Thread by @SBF_FTX

1) The Debate 2020 tweet thread

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

2) NOT POLITICAL ADVICE

3) pretty sure COVID isn't the only reason they're not going to shake hands

4) talking about @JoeBiden's mental aptitude:

No one thinks he's a supergenius.

But I think some claims are pretty overblown.

Some of this, I think, is mistaking a long-repressed stutter for not having anything to say:

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

5) I really should know this, but: what's Chris Wallace's deal? (The moderator.) What are his politics? How biased is he usually?

Is he likely going to be "impartial" here, or "thesis-driven" so to speak?

6) JEEZ @realDonaldTrump really is in to superlatives.

"great" is coming out something like twice per sentence.

7) I think that Dems might be overoptimistic about fighting over the SC.

I basically don't buy the asymmetry between this and 2016, BUT I think that the fact that R held senate both times muddies the picture a lot.

Basically I think it's going to be a stalemate not a home run.

8) HOLY SHIT "I am the Democratic Party right now"

that is way more assertive than Biden normally is.

9) how do interruptions come across? Does Trump seem like he's in control or like he's a bully?

10) Wallace getting totally run over by Trump here

11) oh boy that soft trailing "good healthcare" when Trump finally gave up on interrupting was REALLY pathetic.

12) "Mr. President I am the moderator of this debate and I would like you to let me ask my question."

summary of the debate so far

13) ok Biden fucking crushed that exchange.

"Ok, I'm not going to listen to him.

...

Look, I beat Bernie Sanders."

14) "Mr President will you let him finish please?"

Biden: "He doesn't know how to do that."

15) Boy Biden's stutter *really* noticeable there. Clearly trying really hard to say "medicaid" correctly, knew it was coming up in the sentence, went 3/4 on getting the world out correctly the first time.

16) Biden really fucked that one up, you can't very visibly refuse to answer that question.

Though his last retort was good.

17) Really think Biden is going to live to regret not promising not to pack the court there.

R's are likely already spinning up attack adds that just play that on loop.

18) "weeks away from a vaccine"

if the election were more than weeks away that would not end up looking good.

19) boy this is a wacky section, two people reciting lists of PPP to prove they know what a mask is and saying they know how to do masks and the other doesn't.

20) Trump claiming @pfizer thinks vaccine will be ready in a few weeks.

@pfizer -- thoughts on that?

21) really curious how this attack on intelligence goes over with people

22) Trump claimed Biden claims more golf than him.

That's... like one of the weirdest lies he's told?

Like is there anyone in the world who thinks Biden spends more time golfing than Trump?

23) Both candidates' twitters are tweeting during the debate.

I feel like this is.... kind of breaking down the third wall? Like we're all watching them _not_ tweeting live while their twitter publishes.

So, like, it's _definitely_ a ghostwriter.

24) "The China plague" thought maybe he'd stopped calling it that, guess not

25) My best guess is that Biden's going to whiff on social distancing here -- I suspect that he's going to overestimate support for it.

Particularly Trump has the "pro-freedom" line here which is likely to play well.

26) If personalities were reversed, no chance Biden would have let Trump talk about divorce as a bad thing without pointing out Trump's history of them.

27) Biden: "You can't fix the economy until you fix the COVID crisis"

My guess is that doesn't go over well.

Generally I'd guess Biden does better here when he blames it on Trump fucking up easy things (refusing to give out masks) than it being hopeless until after COVID.

28) Trump claims he paid millions of taxes in 2016-2017.

Is this income tax vs other taxes?

Is he lying?

Are the published numbers wrong?

29) "We've done things you've never even thought of"

If I were Biden I'd respond with something like:

"Yeah, like constant lying and running a country without a plan. I haven't ever thought to do those."

30) "You're the worst president America has ever had, come on"

Wonder how that went over, probably well?

31) Why bother pandering to the state the debate is in? It appeals to 100 people in the audience.

To the millions watching it's just startling us to remember they're physically somewhere instead of just being natively digital or something.

