Hanaguma

Well, let's see him match up against the mighty mane that Doug Burgum used to sport...

Everyone knows that Biden was hiding for more than a week to prepare. Just look at his official schedule- he went from a weekend at his beach house 10 days ago straight to Camp David and has been surrounded by handlers getting him ready. Everyone in the media acknowledges this. Frankly, he would be foolish NOT to prepare.

Van is one of those guys that I disagree with on almost everything, but would love to go out for a few drinks with. He comes across as sincere and intelligent. Not a 100% partisan hack stuck on his talking points. It is gonna be a looong weekend for the upper caste of the Democratic Party.

One of the saddest parts was that Joe couldn't speak for 2 minutes without going off topic. He was answering a question on abortion, which should be perhaps his strongest issue. Suddenly he was talking about immigration! Started saying girls were getting raped by their in-laws, their brothers and sisters..... WTF? Incoherent.

Very true. 20th century Biden came across as loquacious and almost endearing. He had an easy smile and could be charming at times. He seemed to enjoy talking and also listening to people. Also no mention of the fabled 'Biden stutter', nor did it ever show up in any of his appearances. Now what we see is a husk of that man. All that is left is anger, outrage, and pride.

What needs to happen now is that all those people who claim that Biden is doing cartwheels in private, solving trigonometry problems, and spontaneously giving policy positions.... those people need to admit that they were lying. It is obvious that Biden is, and had been, in decline for years. There has been NO "behind the scenes " Biden who performs so wonderfully.

It will never happen. Worst case scenario, the judge orders a prison term for Trump. It is instantly appeales by his lawyers. Trump is kept at the court while a judge on the NY equivalent of the state supreme court (already on call) accepts the appeal by phone. Trump walks out with the sentence stayed pending the appeal.

The worst thing that could happen to Trump now is if the Democratic party illuminati decide that Joe needs to go, and they push someone else in his place.

That's not their job. They need to stay out of the way, and let the two men have at each other. Basically be referees, not judges. To be honest, I think they did a good job. Held Trump's feet to the fire a few times when he didn't answer, which was fair.

Gotta say that I was impressed by Trump's discipline and self control. The format maybe helped him in that. But he was able to talk about what he wanted and get in some good shots at Biden.

The latest spin from Camp Biden is that Joe has a cold, that is why his voice is so hoarse and lifeless. Sure.

Impressed with Trump's discipline so far. Joe is not making sense.

The 'rules' imposed by CNN are getting more and more interesting. Now they are insisting on a 1 or 2 minute delay of the broadcast. Standard on network TV is 7 seconds. Plus excluding many media outlets from accessing their live feed. So I am beginning to wonder how much of a debate this really will be. The head of the CPD has already come out with numerous criticisms and is less than impressed.

I am waiting to see how much this is a debate, and how much it is a parallel interview. The problem with having two moderators is that they always try to insert themselves into the spotlight. They can't help themselves, it is how they do things in their day jobs. But will there be any direct interaction at all between the candidates? Or will the Holders of the Mike Cut Switch ensure that there will be no spontenaity or unscripted moments?

You obviously don't know Doug Burgum very well. He is a self made multi-millionaire (possibly billionaire), born on a farm in North Dakota and built his own computer software company from scratch. Successful governor, philanthropist, classic salt-of-the-earth midwesterner.

It has happened before. But it might not matter. Onlly perhaps if there is part of the debate where the two candidated can question each other directly. That would be fun.

Joe has been in literal hiding for ten days. Either at his beach house or at Camp David. Some intense prepping, probably adjusting his sleep/wake schedule so that he can be alert at night, etc. All he has to do is get through 90 minutes. He managed it at the SOTU Address, so there is no reason to think he won't be uber rested and uber prepped tomorrow. Trump has still been campaigning. Never was one for over preparation, will probably rely on his ability to ad lib for the debate.

Not to mention, the oft touted FBI crime stats can no longer be trusted. Many cities and jurisdictions don't even bother reporting their numbers anymore.

True, hopefully. There is enough pushback in legal circles (even among lifelong Democrats) who recognize that the trial itself was obviously politically motivated. Adding a prison sentence to an essentially victimless crime would possibly cement the win for Trump.

Yeah, JD for sure doesn't have a stacked resume- hard to do at age 39. Yet the argument can be made that others have been in the Presidential picture with similar, or even thinner, CVs. For me, he would be a number 3 or so pick, but he is not unusual in his qualifications. Plus having a compelling story of growing up in abject poverty and making something of himself. That sells well.

He would be my choice, given my druthers. Successful businessman, well spoken, patriot, not part of "the swamp". Ready to lead if necessary.

Why? Because it is tedious and overdone and boring.

Can we agree to not sabotage this topic, and agree to leave Trump and Biden out of it? Plenty of other places to go after them on this forum. I would be pleased to vote for Pierre Polievre, the leader of the Conservatives in Canada. He is whip smart, stays on message, and wants to give control of the country back to the people. Gives great interview too.

It is, but he will still be replaced by a Democrat. Glad to see his flabby arms getting the heave though, I won't lie. That poorly attended event he did with AOC was cringeworthy.

This might be the most important moment of the election campaign for both parties. Certainly this will be the most important VP pick in decades. Facts are, both Trump and Biden are old. The odds of either surviving the full 4 year term are not high. So, the VP slot takes on much more importance than usual. The Democrats seem stuck with Harris. Rumours have it that Trump has narrowed down to 3 choices- Doug Burgum, JD Vance, or Marco Rubio. But being Trump, he may go with a longshot candidate. So, who do you think it will be, who do you think it should be, and why? Can the right pick tip the election to the GOP?