The first presidential debate was last night and I have thoughts.
The feelings are fresh and swirling, but they are real and frantic. I’ve had no less than 4 different highly animated sprawling conversations with different friend groups, all of them stressful and handwringing.
It may be helpful to consider a few facts of what we know about the outcome of the 2024 debate #1:
- The Biden camp asked for this debate. Therefore, this was on their terms — the time, the date, the venue, the moderators. It was theirs to lose and they did.
- Biden’s age really is an issue. Though the Left has downplayed the awkward sound bites and public gaffes, his age was on full display last night and there’s no denying it. One might even say that where the plain truth of the January Sixth Insurrection was undeniable, Joe Biden’s old age was also undeniable.
- A presidential candidate’s main job is communication. Even for an incumbent, while their day-to-day job is about decision-making, as a candidate they are to get out a message. And the message opportunities were lost. Joe had one job last night: assuage the fears of his Democrat coalition that he really is the right choice. He didn’t do that.
- And yet! Trump remains Trump. He’s just as dangerous now as he was before the debate. He even outlined his danger in his answers last night. He cannot be our next president for his obvious threat to American democracy.
- Constituents are going to vote for their candidate no matter what. If the myriad indictments and convictions and scandals have shown us anything, it’s that Trump voters will not change their mind about Trump’s viability. And in the next 48 hours, Biden voters will show just how deeply committed they are to this candidate.
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