this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2024
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[–] originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com 93 points 9 months ago (4 children)

it will accomplish nothing.

conservatives dont care about facts, or policy or governing. its me me me me and nothing else.

a debate will be ignored by both sides as superfluous.

[–] NuXCOM_90Percent@lemmy.zip 17 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Policy and governance largely don't matter since it is "I dunno, I'll try to avoid overly fucking over The American People while getting some stuff better?" versus "I am going to turn this into gilead (just much stupider since a literary, or even tv, reference is too much for that moron"

But I do think it would "help" to have at least one "debate". I know a couple people who were really worried about Biden and were buying into the "he has dementia and is weak" propaganda. When he thought trump was attacking Beau and went off on him... that convinced them.

interesting perspective, thank you!

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[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 56 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I don't see the point, they are running for two different offices.

Biden wants to be President
Trump wants to be a ChristoFascist Dictator

https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-2024-christian-right-truth-social-rcna132082

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/11/12/trump-rally-vermin-political-opponents/

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/donald-trumps-dictator-promise-is-no-joke

There really isn't anything to "debate". His fan base can't be reasoned out of a position they never reasoned themselves into in the first place.

So what's the point?

[–] EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The point as i see it would be to maintain decorum and keep the structure and tradition of our election process rather than letting it continue to degrade.

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 22 points 9 months ago

Problem is Trump shows no interest in decorum, structure or tradition. Neither do his followers.

Treating them as though they do elevates them.

[–] PrinceWith999Enemies@lemmy.world 53 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I think the time of American political debates, and to an extent American democracy, is over.

Arguably, political debates are meaningless today. When they were hosted by the League of Women Voters and the candidates had to actually answer questions, it was interesting and potentially informative. Now, it’s scripted to the point of being useless. Candidates will refuse to answer questions and simply repeat talking points prepared ahead of time and which have already been aired in countless political ads. Candidates like Trump won’t even go that far, but treat it like a campaign rally where they’re playing a professional wrestling character.

Trump decided there was no need to debate in the primaries. He’s the chosen one. I don’t see why the democrats should bother to debate either. Biden’s not going to win or lose based on the debate. It’s going to come down to turnout. I can’t imagine that there’s anyone on the fence other than whether they’re going to bother to vote or not.

[–] Telorand@reddthat.com 12 points 9 months ago

Biden would be better served actually making impactful public statements that invigorate people to turn out. Trump is constantly trying to win in the court of public opinion, and if Biden doesn't meet him on that field, Trump wins by default.

[–] rosymind@leminal.space 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

The only way this works is if each candidate has 1 minute to answer and is then MUTED at the 1 minute cut off, AND for the duration of the next person's turn. Further, each should be seated in a sound-proof box, with a light that is turned off so that no-one can hear them or read their lips unless the microphone and light are on

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[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 44 points 9 months ago

Something tells me we should not be giving the guy who said he'd be a dictator "for a day" time on the air.

[–] SayJess@lemmy.blahaj.zone 38 points 9 months ago

Giving him a microphone on national television is a terrible idea. He will absolutely use that time to spew hatred, lies and the most absurd conspiracy theories.

His moron supporters will eat it all up, not unlike how puppies eat their own shit.

Every major news network wants this debate to happen. Think about the outrage money, it angrily prints itself!

[–] lurch@sh.itjust.works 20 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not even from the US and I know Trump is incapable to stay remotely on topic. By the fourth sentence he will be trailing off about Tim Apple or that space wall he will build against aliens and Hunters laptop and Hillaries emails and how everyone is witchhunting him. There simply won't be an actual debate either way.

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[–] paddirn@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago

He should refuse on the grounds that Trump is an illegitimate candidate who attempted an insurrection on Jan. 6th. He should say that he is willing to debate serious candidates, but that Trump should be disqualified from running per the 14th Amendment.

[–] dhork@lemmy.world 16 points 9 months ago (6 children)

Why does everyone assume Biden would lose in a debate with Trump? He already beat him at the polls once. Yea, Biden is four years older than last time but so is Trump.

If anything, if Trump is declared ineligible to run, that's when Biden needs to worry. Because it's one thing to be debating someone your own age, and another thing entirely to be debating someone 30 years younger.

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 28 points 9 months ago (1 children)

It's not about whether Biden would win or lose a debate. It's the fact that winning or losing won't make any difference, because the MAGA crowd will only see the heavily edited and clipped version that is shown on Fox.

There's also the worry that agreeing to a debate could be considered a tacit acceptance of Trump's elligibility. If Biden agrees to debate with Trump, he's also agreeing that Trump can run for president and deserves to be on the debate floor.

