Kamala Harris was no cream puff

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• I think you have called it correctly, although it didn’t require a Herculean effort.

  • Thank you, I think. 😄

• Wish I could chime in but I’m in SF and missed most of it. Trying to catch up but it’s filtered obviously. I’ll take your word for it.

• One slight correction. Vance said Trump would veto a national abortion ban--not sign one--and Trump refused to say whether he would or not.

  The punchline for me was that Trump said he hadn't talked about it with Vance.

  • You are correct and I will correct my column. Thanks Tom

• Stu, you gave an accurate and fair assessment of what happened last night. Harris was able to bait him every single time she spoke and he took the bait. That orange-skinned POC won the coin toss but that is the only thing he won last night. I cannot wait to read the maga responses that will show up here

  • Ditto dear Bogart, ditto! I stayed up past my usually bedtime to watch this and also recorded it so I could watch it again today. Kamala did great. The moderators did great - finally. She was calm, likable and laid her traps competently, with just the hint of bemusement on her face the whole time. And the dictator wannabe, who gives Viktor Orban as a character reference? Well, this is what my buddy Rick Wilson had to say: "It was a disaster. It was a catastrophe. It was elder abuse. It was a debate so bad for Donald Trump that armies of linguists and semioticians will labor for months to devise terms capable of describing the cataclysmic act of political self-destruction and career immolation we witnessed last night in Pennsylvania. It was a slaughter. An industrial-scale ass-whupping. It was a humiliation that needed only Trump in a gimp suit and a ball gag to make it complete."

    • Wanda, please tell your friend his quote was hilarious. I am still laughing.

      • Yes, he really is very, very good with words. A real gift. I'll pass it on. W

  • Maybe you will as shocked as I to read Daniel’s assessment.

• Trump had a bad night. He had a hard time getting his point across. He was much better a few days ago at the economic club of new york where he laid out his economic plan and took questions. Harris was not really pressed about her position changes. I don’t think either candidate changed anyones mind. But who would you trust with the economy. Who would you trust with the border. Who would you want representing the country against our adversaries. I trust Donald Trump.

  • I am recovering from shock. You admitted Trump had a bad night. Next, you will admit he doesn’t always tell the truth.
    Yes, I live in hope.

    • Stu, I would not advise you to hold your breath waiting for Daniel to admit that the orange-skinned POS doesn't always tell the truth.

    • Did you notice how they fact checked Trump. But did nothing when Harris lied her ass off. Not one question on China or Iran or the fentanyl problem. The moderators slanted their questions in favor of Harris. I’m shocked someone as fair minded as you didn’t notice.

      • They fact checked crazy shit like " I won the election" and " they are eating dogs and cats". Not exactly ground breakers to tell people it's bullshit.

        • Harris lies don’t count in your world. Stop being a asshole.

      • Awww.....name calling.....Danny is upset....:)

        • Can’t help it. Stop saying stupid things

      • Whhhaaaaa....you're stupid.

  • "I trust Donald Trump." Only one question: why?

    • Because he has a proven record of success and Harris record the last 4 years is of failure. You must really hate the country if you would want 4 more years of this incompetence.

      • No, you utter moron. You keep saying that we hate this country with no evidence for that other than we disagree with your nonsensical buffoonery and balderdash. No, Freeze, Bogart and I love the U.S. so much that we are willing to put up with your and your MAGAt friends' abuse. We want democracy to continue. We love this country far too much to let it go down the tubes with the dictator wannabe, the GQP and his billionaire friends.

        • The evidence is the 4 years of misery the democrats have put the country and the world thru. What planet have you been living on. Ask the average Americans on the street how much they’ve been hurt.

        • Right on Wanda!👍

    • To be fair freeze, we can trust that orange-skinned POS to do at least four things...LIE, CHEAT, EMBELLISH and RIDICULE.

    • It was hard to watch the first half hour because Trump lied non-stop. And I wish someone would explain to him that import tariffs are paid by the importer (who passes the cost onto you the consumer) and not by the country of origin. Trump claimed China paid billions in tariffs; NOT TRUE. We paid. Many economists think his broad import tariff plan would sink the economy and skyrocket inflation.
      His other big lie was on immigration. Sorry, Donny, but countries are not emptying their prisons & mental institutions and sending them here. BIG LIE. Also. Immigrants (legal & illegal) commit crimes at a lesser rate than US citizens, yet Trump claims they're behind a massive crime wave. Again, Another BIG LIE.
      I give Trump 5 Pinocchios. I give Harris 2.5 Pinocchios.
      P.S. She was the only adult on stage.

  • "Trump had a bad night."

    Not according to him. He said: "I won the debate...I think it was one of my best debates, maybe my best debate.”

