The Banter Brief: Trump Tried To Be Human. It Didn't Work.
His performance at the final debate against Joe Biden was painful to watch.
1. Most Important Story Of The Week
Trump tries to be someone else
You could see the pain in Trump’s face as he tried desperately to be likable during the final presidential debate with Joe Biden last night. He refrained from personal attacks and even paid compliments to moderator Kristen Welker in an attempt to seem human. The bar is now so low that any time Trump doesn’t shout, interrupt and insult anyone talking to him, his fans declare it proof he isn’t a sociopathic monster. But it was too little too late for the president, and his campaign knows it.
Joe Biden was far sharper, more aggressive last night, and he thrived in the debate format that actually allowed him to speak (there was a mute button to ensure nothing like the last catastrophe could happen). Biden hammered away at Trump all night, taking the president to task on the Coronavirus pandemic, health care, his failure to pay taxes, and his Chinese bank account.
A more disciplined Trump attempted to trip Biden up on his supposed corruption, issues of race, and his environmental plan, but Biden deftly ignored most of the assaults and countered well. “This isn’t about his family or mine. It’s about yours,” Biden said to the cameras after Trump ranted and raved about Hunter Biden, Russian mayors, and Biden’s family profiting from imaginary corruption. And that really summed up the contest — a human being who cares about people suffering versus a psychotic conman putting on a fake persona in a last ditched attempt to save his presidency.
Read the latest in depth election coverage for Banter Members:
The Ratf**kers Are Losing
The coalition of Trump enablers cannot seem to sabotage this election. But good grief are they trying, says Justin Rosario
2. Poll Analysis
The Economist model for the election isn’t just bad for Donald Trump, it is now catastrophic. The model, that combines state and national polls with economic indicators now shows Trump has almost no chance of winning the Electoral College in November:
The Senate isn’t quite as sure a bet, but it isn’t that far off:
Polls are a snap shot in time, but when the polls are this consistent for this long, it is hard to see how Trump turns this around.
3. Quote Of The Week
“F.D.R.’s move is viewed as a rare failure by a master politician. But was it? Immediately after unveiling his proposal, the court ruled 5 to 4 that the Wagner Act, restructuring American labor law and relations, was constitutional, and a spate of pro-New Deal decisions followed. The very threat of court packing and the passage of time made this “nuclear option” unnecessary.
Let’s see if the current Supreme Court majority overplays its hand. If it does, then Mr. Biden’s nuclear option might not only be necessary but it will be seen to be necessary. But for now, let him not overplay his hand.”
- Charles Fried, the solicitor general of the United States under President Ronald Reagan from 1985 to 1989 in the New York Times
4. What to Watch
What: The Phenomenon - a documentary featuring highly credible evidence on the UFO phenomenon
Why: Well, why not? It’s not as if 2020 could get any weirder. ‘The Phenomenon’ is a great opportunity to turn off the politics for a couple of hours and immerse yourself in UFO conspiracy land. In all seriousness, this is one of the better UFO documentaries out there due to the credibility of the interviewees and sources. After the New York Times ran credible footage of UFOs earlier this year, the possibility that we are in fact being visited by extraterrestrials has become a little more palatable. With the likes of Sen. Harry Reid, Gov. Bill Richardson, ex astronauts and high ranking intelligence officers all going on the record in this documentary, it becomes clear that the US government is almost certainly hiding evidence from the public.
Oddly, our extraterrestrial visitors appear to be interfering with our nuclear capabilities, apparently having deactivated nuclear weapons around the world on many occasions. Given the current state of global politics, this is quite reassuring.
It’s a well crafted piece of film making too so eminently watchable.
Where: Amazon Prime
5. Good News
Democrats hold huge advantage in early voting
Early voting is favoring Democrats in a big, big way. As Politico reports:
Democrats have opened up a yawning gap in early voting over Republicans in six of the most crucial battleground states — but that only begins to tell the story of their advantage heading into Election Day.
In a more worrisome sign for Republicans, Democrats are also turning out more low-frequency and newly registered voters than the GOP, according to internal data shared with POLITICO by Hawkfish, a new Democratic research firm, which was reviewed by Republicans and independent experts.
These big margins likely won’t hold when GOP voters go to cast their ballot in person, but it is a very good sign for Biden. According to a survey of election officials by CNN, more than 45 million Americans have already voted around the country. This indicates overall turnout will be extremely high, and that almost always benefits the Democrats.
Have a great weekend!
Read the latest for Banter Members:
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The entire Red Hat entertainment complex is screaming about Hunter Biden's connections to China. But the president has a Chinese bank account and a history of business dealings there, says Bob Cesca
The Ratf**kers Are Losing
The coalition of Trump enablers cannot seem to sabotage this election. But good grief are they trying, says Justin Rosario
The Phenomenon is really something! Never realized that there is so much documented evidence for UFO's. Urgently need to check with the aliens can help us space their orange cousin. )
The Founders of this nation never planned for a pathological narcissiatic sociopathic liar to occupy the Presidency. Trump and his base is the living proof of how one flawed man can so easily knock it all down.