Ok fine, you’ve convinced me to watch the debate 🙄 Schmidt’s evaluation makes a lot of sense. I am most interested in seeing how Trump does with a mic that forces him not to ramble.
That is what is convincing me to watch as well. No crowd, no interrupting. I wonder if he’ll sound as off as he does when you try to read transcripts of his speeches or if his points will be more coherent.
“ The alpha always defeats the beta. Always.” This statement really bothers me. I can’t put my finger on it, but it just feels wrong. An ever-increasing standard for the beta will land us with an authoritarian, no?
I struggled with that as well. I don't consider a bully and a name caller an Alpha. I think the first question should be "Do you accept the results of the 2020 election and will you accept the results of the 2024 election. Answering no to those two questions is saying that Democracy and the Constitution do not matter to me.
I’m already decided on voting for Biden. Nothing will change my mind but I am curious how Trump will handle the mic. I will be too nervous to watch in real time so I’d love to get updates from you ❤️
Yes to real time debates here instead of Instagram! They will be so much easier to read and sort through here, in my opinion. I plan an watching it all live, but you often have insights that I wouldn't have otherwise, and I appreciate that important contribution! Thanks for offering <3
Usually going into debates I have been a casual watcher. I have always voted one party. And in reality the other party winning has never affected me one way or the other . This time I am anxious as I want Biden to come out on top not because of the party he represents but because of the consequences for so many groups of people.
Yes do live updates… either platform is good ! I love to read your input to see if what I hear is what I thought I heard!
I won’t be watching. We already have a huge body of evidence showing each candidate’s fitness for office, or lack thereof. The “debates” for each of the last few presidential election cycles have been almost worse than useless. When one candidate consistently lies about his record, history and reality there is no debate format that allows the time or mechanisms for realtime fact checking, especially, as Sharon explained, when the moderators are fixated on their next questions or topics they need to get to. If we ever get back to two or more candidates actually debating and discussing, in a civil, truthful manner, differences and nuances in policies and the ways in which each would tackle the problems we face, it probably won’t get great ratings but I’ll be watching.
We're making the debate a family event (as we did with the recent Republican debates and the State of the Union) with patriotic themed snacks and Debate BINGO. I'm pumped and more than a little anxious.
I'd be interested to hear how recent presidential debates compare with high school debates. I recently heard a bit of a debate championship (https://opentodebate.org/debate/young-voices-debate-tough-topics-dei-and-climate-change/), and the arguments were concise, passionate, and about topics, not opponents. These young people made me consider their positions by the force of their arguments, not the size of their personalities.
Who would you say was the last great debater of the modern age?
The best (and least inflammatory) version I saw from a quick online search was from USA Today. They have 4 different cards that you can print out and play with others.
Yes, please do a real time update.! My 18 yo daughter and I will be watching together, but would love your insight as well. This is her first election, and boy oh boy, it's a big one. She will (hopefully) never face an election like this again, and I am doing my best to guide her to reliable sources of neutral information, and watch while she makes her decision. As a GenXer, we were raised being told what our political beliefs were and I refuse to pass that tradition on to the next generation.
I’ll follow along wherever you post! I’m really hopeful that this debate won’t be a hot mess because of the steps they have taken to minimize disruption, but I’m not sure that I can watch in real time.
I will be watching live, but it won't impact my vote one tiny bit. I guess that should not be a surprise. I am here, reading and interacting with a political newsletter every day. I will be interested to see the tangents from both candidates. Hopefully, they won't get to veer far into them, but the things both candidates want to scream into the debate are the REAL things they care about. I wonder how many times we will hear about Hunter Biden. Or 34 felonies. Or cocaine. Or immigrants, all being rapists or murderers. I need to stop because I am on the cusp of talking myself out of watching!
I really do appreciate your real time debate updates. You bring clarity to the insanity. I appt the time and effort it takes for you to put this together. Thank you
Yes please to real time debate updates on substack!!
Ok fine, you’ve convinced me to watch the debate 🙄 Schmidt’s evaluation makes a lot of sense. I am most interested in seeing how Trump does with a mic that forces him not to ramble.
That is what is convincing me to watch as well. No crowd, no interrupting. I wonder if he’ll sound as off as he does when you try to read transcripts of his speeches or if his points will be more coherent.
