Republicans fret over Trump's self-inflicted blows at first debate

[mystery-ak]

Republicans fret over Trump's self-inflicted blows at first debate
By Jonathan Easley and Morgan Chalfant - 09/30/20 01:17 PM EDT

Republicans say President Trump missed a golden opportunity to change the course of the presidential election at this week’s debate, heightening pressure on the incumbent to radically alter his strategy and style in the final stretch to appeal to the independents and women he'll need to win over if he hopes to secure a second term.

They say the game-changing moments were there for the taking but Trump's aggressive posturing got the best of him. The debate effectively collapsed around Trump’s crosstalk, which was a huge turnoff to many viewers at a time when the president is desperately trying to make up ground in key battleground states.

That’s deeply frustrating for Republicans, who believe Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would have looked rambling and been prone to more mistakes if Trump would only have allowed him to carry on.


Instead, with only 34 days to go before the election, the president is dealing with yet another racial controversy over his refusal to condemn white supremacists on the biggest stage imaginable.

The president will campaign in Minnesota on Wednesday night as he seeks to rebound. The North Star State is one of a handful carried by Hillary Clinton in 2016 that the Trump campaign hopes to flip in 2020.

But Minnesota Republicans say the president’s best opportunity to keep the pressure on Biden in the traditionally blue state may have slipped through his fingers amid the shouting and name-calling at Tuesday night’s debate.

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/518968-republicans-fret-over-trumps-self-inflicted-blows-at-first-debate

[mystery-ak]

That’s deeply frustrating for Republicans, who believe Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would have looked rambling and been prone to more mistakes if Trump would only have allowed him to carry on.

Rush is saying the same thing..

[dfwgator]

Reagan had a bad night his first debate with Mondale. It's not unusual for the first debate for the sitting President to go wrong.

But at least with some coaching and constructive criticism, Trump's problems are fixable.  Biden's aren't.

[RedHead]

Rush is saying the same thing..

That might well have been what happens.  Maybe they'll try that during the second debate.  If there is a second debate.

[240B]

The worst blow to Trump came from Chris Wallace.
When Wallace said to Trump, "Will you tell all your White Supremacist friends to stand down?"
All Trump had to say is, 'I don't know any White Supremacist groups. Will Biden tell Antifa/BLM to stand down?'
Instead he fell right into the trap and named 'Proud Boys' as a supremacist hate group.
This was Trump's biggest failure and it came from Wallace, not from Biden.

[RedHead]

Reagan had a bad night his first debate with Mondale. It's not unusual for the first debate for the sitting President to go wrong.

Reagan was in much better shape in the polls than Trump is.  And his first debate was nowhere near the dumpster fire that last night was.

[240B]

That might well have been what happens.  Maybe they'll try that during the second debate.  If there is a second debate.

There likely will not be another debate.
Liberals see Trump as wounded.
They do not want to give him a chance to correct himself.

[Right_in_Virginia]

The worst blow to Trump came from Chris Wallace.
When Wallace said to Trump, "Will you tell all your White Supremacist friends to stand down?" All Trump had to say is, 'I don't know any White Supremacist groups. Will Biden tell Antifa/BLM to stand down?' Instead he fell right into the trap and named 'Proud Boys' as a supremacist hate group. This was Trump's biggest failure and it came from Wallace, not from Biden.

Ben Shapiro
@benshapiro

Donald Trump has, in fact, condemned white supremacy repeatedly. In the exchange everyone is quoting from last night, he repeatedly said he was willing to do so. The fact that this has been obscured is journalistic malpractice.

1:58 PM · Sep 30, 2020·Sprout Social

https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman/status/1311364814049021952[/quote]

[Jazzhead]

For me,  the choice is between Trump and a third party vote for the Libertarian, Jo Jorgensen.

Trump last night reinforced all the things I dislike about the man,  including his resolute refusal to understand why so many of us cringe at his un-presidential demeanor and behavior.   He will always play only to his faction and he seems uninterested in coalition-building.

He is going to lose this election because even those of us who support his policies are fed up and frustrated.

[Right_in_Virginia]

He is going to lose this election because even those of us who support his policies are fed up and frustrated.

Then the pain you and yours experience for a generation will be self-inflicted.  The only pity is you'll take the rest of us into hell with you.

You get zero virtue signaling points for this.

[dfwgator]

That might well have been what happens.  Maybe they'll try that during the second debate.  If there is a second debate.

Biden has already committed to the last two debates, he can't back down now.

[Jazzhead]

Then the pain you and yours experience for a generation will be self-inflicted.  The only pity is you'll take the rest of us into hell with you.

You get zero virtue signaling points for this.

It is not " virtue signaling" to ask that a politician earn my vote. 

[DCPatriot]

SCREW YOU, 'Republicans'!!

I haven't heard a peep out of the RNC regarding the outright FRAUD being hatched by this so-called "MAIL-IN" balloting.

The only voice we're hearing is from POTUS.

Get your sissy heads out of your smartphones and do/say something.   

[rustynail]

The FUD is strong here.

[RedHead]

Biden has already committed to the last two debates, he can't back down now.

Has Trump?

[240B]

Biden has already committed to the last two debates, he can't back down now.

Hehehe
Yea, sure. He can't back down now.
Of course he can, and he will. It all depends on what happens in the polls.

[skeeter]

For me,  the choice is between Trump and a third party vote for the Libertarian, Jo Jorgensen.

Trump last night reinforced all the things I dislike about the man,  including his resolute refusal to understand why so many of us cringe at his un-presidential demeanor and behavior.   He will always play only to his faction and he seems uninterested in coalition-building.

He is going to lose this election because even those of us who support his policies are fed up and frustrated.

So you’re not going to support him because you don’t like his style, even though you like the substance of his presidency.