    So tell me, is he (1) lying, because he is simply incapable of admitting the truth when it makes him look bad, (2) living in a fantasy world, or (3) a person of incredibly poor judgment totally lacking any self-awareness?

    You can answer "All of the above."

    • Tom A. although I might be wrong I do not believe Danny boy is going to answer your question, at least not honestly, so please let me give you my answer: "All of the above."

    • To use a sports analogy it was a split decision. I think Trump had a bad night but he thought he won.It was not a big win for Harris because she didn’t win anyone over. Plus the fix was in with the dishonest moderators .

      • I'll take that as you opting for number (3) poor judgment. He didn't say it was close, or that he won, but maybe he could have done better. He said "I think it was one of my best debates, maybe my best debate.”

        • He’s allowed to think whatever he wants just like the rest of us. He’s a confident man it’s something you want to see in a president. Harris on the other hand lacks confidence and leadership skills. She refuses to defend her record or tell the American people where she stands on important issues. When is she going to sit down for a real interview from the press.

        • I didn't say he had no right to think whatever he wants. We all know what opinions are like.

          I agree he is a confidence man (fixed that for you). But, in any event, confidence and bad judgment is the worst combination imaginable. (Do you believe that windmills cause cancer? That Putin's invasion of Ukraine was "brilliant"? That Xi was going to control Covid? That Covid would just "go away" with warmer weather? Such confidence! What's not to like?)

          As for Harris, at the convention and the debate I saw confidence and leadership skills. I saw her play Trump like a fiddle at the debate. Her crowds are bigger, voter enthusiasm has skyrocketed, Taylor Swift endorsed her. And, yeah, she'll do interviews. Then what are you going to say?

          But one thing is for sure. Trump won't be doing any more debates, because he can't afford another disaster. His confidence does not include going up against Harris again. That, of course, is the difference between confidence and bluster. The former is real, the latter to cover up defeat, fear and weakness.

        • She can’t and won’t defend the destructive policies of the last 4 years. Her lack of judgment and leadership were on display for all to see. She will continue to lie about her socialist positions and try to fool the American people. I pray to God that there are more traditional Americans who are paying attention. 2 months ago she was an anchor on the ticket and they wanted to get rid of her. Now the media is making her a hero. And the dummies are following her like lost sheep. What happened to the people in this country?

        • Nice pivot from your indefensible position! I'll take that as agreement.

          As for socialism, the only socialist policy floated by any candidate to date is Trump's proposal that the government pick up the cost for IVF treatments (at $15k to $30k per round--often takes 2-3 for one pregnancy--but if it's free why limit yourself to one or two kids?). Medicare for All for IVF! Of course folks who believe human life begins at conception would say it's just subsidized baby-killing.

          Also seems to me, that gives us a clue to what Trump's "concept of a plan" to replace the ACA is--just have the government pay for it! Medicare for All, except it will be named "TrumpCare" in gold letters. And, just the other day he said there will be free childcare because of all the money raised by his across-the-board tariffs.

          I don't know how a baby-killing socialist like this got on the Republican ticket. I hope traditional Americans are paying attention. But maybe it should be no surprise from a life-long New York Democrat who told Meet the Press that he is "very pro-choice."

          It is true that Harris has to live down Trump's campaign contribution to her run for California Attorney General, but how was she to know what the guy believed?

          But more seriously. Anybody who is "paying attention" knows that crime is lower than under Trump, border-crossings are lower than under Trump (despite Trump's efforts to sabotage border security) employment and real income are higher than under Trump, that Covid caused world-wide inflation and that the US handled the best of any country, and has the strongest economy in the world.

          Credit rates will be cut this month, despite Trump jawboning the Fed to keep them high because he wants Americans to be as miserable as possible until the election. A leader cares about people, not about what's good for him personally.

          Harris' judgment and leadership have united a traditionally fractious party in record time, made Trump look like an angry incoherent old man (okay, not hard), reassured our allies and armed forces that there will be a steady hand at the wheel, inspired huge fund raising, voter registration and campaign volunteers. Plus, she's attracted over 200 Republican endorsements from former Reagan, both Bushes, and the Trump administration.

          Meanwhile...Trump's leadership wasn't able to save his chosen Speaker of the House, and the current one can't get his conference to agree on anything. Maybe that's because Trump's calling for another government shutdown (his last one cost the economy $11 Billion, and left the military serving without paychecks),

          He insists in paling around with a supporter of white nationalism and a 9/11 Truther, causing endless internecine sniping between his supporters. A uniter, he's not. A leader is supposed to be able to at least make his party pull in the same direction. Leadership is not his strong point.

