TomCat is busy with personal business today and tomorrow so I thought I would, in his absence, bring you the final presidential debate of 2020 and some commentary.
I must have been demented at the time, but I managed to sit through the 90 plus minutes of the second (some say the third, but the originally scheduled second debate was cancelled because of Trump’s dance with COVID-19) presidential debate. If you have not already seen it, here it is in its entirety.
I have to admit that for the first 30 minutes or so, either the mute button worked wonders or Trump restrained himself. I think it was the former. Trump has no understanding of restraining himself. After that point, the gloves came off, albeit he was not the raving lunatic pugilist that I saw in the first debate. NBC’s Kristen Welker did a great job moderating but I think at times it was a challenge.
Following is a fact check of the debate by Canadian journalist Daniel Dale who now works for CNN. I just had to get that “Canadian plug” in! As Dale said, from a fact checker’s point of view there was a lot more fact checking required than in the first debate, and mostly of Trump but Biden did make some errors.
From DC Report.org
Basically, what we got in a calmer debate was a collision of visions. Trump sees a business-dominant America, even in a pandemic, with fewer federal programs and individual responsibility to take care of oneself—except for areas where he has an interest like abortion. Biden embraces bigger government services, healthcare, environment and caring for the vulnerable. …
Trump likely did not persuade new voters. Biden may have done so, but certainly did not lose any.
The hard part was sitting still while they went at it, trying to remember that Hunter Biden isn’t running against Xi Jinping for U.S. president. At some points, you wondered whether they could agree on what color the stage was.
The “funniest” line came from Trump and it just shows how addled he is: from TPM (read the whole article if you can)
“I take full responsibility,” Trump said, before quickly adding: “It’s not my fault it came here. It’s China’s fault.”
An inukshuk 
(what some refer to as a pile of rocks) has more brains than Trump! An inukshuk has great meaning and use. Trump does not!
Personally, I think Biden was stronger, but then he did not have as much to prove as did Trump. As I said in Squatch’s Open Thread 09 October 2020:
The late John Turner, the 17th Prime Minister of Canada and a Liberal, who died two weeks ago at age 91 said “Democracy does not happen by accident. Become involved! Get out there! Give something back!” That is the only way Trump and Republicans will be defeated.
Vote like your life depends on it, because it does!
My final words,
Vote Blue No Matter Who Top to Bottom!!!
12 Responses to “The Second Presidential Debate 2020”
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Thank you so much! You covered the words while I covered the “music.” Together I think we got a good and complete picture.
I didn’t even know you had done a piece but looking at the time stamps, there are about 20 minutes in between the 2 articles. Of course it takes more than 20 minutes to put up an article, even for the great one
!!!
Also, the perspective of your article is different and very interesting.
I don’t know if everyone knows that the time stamp changes every time one re-saves the draft. If one doesn’t, the time stamp may be older than one actually put it up. I know I re-saved mine just before posting (so I know that that is in fact when it posted), but I don’t know about anyone else – not being psychic.
My wife and I voted early on the 15th. Vote Blue of course!
Way to go Robert! BC is having a provincial election today and I voted on the first day of early voting, 15 Oct 20.
Great feeling getting it done isn’t it!!!
Thanks, Lynn, this added some additional useful information to Joannes post, serial deliberate dishonesty the best description of anything that came out of Trump’s frontal sphincter.
“Trump’s frontal sphincter” — That’s good one! I like it!
Wonderful Job, Squatch!
TYVM Great One!
I was hoping that you might lend us some of your observations and expertise!
Great one? You have me turning around to look!
Read last night that we are seeing record military and overseas voting metrics (registration, ballot requests and returns)–with typical reason being this is an election that affects the whole world in a major way.
Thanks Lynn.
I heard about a week ago or so that there was a big push in Canada to get eligible expats etc to vote. I don’t know how many US expats are here, but apparently it was deemed a good move and could make a difference in some races. I had the impression that it was Democrats making the push.