32) Jeez is there like a red card or something here?

33) Biden nailed that one about families

34) "I think the country would be better served..."

TBH Wallace is the best debater here.

35) ok, c'mon, really no need to put "possible" in there.

Don't think you get any points for a taking a jab at Abraham Lincoln.

36) Really word-salad start to Biden's answer there.

just listing social justice related terms.

37) Biden finding his stride halfway through this question, way stronger at the beginning than the end

38) Really interesting to see Trump's approach here -- he's taking the left-wing one if anything, not the right-wing one.

(Not that that reflects what he has thought or said or done.)

FWIW I think Trump's approach here might be effective.

39) Actually pretty seamless transition there by Trump--went from saying X to saying not X halfway through that answer and it basically worked.

40) oh boy that meeting sounds like it would be a disaster

41) Really strong start to that answer -- "being asked to do things that were insane"

I think that moving to call it "radical" is not a good call though--his winning move is to say "these trainings are just shitty, c'mon, everyone knows that" and sidestep larger questions.

42) I think Trump's taking the right approach here--ignore Wallace's note that crime increases were the same in R and D cities, and just point out the large D examples.

The truth might in some sense be similar to that, but much worse to say.

43) Biden doing a pretty good job so far on this question, really tricky one but he's done a good job on it.

44) really curious what Biden's going to say about protests here

45) Biden handling this really well.

I think Trump made a mistake by interrupting there: Wallce was trying to nail Biden down on whether to send in the national guard, and Trump got Biden off the hook by talking over them.

46) Biden really starting from a place of weakness in this debate -- he's way less commanding than Trump.

Trump blowing that advantage by not being tactical. He's interrupting constantly, *even when he's shouting over things that would have been good for him*.

47) Wondering what people will think about Trump using the number of SC justices he nominated as a positive reflection on him.

It doesn't make sense, but sounds good.

48) "No, I'm not asking, sir, that was a rhetorical question"

I can't imagine Trump's doing himself favors there.

49) Biden really powerful there.

Uncertain about Trump--is it a really effective retort, or really disgusting? I could see it being either, guess it really depends on what you think the truth is?

50) Wallace: "I'd like to talk about climate change"

Biden: "So would I"

Trump: [stares sternly]

51) Trump is probably right on forest fires there, gonna do him wonders with the firefighters

52) Wonder what people think about the forest city speech here, kind of a cool interlude

53) Trump had a pretty good answer on climate change--point out things that are in fact much less helpful than normally claimed

54) "He doesn't know how to do that"

it was a winner the first time, it's a winner the second time, it'll probably be a winner the third time.

(On Trump not interrupting)

55) jeez Trump feels like a bully on the "green new deal"

56) "election integrity"

ooooh boy this one's gonna be good

57) good line about Trump voting by mail, really makes it more awkward for Trump to be strongly against it.

If I were Trump I might actually fly down to Florida to vote, I think the publicity stunt would be worth it.

58) Don't think Biden's line about "it won't happen" is good -- Trump is about to weaponize it to display symmetry

59) WHAT THE FUCK did Trump just accuse HRC of attempting to do a coup?

Yes. Yes he did.

60) I think Biden's taking the right approach here -- just playing nice on the election, it's what presents the contrast with Trump

61) Thank you Case Western Reserve University, without you we could never have had the privileged of watching this.

62) Commentators after:

The real question is whether you can have more of these debates.

63)

https://twitter.com/SheriffReese/status/1311125507757416449

yeah these things can't be good for Trump, he should really memorize a few things that are *true* to recite

64) I can't watch Biden for more than 5 minutes without thinking about theatlantic.com/magazine/archi…

65) JEEZ Donald Jr. is a better debater than Trump or Biden.

66) "Stand by" (on e.g. proud boys) -- was it:

a) misspeak
b) not thinking
c) dog whistle

67) Alright guys that's a wrap

IDK how to summarize this debate -- I bet different people have really different takes on it.