywhere who love our Democracy and everything that means.
So long as they turn up and vote (for Biden and EVERY Democrat on the ballot), wonderful. If instead they throw up their hands because they've decided that the system is irretrievably f*cked, and stay home for the election, we're doomed.
It's up to us to get out the vote. We truly are all in this together.
This is why I have 500 postcards to write …
I'm wondering how many people will actually watch the debate. MAGAts probably won't and wouldn't believe their own eyes even if they do. A lot of Biden supporters may not bother because we already know who to vote for (just like the MAGAts may not bother for same reason) and we can't stand listening to TFG. Many may wait for the analysis from excellent sources like Jay, HCR, etc. I want to see Biden prevail and Trump melt down but don't know if I can stomach actually watching for 90 minutes. Anybody else feel the same?
I wish Jay would live blog it, but I don't want to encroach on his already busy days. Either way, I'm not watching it live. The Convict in Chief literally makes me ill.
We may live blog it from The Big Picture
Andy Borowitz was talking about doing it. I'm off to Hawaii Thursday morning and I may or may not be there in time to watch.
I would rather (inset horrible thing here) than listen to Convicted Felon Trump on purpose but I really want to see him implode on live TV.
He is under the control of a silenced mike when all he wants to do is interrupt, he'll have no teleprompter (not that it ever helps him), his handlers can't spin or edit live action, he'll have no live audience to worship him, and no one will be able to interpret or justify what he says in real time like they can with videos and print articles.
While I think it's awful to make fun of someone with dementia or disabilities he and his handlers have opened him up to brutal mocking because he is unable to speak with any kind of normalcy.
There's no way he will come off looking good in any way.
He is a deeply flawed and incompetent person who is in way over his head.
I figure if he has those horrible moments, I can watch them on recorded video. I don't really understand why his minions have let him get even this far. I'll be truly shocked if these debates happen. He's incoherent on his best days.
Agreed. It's like being on a highway in a long line of traffic due to an accident; you've seen a Life Star helicopter arrive and leave so you know it's bad. You know you shouldn't look as you pass. But 99% of the time we look. It's only human to "have" to see a disaster.
Personally I think it is dangerous to assume he will implode... Granted there are very few times where he is under control, but eventually at his recent trial he managed to behave after believing the judge WOULD lock him up otherwise. I suspect he may have been sedated, and they could do it again. He has also had one or two instances of almost "normal" behaviour in the past, and with all the talk about him being unhinged & vomiting irrational word-salads of late, just being calm-adjacent would be in his favour. Just like with all the right wing talk of Pres Biden being "sleepy" & suffering from dementia means that coming across as sharp and onto it is a low bar to clear for him. Personally all the unending hype leading up to this drowns out other important & consequential things happening. I only read THIS one because Jay is so good about explaining stuff that I might have missed!
I think Andy Borowitz is live-blogging it
Yes, he is.
You can hit the mute button when Dumbass Donny is bleating his BS.
I agree I can't stand to listen to the melon felon BUT The Borowitz Report is chatting live, so I may follow that with the sound off on the TV 😁
My plan was to watch it muted when TFG speaks because I can't stand hearing his voice. I am also not big on watching Biden speak because although I am rooting for him I am too anxious that he might have a foot in mouth moment. This is all very stressful. So now I am trending to taping it, reading the analysis and then maybe go through it to the interesting parts.
Remember, like it or not, Biden is a life-long politician. He is good at this stuff. He's spoken on the Senate floor for decades. He just travelled the world meeting all kinds of leaders and putting our interests first. I didn't hear of any embarrassment.
Donald Trump is none of these things and without a teleprompter, he will be winging it which is never good for him.
I've said to my friends it's a tossup between watching the debate and poking my eyes out with a rusty fork. Maybe I'll watch it with the sound off and closed captioning.
Funny
I definitely want to see this and I’m 100% Biden. I want to see him make Trump look more foolish than he normally looks in public, BUT, as usual any MAGAats watching wouldn’t care, even if Trump was missing words and calling Biden Hillary. I have a feeling Trump is not going to show though. He’s a chicken and doesn’t want to give Biden the opportunity to show his intelligence.
I will likely watch, even though I consistently mute my TV when the orange buffoon is on, but I am curious to see how he handles having his mic cut every time he tries to blither on and on.
