GOP lawmakers and analysts virtually unanimous that Trump was second best to Harris in first presidential debate
  • PoorlyWrittenPapyrus@lemmy.world
    1021·
    2 months ago

    You know this is elder abuse, it’s sad to see.

    He’s clearly going through some form of age related mental decline. He should really drop out, for the good of the country, just like Biden did when the republicans were so sincerely worried about his mental decline and called for him to drop out.

    • ZagamTheVile@lemmy.world
      30·
      2 months ago

      He needs to lose though. 1, it’ll be funny to see but more importantly 2, if he drops out they have a chance to put someone just as repugnant but way more savy and intelligent into the race.

      • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
        23·
        2 months ago

        A replacement won’t have his cult following. But I agree, for his idiotic movement to die he needs to be on the ballot and he needs to lose.

  • Optional@lemmy.world
    43·
    2 months ago

    “Viktor Orbán is known for destroying Hungarian democracy using techniques Trump has tried to copy,” said David Driesen, a constitutional law professor at Syracuse University, who has written on the capture of democratic institutions by autocratic leaders. “It was surreal to hear Trump cite Orbán’s praise as validation of his own leadership.”

    It wasn’t surreal. That’s . . It was not surreal.

    • sarcasticsunrise@lemmy.world
      6·
      2 months ago

      I don’t know why at this point, but my jaw dropped when he was verbally sucking off Orbán. I couldn’t believe how much he was glazing that piece of shit, but then I remembered who’s mouth it was coming out of. Donald sure loves that “iron fist” approach to “leadership”

      • Akasazh@feddit.nl
        3·
        2 months ago

        Well Harris’ burn before him citing the support of Orban was the most incendiary in the debate. I find it uncanny it’s not shared more. She basically tells him he’s the laying stock of foreign leaders and unable to lead because he’s averse of ‘fact’.

        https://youtu.be/ecGjnR3aNvA?t=8m06s

  • WolfdadCigarette@threads.net@sh.itjust.works
    42·
    2 months ago

    Republicans dismayed by Trump’s ‘bad’ and ‘unprepared’ debate performance

    Why was this a surprise? Are republicans blind to his age, repertoire, past debates, speeches, interviews, candid moments caught on microphone, the people he’s surrounded by, personality, and his manner of speech? Any single one of these should be a tip off.

    • Wrench@lemmy.world
      8·
      2 months ago

      I think they were surprised at how unhinged he got, and looked impotent with rage.

      He’s usually surrounded by sycophants that he can bully around and they get linched by his mob if they don’t fall in line. Or he just gets up and leaves any interview that challenges his bullshit, and can leave with the last word. His childish tantrums can get reduced to soundbites that make him look like the winner to his followers who are also petty adult children.

      But here, Harris was in frame laughing at his meltdowns and clearly easily pushing his buttons where it hurt, and he could do nothing but stomp over the so called moderation to steal airtime, just to look like a petulant child who needed a nap.

    • MorrisonMotel6@lemm.ee
      7·
      2 months ago

      Seriously. He has a significant body of “work” on which to draw from. Like almost a decade of televised rambling, hip shot word salads…

    • Xenny@lemmy.world
      53·
      2 months ago

      He already said no to any future debate including on Fox News. He’s got his tail between his legs, probably too afraid it will get eaten.

    • Zombiepirate@lemmy.worldEnglish
      17·
      2 months ago

      Either that or they’ll just pretend he won. The jagoffs who watch only care about him appearing to be dominant, and Fox will cut it up to make him look that way

        • Zombiepirate@lemmy.worldEnglish
          14·
          2 months ago

          I mean, they still pretend like Jan 6 was only a few people walking around like tourists. I take your point, but reality has little bearing on what they profess to believe.

          Although, yes, this does make him look like a dumb joke which is absolutely what needs to be done to fascists. Even a little doubt can start the cracks in his base while they all point fingers about whose fault it is.

          • Sparking@lemm.eeEnglish
            2·
            2 months ago

            Oh, I hear ya dude. The emperor isn’t naked until he is in jail. But more important than anything - it feels bad to loose like this. The whole point of pretending is that you get to feel “strong” and like you are “owning the libs” or whatever. Now, it’s like, what’s the point? They just want to lose again, and get made fun of.

    • reddig33@lemmy.world
      3·
      2 months ago

      “Dismayed” is such a strange choice of wording. Like “slightly annoyed” or “disappointed” or “it’s regretful”.

  • finley@lemm.eeEnglish
    16·
    2 months ago

    Did they finally just see him for the first time? Did they finally just see the emperor without his clothes?

    • modifier@lemmy.ca
      2·
      2 months ago

      Mystifying to contemplate this late in the public awareness of Donald Trump but it did have a hint of that feeling last night.

      • finley@lemm.eeEnglish
        91·
        2 months ago

        This may be just the start of the unzipping of the fly where the rotten sausage of the Trump cock finally comes flopping out, flies and all.

        This could be the historic moment nobody expected, but we all wanted, and it will be Kamala Harris and her beautiful smile and iconic laugh that we will ride all the way to the ballot box. And, ya know what, Tim Walz is the warm fuzzy dad that seems everyone loves and loves us all. He’s like the Biden that kept LGBTQ issues on Obama’s agenda. Remember that? How Biden kept at that? And kept at that, until Obama was fully on board?

        I do. We owe Biden a lot for that, and I think we’re gonna owe Walz a lot, too. Not because Kamala isn’t on our side, but because a good VP can work behind the scenes and duck a lot of hits. Kamala did that with immigration (to what degree of success, I can’t speak to), but Biden did a lot for LGBTQ people for Obama, and I see immediately that Walz is both motivated and proven to be capable of doing such for Harris.

        Let’s see what he can do

        Change indeed. I sure as hell am ready to move forward.

  • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
    7·
    2 months ago

    Even with Trump insisting to have won the debate “by a lot”, Republicans were virtually unanimous that Trump had come off second best in a series of exchanges that saw the vice-president deliberately bait him on his weak points while he responded with visible anger.

    Trump has become so accustomed to the Goebbels’ ploy of “if you repeat a lie enough times, it becomes true”. While the terrifying part of that ploy is that it usually works, it does have limits when supporters are asked to deny something they personally witnessed. He can say he did great, but it’s very much like the wizard asking people not to look behind the curtain – after they’ve already looked back there.

    What should be a GOP call of “let’s make sure Trump does better next time” can only become “Trump already nailed it and if you don’t agree then you’re wrong”. I can’t imagine it will do anything but alienate swing voters who may have been on the fence but could be off it if the party messaging is completely disconnected from what they saw.

    • Zoboomafoo@slrpnk.net
      5·
      2 months ago

      Perhaps, I think in a week Fox will have brainwashed the GOP into thinking it was a victory

      The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. (1984)

  • Empricorn@feddit.nlEnglish
    6·
    2 months ago

    When it’s a cult of personality, all you’re following is the (repulsive) personality. There’s no substance to agree or disagree with…