          If you want to identify the dummies and lost sheep, take a look in the mirror.

        • Everything thing you say is complete bullshit. The proof is the last 4 years.

        • And it was Trump's best debate ever! Got it. Trump said it and therefore it is so. Border patrol statistics, FBI statistics, economic statistics--all fake. And Trump knows the real truth, because, because...he's Trump. No sheep you, so long as you follow his divinely inerrant word instead of the folks who follow, survey, and record these things. He knows all, sees all, without the need for "data" or "reports."

• If anyone supports aborting a child in the 7th, 8th or 9th month being “likable” is not a priority.

  • Good grief. Where did she say that she supported aborting in the 7,8 or 9 month? No matter how many facts we toss your way and debunk your nonsense, you nitwits DO NOT UNDERSTAND. Let me say this as clearly as I can. No sane person supports aborting a fetus that has reached viability. Viability is possible at 20 weeks. Can you MAGAts do the math? Pregnancy termination after 20 weeks (22 weeks of amenorrhea) IS ONLY DONE IF THE FETUS IS NON-VIABLE OR IF THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER IS AT STAKE. No one is delivering live infants and then killing them. Unbelievable that you actually believe this. This from the cretins who believe that you can transplant an ectopic pregnancy or that Haitians in Ohio are eating people's pets.

    • Wanda, the MAGAGOTS will never change. Their entire platform is lie, deny, repeat.

• Don't Matter, Inflation and Border crisis will push Trump over the finish line and will win. Sorry, liberals, get ready to run and find a new country now to live.

  • Not gonna happen, Jeeves. Keep dreamin'.

  • Maybe. But since inflation is down yet again, and border-crossings have declined to Trump-era levels, it is certainly not a slam-dunk. While I am still suffering from "sticker shock" due to higher price levels, my experience is that prices at the grocery store have stabilized, and to my surprise, I've seen a few go down. Stats also say that income growth has exceeded inflation.

    How much of that will translate for voters and voter attitudes is up in the air. But I think the fact that we are no longer in the throes of the worst of it, somewhat weakens those issues as drivers of the vote.

• Couple of points. On the Charlottesville thing, Trump most certainly DID say there were "good people on both sides." However, he was referring to the people who were there to peacefully protest the removed of statues of Confederate generals, not to the torch carrying evil fuckheads chanting "Jews will not replace us," who he did indeed renounce.

  But let's be crystal clear on this: he was defending people who were peacefully protesting the removal of statues built to honor folks who wanted to extend slavery to the entire country, and who attempted to do so by FORCE. While I most certainly agree that they have every right to peacefully protest such actions, just as Colin Kaepernick had every right to peacefully protest the killing of black men by police, you probably shouldn't be jumping through hoops and over barrels to defend Trump for calling them "good people." Because they clearly are not.

  And yes, Stu is 100% correct with regard to his "bloodbath" comment, too. He was indeed referring to the auto industry. However, it should also be noted that such comments tend to resonate with some of the hateful fucks who follow him, and who are simply too dumb to understand the difference. And when you are allegedly a "leader," such talk is problematic. You need to choose your words more carefully, something Trump is simply incapable of doing.

  As for abortion, no, Stu, the Democratic position is NOT that abortion in the eighth or ninth month is okay. First of all, such things are EXCEEDINGLY rare. Secondly, these types of procedures ONLY occur in situations where the life of the mother or the baby is at risk, period. Is that REALLY a radical, liberal position? Because I don't think that it is. So while this is "technically" true, you and I both know that it is a gross exaggeration of their position. NOBODY wants to see willy-nilly abortions that late, and in fact, it simply virtually NEVER happens.

  • Freeze, the continued use of the Charlottesville line and the manipulation of the bloodbath comment annoys the shit out of me. Kamala would have done better dropping that line of bullshit once Biden was out of the race.

• No matter how poorly Trump performed and presented his concepts he will receive 44 to 46 percent of the national vote. Harris was sharp but evasive in some of her responses to direct questions. Image has a large impact on the viewers. I view the comparisons as old & angry versus a professional image. The image difference will have more impact on voters than answers to the questions given to the candidates.

  • You are right, and the same was true of Biden after his debacle. The election will be decided by the slim numbers of undecided and those who only pay attention to politics when an election is coming up. Your point about image is well taken, and echoes the old saw that you can tell who has won a debate by watching with the sound off.

    On of my favorite polling tidbits on that count is that folks who watched the JFK-Nixon debate on TV thought JFK won. But the ones who listened to it on radio thought Nixon did! (Though I don't think "audio only" would have helped Trump on this one.)

• My rankings for performance.

  #1- Harris
  Close #2- Trump
  Distant #3 and dead last- ABC moderators