Chris Hayes played clips from a 2020 debate between them tonight. I want to watch what Tffg does when they cut his mic. 😁😁
Meeeeee! Seriously, I don't think I can stomach it and will wait for Jay and Dr. Heather to dissect.
If Trump is better off pulling out of a rigged debate, isn't he also better off pulling out of a rigged election?
The world would be better off if he'd pulled out of Ivana every time, IMO.
"Fred Trump should have used a condom," as Jay remarked a few weeks ago.
And his old man with his poor mother
LOL…making MAGAts sweat — by flipping tons of their logic-fail into broken-down Conestoga wagon they’re hitched to — is fun!
Please, not a "debate", but a uniquely American form of political theater, where "spin rooms" feed reporters and their audiences "analyses" of why their candidate "won" and the other guy "lost".
And in turn the MSM will critique who looked "presidential" and who lacked such subjective "qualities".
My wife and I will be streaming our favorite Euro mysteries on MHZ rather than wasting our time watching yet another tiresome vaudeville revival.
We're watching "Foyle's War" on AcornTV. Excellent series; historically based on WW2.
Binged it some years ago...a top-quality Brit production!
Agree!! Love the Brit shows.
Foyle's War, not Foley's.
Thanks -- made the correx!
I worked for PBS as a Master Control Operator, and our station had"British Night" where all of these shows were aired. That was always my favorite night to work I loved Foyle's War.
Ah, you lucky duck, Paula 🤗
You said it, Sheila! 27 years at KTEH, San Jose, CA.
Excellent choice. Perhaps we'll re-watch it. Some time ago, I bought a book that details each episode with the reality of what was portrayed.
Ah geez, Lance, you’re no fun! 🤣
Mate, neither is watching prez "debates"...on the order of colonoscopies w/o anaesthesia.
I agree...it will be an entire festival of "cringiness". Still, I will try to tune in for as long as I can stand the Melon Felon's whining nasal voice.
True. My wife simply can’t stand to hear his obnoxious voice *nor* anyone impersonating him (I’m a big watcher of the opening monologues of Colbert, Kimmel, and Meyers the next day on YouTube). Well listen as long as we can, then read all the recaps on Substack the following few days….
Oh thanks, @Lance Khrome - we thought we were being not as attentive as we should as we planned our Thurs. viewing on a different streaming option tho' with the same genre in mind.
My husband's watching women's basketball. But if Kuo and/or Borowitz live blog it, I could maybe stomach it, even if I normally eschew watching or reading about the former president any time or anyplace.
👍💯👏 Thanks! I watch from overseas & agree that this does not qualify as a "debate" in any decade I have personally lived through 😜 I am considering following The Borowitz Report live-chat as Andy does have a unique way of making these things entertaining in spite of being otherwise a "must avoid" 🤷
I realized as I was reading this how predictive Trump’s playbook is - and how winning. Every article about the debate is about Trump, not Biden, and whatever the outcome, every article will be about Trump, not Biden. His base will love him and continue to see him as victim, martyr and savior and the rest of us will continue to wonder why he ignores facts, etc etc. I think his strategy is very sound and successful, which is heartbreaking. My respect for Biden is so strong; I wish he got the coverage he deserves.
I'm baffled about how, exactly, one can "rig" a live debate? And I'm depressed that this endless clown train has not yet derailed itself.
Secret ear-piece relaying instructions, CNN giving Biden the questions in advance but not giving them to Trump, etc. Pretty sure Trump leveled all these accusations in 2020
in 2016 too--he said they gave Clinton the questions ahead of time
I honestly do not know this: Does Biden have hearing aids/aid?
They are saying that CNN shared the questions with Biden ahead of the debate.
Pikachu shocked face
🤬🤬🤬
President Biden should leave a urine sample immediately before the debate. The convicted felon should be invited to do the same. The samples should be labeled do that the lab doesn’t know whose is whose. Test for drugs. Report the findings. I’m betting the President’s would be sparkly clean and the convicted felon’s not. But this is just a fantasy because there is no way CFT would agree to it.
As far as I'm concerned, 45-34 still owes one to the probation officer in SDNY. Why they let him go without one is mystifying, to say the least.
Trump has already said "I'll piss in a cup if you do." Doesn't mean he wouldn't chicken out, but he's agreed to it in principle already.
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4738327-donald-trump-challenges-joe-biden-pre-debate-drug-test/
He also said he'd release his tax returns and the "perfect" health plan would be released "in two weeks."