“ The alpha always defeats the beta. Always.” This statement really bothers me. I can’t put my finger on it, but it just feels wrong. An ever-increasing standard for the beta will land us with an authoritarian, no?
To me it also speaks to one of the reasons the US has a hard time electing women to the presidency.
I suppose the core issue is how Americans define strength.
Exactly. There is a sizable percentage that views it as hypermasculine.
I struggled with that as well. I don't consider a bully and a name caller an Alpha. I think the first question should be "Do you accept the results of the 2020 election and will you accept the results of the 2024 election. Answering no to those two questions is saying that Democracy and the Constitution do not matter to me.
I’m already decided on voting for Biden. Nothing will change my mind but I am curious how Trump will handle the mic. I will be too nervous to watch in real time so I’d love to get updates from you ❤️
Yes to real time debates here instead of Instagram! They will be so much easier to read and sort through here, in my opinion. I plan an watching it all live, but you often have insights that I wouldn't have otherwise, and I appreciate that important contribution! Thanks for offering <3
Usually going into debates I have been a casual watcher. I have always voted one party. And in reality the other party winning has never affected me one way or the other . This time I am anxious as I want Biden to come out on top not because of the party he represents but because of the consequences for so many groups of people.
Yes do live updates… either platform is good ! I love to read your input to see if what I hear is what I thought I heard!
Thank you for realizing what is at stake here.
I won’t be watching. We already have a huge body of evidence showing each candidate’s fitness for office, or lack thereof. The “debates” for each of the last few presidential election cycles have been almost worse than useless. When one candidate consistently lies about his record, history and reality there is no debate format that allows the time or mechanisms for realtime fact checking, especially, as Sharon explained, when the moderators are fixated on their next questions or topics they need to get to. If we ever get back to two or more candidates actually debating and discussing, in a civil, truthful manner, differences and nuances in policies and the ways in which each would tackle the problems we face, it probably won’t get great ratings but I’ll be watching.
I love the idea of a real time fact check, or at the very least a non-partisan fact check the day after.
YES! My feelings exactly.
We're making the debate a family event (as we did with the recent Republican debates and the State of the Union) with patriotic themed snacks and Debate BINGO. I'm pumped and more than a little anxious.
I'd be interested to hear how recent presidential debates compare with high school debates. I recently heard a bit of a debate championship (https://opentodebate.org/debate/young-voices-debate-tough-topics-dei-and-climate-change/), and the arguments were concise, passionate, and about topics, not opponents. These young people made me consider their positions by the force of their arguments, not the size of their personalities.
Who would you say was the last great debater of the modern age?
I love the family debate party idea! I should do that.
It's a blast! And all credit should go to my wife Audrey Wurth. She hosts one heck of a party!
Can you share your debate bingo game? I'd love to do that!
The best (and least inflammatory) version I saw from a quick online search was from USA Today. They have 4 different cards that you can print out and play with others.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/06/25/presidential-debate-bingo-card-2024-trump-biden/74171418007/
I'm still "debating" whether I will watch so I would love real time updates from you in case I chicken out. One of them gives me agida.
Yes, please provide live debate updates.
Yes, please do a real time update.! My 18 yo daughter and I will be watching together, but would love your insight as well. This is her first election, and boy oh boy, it's a big one. She will (hopefully) never face an election like this again, and I am doing my best to guide her to reliable sources of neutral information, and watch while she makes her decision. As a GenXer, we were raised being told what our political beliefs were and I refuse to pass that tradition on to the next generation.
I’ll follow along wherever you post! I’m really hopeful that this debate won’t be a hot mess because of the steps they have taken to minimize disruption, but I’m not sure that I can watch in real time.
Yes, please, live debate updates! Especially helpful would be real-time fact checking!
YES. Please update us real time on Substack. I know I’ll miss nuance while watching it that you’ll be able to give much more depth on!
I will be watching live, but it won't impact my vote one tiny bit. I guess that should not be a surprise. I am here, reading and interacting with a political newsletter every day. I will be interested to see the tangents from both candidates. Hopefully, they won't get to veer far into them, but the things both candidates want to scream into the debate are the REAL things they care about. I wonder how many times we will hear about Hunter Biden. Or 34 felonies. Or cocaine. Or immigrants, all being rapists or murderers. I need to stop because I am on the cusp of talking myself out of watching!
I really do appreciate your real time debate updates. You bring clarity to the insanity. I appt the time and effort it takes for you to put this together. Thank you