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 10 points 9 months ago

This is a good point... By Biden declining the debate after accepting it for years ago he's sending a message. That message is that Trump is absolutely not qualified to run for this office.

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 11 points 9 months ago

I just don't think it would help. The less people see of Trump, the better. Let his madness and instability define him without any opportunity to spread misinformation and lies on a national scale.

[–] Silverseren@kbin.social 10 points 9 months ago

Biden pretty handily beat Trump in the 2020 debates. Though conservatives just ran around with clips of Trump running his mouth during the debate and claiming that meant he won.

[–] Taco2112@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago

I think that it’s not people thinking Biden would lose. I don’t see any point in it because the MAGA crowd don’t want to listen to anything Biden says so why even give them any potential ammo?

It’s basically what Trump is doing now with the Republican primary debates. No one says anything bad about Trump and they just keep attacking each other. Of course if Biden doesn’t debate, some will say Biden is too afraid but just turn it around on them and ask why isn’t Trump at any of the primary debates?

[–] Dukeofdummies@kbin.social 5 points 9 months ago

It's not just whether or not Biden would win.

It's "Can Biden and Trump stay coherent standing for 3 hours in an unscripted environment"? Does it matter if Biden wins if the match was predominantly two elders bickering over whether or not we should pull out of Iraq? Both of their ages are a point of concern and the complete lack of live, unscripted, hardball interviews does little to quell that fear.

Polls have never been this bad for a returning president in decades. Historically support for third party candidates have decreased as election cycles get closer but at the same time, you've never had candidates this hated. Third parties are absolutely going to eat up votes from both parties this election year, and a horrid debate performance, even if a win, will make the issue worse.

[–] banneryear1868@lemmy.world 4 points 9 months ago

Win/lose isn't even a thing in these debates, it's a meaningless political spectacle which by it's nature benefits Trump because he is the political embodiment of this.

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 13 points 9 months ago

“If he gets the nomination, Republican primary voters will have given him legitimacy. I mean, we don’t hand it out like gummy bears or something,” he said.

[–] thefartographer@lemm.ee 12 points 9 months ago

What kind of debate? Trump shouldn't even be allowed on the ballots, much less to breathe air outside of prison walls.

[–] rustyfish@lemmy.world 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

And since when exactly do conservatives care about reality? It’s a waste of time. Those who voted for Trump in 2020 will vote for him in 2024 (except the few geniuses who needed a fucking insurrection to stop worshipping him).

[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

Or the ones who need a ressurection thanks to Covid denial.

[–] rustyfish@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago

Imagine bringing one of them back to life and when asked about the afterlife he just abuses the spotlight to ramble about Hunter Bidens Laptop.

[–] Arthur_Leywin@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"Debate". If it happens I'll only be watching it for memes lmao

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[–] ristoril_zip@lemmy.zip 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

They're idiots, then. Debates don't matter, but NOT going to a debate if your opponent does/will matters.

As far as Biden taking on Trump, that matchup will be fine, just about the same as last time with less COVID.

[–] PeepinGoodArgs@reddthat.com 7 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

NOT going to a debate if your opponent does/will matters.

You know Trump isn't going to go. And if Biden stutters just once, his entire implied persona as being not senile will tank.

Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt—someone somewhen in the past

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 11 points 9 months ago

Nobody whose not already voting for Trump cares about a stutter.

I’m looking forward to a few one liners from Biden, and maybe some carpet chewing from Trump.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 8 points 9 months ago

ABSOLUTELY NOT. GOOD GOD MAN, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR DAMNED MIND?!?

There’s genuinely no point. All it will do is give Trump free airtime.

[–] Clbull@lemmy.world 7 points 9 months ago (1 children)

My question is... would Trump even choose to participate in the debates if he (inevitably) wins the Republican nomination? He's refused to even engage with the primary debates in his own party and is still leagues ahead of any other candidate in the polls.

If he doesn't, I hope Biden takes part anyway and that Trump gets empty chaired. They could either invite some third party (Libertarian, Communist, etc) or independent candidates to give Biden someone to debate with, or give Biden a fully uncontested soapbox to ramble with the debate moderator. The latter would be hilarious to watch and would truly show what a farce this election is becoming.

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[–] aew360@lemm.ee 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Holy shit yes he should. Let people see how unhinged Trump is compared to someone like Biden

[–] Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago (2 children)

We did. We saw it all. We saw it live on TV over and over again.

His fanbase does not care.

The wrestle with a dirty pig quote comes to mind.

[–] JDPoZ@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago

The wrestle with a dirty pig quote comes to mind.

...That and the "play chess with a pigeon" quote.

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[–] Something_Complex@lemmy.world 5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I feel like we should leave debates for coherent candidates

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