Trump “Wins” Debate

Okay, before you get all upset, Kamala Harris won the debate part of the debate. She did a marvelous job of everything she wanted to do. She was strong, presidential and effective. She dominated her opponent, led him around by the nose, and all those things her supporters say she did. With her help, he demonstrated how unfit he was for office.

So why didn’t the polls show it?

What Is a “Win”?

To answer that question, we could look at all the other debates, but that doesn’t help much. For example, Hillary Clinton won her debate; look where it got her. The only debate with a definite outcome was the last Biden/Trump one, and that was an aberration. Then if the results are so nebulous, why do candidates go into a debate? Well, as that last debate demonstrated, there’s always the hope that your opponent is going to make a game-changing slipup. Which Biden did. And this time, Trump didn’t.

Winning the PR Game

The only other way to judge the effect of a debate is the public reaction. And what meme was all over social media the next day? “Don’t eat my pet.” And who said it ? Trump.

How Is That a Win?

I know what you’re saying. Sure, the line basically showed him to be the idiot his opponents know he is. But playing to your faithful, as Kamala’s disbelieving smile did when he made the comment, does not attract any new voters. Remember, in Trump’s version of reality, the world is the media, and politics is his latest reality show. His objective on that platform is to come up with the line that attracts this week’s audience. And he did.

The Bottom Line

There is no such thing as bad publicity. This debate will forever be known as the “Eating Pets” debate, and Donald Trump was the one that said it. The added irony, of course, is that the meme was spread by his opponents.

The only good news of the night was Taylor Swift’s endorsement. Word has it that about 350,000 new voters signed up the next day. I know that’s true because I read it on social media. Where it counts.

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