(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The GOP can’t sink Biden, but we certainly can. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-30 Due to both candidates relying on rehearsed talking points, canned answers, and a few zingers, presidential debates tend to be pretty pointless. They certainly aren’t designed to change anyone’s mind. The goal is to get your message before a large audience, energize your supporters, move poll numbers, and hopefully fundraise. Usually, one person performs slightly better, but there are enough soundbites for both sides to declare victory. However, there have been three notable exceptions in modern history where this wasn’t the case. The first was the forgotten debate between Reagan and Mondale. Reagan performed so poorly that even his supporters couldn’t claim victory. He struggled with his words and sighed audibly. Mondale struck gold when he countered Reagan’s famous zinger, “there you go again,” leaving Reagn looking confused and tired. After the debate, Mondale caught up with Reagan in the polls. The second instance was the veep debate between Lloyd Bentsen and Dan Quayle. Quayle’s ill-advised comparison to JFK was met with Bentsen’s now-legendary retort, leading to a clear debate disaster for Quayle. And the third time? Biden’s debate with Trump just last week. I missed the debate initially, but saw the headlines screaming “disaster,” “break glass,” and “drop out.” I expected a disaster, but after watching it, I was furious—not so much with Biden, but as the collective response to it from our own side. I couldn’t believe this was the line in the sand that was being drawn. Remember when Donald Trump mocked a disabled person? That should have ended his candidacy then and there, but it didn’t. He insulted Mexicans, women, and many others without any significant backlash from Republicans. Even veterans, whom the GOP claims to love, were insulted--not just being labeled suckers and losers, but when he said POWs were losers for being captured. None of that mattered. Nothing did. Republicans accepted toddlers in cages, the Muslim ban, his bromance with Putin, attempts to overthrow an election, and even his call to terminate the Constitution in December 2022. Stealing classified documents, lusting after his daughter, attacking E. Jean Carroll, taking from a veteran’s charity, and multiple felony convictions didn’t matter either. The only thing that mattered was mental acuity—except when it didn’t. Trump’s bizarre rants on washing dishes in washing machines, electrocuting sharks, injecting bleach, cancer-causing windmills and colonials securing airports all went unchallenged. Republicans always, always, always closed ranks, no matter what. Larry Hogan was criticized for merely suggesting Americans respect the courts after Trump’s 34 felony convictions. For Republicans, if Trump is guilty, the system is corrupt. If he loses an election, the election is corrupt. They prioritize winning above all else, and while I disdain their fealty, I wish to God we had an ounce of their loyalty. Alternatively, Joe Biden had a bad first 15 minutes of a debate, and now some on our side suggest he should drop out. Granted, Biden screwed that up pretty bad—but come the fuck on. This reaction is unbelievable. The so-called liberal media and our own Dem allies are openly flirting with dropping Biden in favor of some magical, non-incumbent unicorn that I guess will be impervious to criticism. This, by the way, would be a complete disaster. Don’t listen to me, listen to the historians. The CBS poll after the debate showed no change. Even if Biden drops a bit, it will only be temporary. After the Access Hollywood tape in 2016, no significant Republican called for Trump to drop out. Instead, they rallied behind his sexual assaults, and Trump’s support dipped for just a week before completely recovering. Trump won even though he lost all of his debates. And by the way, for historical context, Reagan went on to win 49 out of 50 states in the election. The Benson/Quayle debate didn’t matter at all. Joe Biden gave a fiery speech in North Carolina after the debate. He’ll recover too—but only if we support him. The GOP can’t sink Biden, but we certainly can. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/30/2249966/-I-ll-admit-that-Democrats-can-learn-one-thing-from-MAGA?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/