This is why America is screwed. Too many people have thrown their intellect into neutral because their sensitivities have been offended.

[skeeter]

The worst blow to Trump came from Chris Wallace.
When Wallace said to Trump, "Will you tell all your White Supremacist friends to stand down?"
All Trump had to say is, 'I don't know any White Supremacist groups. Will Biden tell Antifa/BLM to stand down?'
Instead he fell right into the trap and named 'Proud Boys' as a supremacist hate group.
This was Trump's biggest failure and it came from Wallace, not from Biden.

Thats kinda what Trump said - ‘name them, what groups?’ Then he rightly went straight to ‘these riots are coming from the left’.

And it sounded to me like Biden named the Proud Boys.

[Cyber Liberty]

For me,  the choice is between Trump and a third party vote for the Libertarian, Jo Jorgensen.

Trump last night reinforced all the things I dislike about the man,  including his resolute refusal to understand why so many of us cringe at his un-presidential demeanor and behavior.   He will always play only to his faction and he seems uninterested in coalition-building.

He is going to lose this election because even those of us who support his policies are fed up and frustrated.

Thank God for your wisdom!!!



You are as wrong about this as just about any other given subject.  It's like having our very own Juan Williams.

[Absalom]

But at least with some coaching and constructive criticism, Trump's problems are fixable.
[/quote]
-------------------------------
Suggest you develop a stand up routine; you'll pack 'em in.
The only item fixable in Trump, is his hair.

[Jazzhead]

But at least with some coaching and constructive criticism, Trump's problems are fixable.

Yes,  his problems are fixable,  but after all this time,  I have my doubts he understands what the problem is.   

Marc Thiessen wrote this morning that Trump needs to focus on persuadable voters -  those who like his policies but don't like him.   I am one of those persuadable voters,  but I not if I am forced to tune out the debate after the first half hour because it plays like a badly scripted wrestling cage match.    Trump's proudly been the chaos candidate -  but right now there's just a bit too much chaos in this world.   

My vote,  and I suspect the vote of many others,  needs to be earned.    I am not just going strap on the kneepads and bib.  Trump has little more than a month left to clear what ought to be a low bar -  but he couldn't do it on Tuesday night.   Instead,  his behavior obscured the reality that Biden made it quite clear that he is unable and unwilling to stand against his party's radicalism.   Trump lost a golden opportunity to have the issues framed in his favor.       

[kevindavis007]

Yes,  his problems are fixable,  but after all this time,  I have my doubts he understands what the problem is.   

Marc Thiessen wrote this morning that Trump needs to focus on persuadable voters -  those who like his policies but don't like him.   I am one of those persuadable voters,  but I not if I am forced to tune out the debate after the first half hour because it plays like a badly scripted wrestling cage match.    Trump's proudly been the chaos candidate -  but right now there's just a bit too much chaos in this world.   

My vote,  and I suspect the vote of many others,  needs to be earned.    I am not just going strap on the kneepads and bib.  Trump has little more than a month left to clear what ought to be a low bar -  but he couldn't do it on Tuesday night.   Instead,  his behavior obscured the reality that Biden made it quite clear that he is unable and unwilling to stand against his party's radicalism.   Trump lost a golden opportunity to have the issues framed in his favor.       

But Trump won't listen.

[Hoodat]

My vote,  and I suspect the vote of many others,  needs to be earned.    I am not just going strap on the kneepads and bib.  Trump has little more than a month left to clear what ought to be a low bar -  but he couldn't do it on Tuesday night.   Instead,  his behavior obscured the reality that Biden made it quite clear that he is unable and unwilling to stand against his party's radicalism.   Trump lost a golden opportunity to have the issues framed in his favor.       

At many other junctures of his Presidency, I have questioned his actions through my own pair of glasses, only to discover much later that he ended up with the victory he needed.  I'm willing to give him a pass on this first debate knowing that there are two more to follow.  Yes, Trump does listen.  I know that personally.  But that doesn't mean he adopts your strategy.  Because in the end so far, his strategy has been pretty successful.

I remember back in 2012, Mitt Romney cleaned Baraq Obama's clock in the first debate.  But by the time the third debate ended, everyone had forgotten about that first one.  I think Trump was setting up Biden with the first one.  He clearly landed a few blows on Joe being stupid, a liar, corrupt, and inconsistent.  Biden will be obsessing about all that personal butthurt when he faces Trump in Round 2.

By election day, we'll see if Trump earned your vote.  But please keep an open mind at least through two more debates.

[Jazzhead]

Sure, @skeeter,  I'll keep an open mind.   But maybe I'll just split my votes this year and cast my mail-in ballot for Trump and my in-person ballot for Jorgensen.   

[dfwgator]

At many other junctures of his Presidency, I have questioned his actions through my own pair of glasses, only to discover much later that he ended up with the victory he needed.  I'm willing to give him a pass on this first debate knowing that there are two more to follow.  Yes, Trump does listen.  I know that personally.  But that doesn't mean he adopts your strategy.  Because in the end so far, his strategy has been pretty successful.

I remember back in 2012, Mitt Romney cleaned Baraq Obama's clock in the first debate.  But by the time the third debate ended, everyone had forgotten about that first one.  I think Trump was setting up Biden with the first one.  He clearly landed a few blows on Joe being stupid, a liar, corrupt, and inconsistent.  Biden will be obsessing about all that personal butthurt when he faces Trump in Round 2.

By election day, we'll see if Trump earned your vote.  But please keep an open mind at least through two more debates.

Don't underestimate the importance of the Pence/Harris debate,  this will be the introduction of Harris to most people.  And they realize that there's a good chance if Biden gets elected she will become POTUS.   Pence must destroy her.