Unless being seen doing it, I don't trust that he'd not provide a sample from .. well, not one of his sons other than the youngest who may not be on drugs.
Can Biden proceed to answer questions even if the other guy is a no show?
I suspect CNN would do that. If I recall correctly they did something like that for 2020 when Trump missed a debate with COVID.
Thanks, Kevin, was hoping the show continues with Joe answering questions. A real win in spotlight for best President ever.
🤞 thanks for your response
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/11/media/trump-biden-town-halls/index.html
I was wondering that too, and assuming Biden would get all the time to himself if Trump no-shows.
Having said he would debate Biden any place, anywhere, Trump’s pulling out now would probably be a fatal error, because no matter what the rationalizations are, he will be seen as a liar and even worse, a coward.
😱 O no! Not a "liar" and a "coward" 😱 Rational people already see him like that, and his base already ignores all the evidence 🤔 Big gamble either way IMHO - have a bad performance & generate a lot of video clips to be re-played or pull out & generate a lot of video clips about the "anytime, any place" boast 🤷 OR turn up and stay calm & vaguely coherent and avoid both scenarios?
Trump can't keep his shit together without a teleprompter.
Care to bet?
He won't debate Joe on Thursday.
This would be the best outcome, even though he's already said it's so rigged why bother? What a terrible way to go through life.
Is Vegas taking bets on this? I ask seriously not bec I'm betting; because I'm curious.
No matter how he plays the results, Trump will have exposed himself to viewers and, as witnessed last weekend's campaign speeches, it will not be a pretty sight.
Yes, and to whom will it matter most? Who ARE the "undecideds" if they don't already observe all the impossibly frightening words from his mouth and more, if they are not reading even appropriate commentary about Project 2025? The June issue of The Nation magazine has superb essays about "2025" and Steve Brodner's Substack, "The Greater Quiet", is showcasing it with commentary and his superb illustrations. One edition: https://stevebrodner.substack.com/p/project-2025-vought-with-peril
Biden should sue Jackson for defamation. There is actual malice - though if this is libel per se, is actual malice still required if intent is not?
it’s very hard to win a defamation suit if you’re a big public figure because of the broad protections in New York Times v. Sullivan. And he has another protection within the Speech or Debate clause. That suit can’t really ever be brought.
Well, yes, but that's why I raise libel per se. The requirement for malice is tied to intent. With libel per se, if you accuse someone of having the plague, there is no need to prove intent. As for speech and debate, Jackson didn't say it on the floor of Congress but in a podcast. Just like Trump claiming his coup attempt or extortion of Zelensky were in furtherance of National interests, this was clearly Jackson doing CAMPAIGN work, not government work.
I know it won't happen an it's a longshot, but I wish people would start pushing the envelope. Something has to be done about the rampant lying that goes on now. "More speech" to combat it is an idealistic approach, but it's just not working. No one pays attention to the followup. This is the GOP playbook now (particularly in the "impeach Biden" rhetoric. Make 100% false accusations, and don't worry if it's debunked a week later, because it's too late to suck out the poison.
Speech and Debate Clause is not applicable. His comments had nothing to do with his pursuit of legislative duties.
Ditto for GA Grand Jury referred Lindsey Graham, called him a felon, a projection that did not fall under Speech and Debate protections!
Bet Melania won't even be there at the debate! The orange person must be the most reviled individual in our history at this point. Go Biden! Vote Blue!
No audience for this debate. Biden set the terms and Trump unexpectedly agreed to them so attacks on location, biased moderators, and no audience are unfounded because Trump agreed to them. Not that rules of logic or consequences apply to him.
No audience which makes it tougher for Trump because he plays best if he knows he is being applauded. And I'm guessing a ton of others will be there - advisors for both and Secret Service plus crews.
Excellent, Jay
If Trump pulls out, he owes me the £1.99 I paid today for my month’s online subscription to CNN. 😠 Think on, Donny…!
If you subscribe to Robert Reich on Substack, he and Heather Lofthouse are doing a streaming chat thingy...
So is Andy Borowitz!
The debate will be on all the networks. I’ll be watching ABC because David Muir is my favorite newscaster. He is no nonsense, and tells it exactly as it is.
He's going to get a surety bond for the £1.99 plus interest and appeal it all the way to the Supreme Court