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The reporters sensed it instantly. Even though the 90-minute debate was only seconds old, they felt it was already over… He had not been warm. He had not been likable. He had not shown emotion. He had merely shown principle.
In 1988 Michael Dukakis had his campaign torpedoed by poor debate performance when asked ambushed with a hard gotcha question.
Another candidate might have survived that first question and answer. But not Dukakis. It devastated him because his coldness was already an issue.
And it is the same with Biden. The biggest anxiety of both his supporters and haters was demonstrated on national television. How do I defend that when arguing with people about who to vote for in the election?
Agreed. But it gets real hard really fast to convince people that Biden is the only real choice, when your argument becomes “Not Trump”.
If this was the first time this had happened, it could potentially be played off “He’s campaigning hard and worn down” “There was an unexpected interaction with his prescriptions that caused it”