A rarity: a weekday with no new polling results to report. Biden's lead in the RCP average remains 9.7%. This is up more that 50% from his lead on the day of the first debate (6.1%).
Truly it's been a bad week for the president by any measure. This would normally be the time when the trailing candidate schemes up ways to peel off some of the softer Biden supporters. Just as Biden and Harris have tacked to the middle during the general election (even if it means reversing some of the positions they took in the primaries), you might expect something like that from Trump. In his case, it would mean less crazy-talk, more focus on competence and rationality as they portray the Dems as out-of-the-mainstream, that sort of thing. But that would be to posit a normal election and a normal candidate.
In Trump's case, though, it's calling Fox News to rant and make wild charges and name-call. Red meat for the base, but the base is secure by now, and he needs more than his base. Trump is running a primary campaign in the general election. I'm with Rich Lowry in wondering if he really even wants to win this election.
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I didn't watch the VP debate, as I find both candidates difficult to listen to, but yesterday I spent a lot of time listening to reactions in several podcasts. One thing I noticed is that both candidates refused to answer a key question that touches on Constitutional governance itself. Pence followed his Boss in refusing to guarantee a peaceful transition of power should his side lose. The reason they don't want to make such a guarantee is that they intend to contest this thing in the courts if it's close (and maybe even if it's not). In other words, they have no intention of conceding on election night, abiding by the outcome at the ballot box. They intend to carry the war into the courts.
Meanwhile, Harris refused to answer the question about court-packing (just like her boss). Biden amusingly said that if he answered the question then it would become "political," but maybe he could explain at least how the plan to pack the court is anything but political. I mean, even after weeks of talking about it no one has come up with even the semblance of a rationalization for why this is needed (other than a "political" one).
Me, I am somewhere between amused and disgusted by this nonsense. The word "disingenuous" comes to mind when I think of both these VP candidates.
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In my opinion, there is only so much that can be accomplished by a presidential election. For example, I don't expect the nation to make much progress in foreign policy matters (an almost nonexistent theme in this election). As a conservative, I expect a Biden presidency combined with a Democratic takeover of the Senate to bring me much sorrow. But the pressing need of the moment, in my opinion, is the complete repudiation of Trumpism. My preference is for the Republicans to hold onto the Senate, but they may have forfeited that chance. We will see.
Remember when Biden turned to Trump in the first debate and said, "I AM the Democratic Party!" That was clearly a line he had prepared in advance, and it was silly. The Democratic Party is bigger than Biden, and includes much that he would be reluctant to associate himself with in the run-up to Nov. 4. Likewise, the Republican Party and Donald Trump are not coterminous (although it may seem that way at times). I expect you will see Republican pols beginning to disassociate themselves from Trumpism somewhat, even before the election. That will be amusing and gob-smackingly "disingenuous" (that word again), but hey, that's the life of an American politician.
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Read also:
"If Biden holds all the states we have rated Solid, Likely and Lean Democrat, he will have strung together more than enough electoral votes to win the presidency. Trump will need to win not only all the states rated Solid, Likely and Lean Republican he will also need to win all the states in Toss Up and 40 votes from the Lean Democratic column.'
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