It Was a Mistake to Trust ABC

David Muir and Linsey Davis Had One Job: Close the Deal for Kamala Harris

I was wrong. I thought debating Kamala Harris would be important because it would be the only time for Trump to expose Harris, since the reporters won’t. But I was wrong. Never in my life have I seen moderators as one-sided as these. Trump was not prepared for it and it threw him off his game. Harris, by contrast, basked in the loving support she got from her friends.

The debate served just one purpose: to close the deal for Harris.

The network had a chance to show the American people that it was not on the Democrats' side. They failed. Even Taylor Swift took the opportunity to endorse Harris tonight after the debate.

That said, of course, Harris won the debate. He never rattled her to the point where she lost her cool. She was comfortable in her attacks on him. She was in her happy place. She gave the speech of her life. She was very prepared. She thought well on her feet. She pivoted when she needed to pivot.

In his defense, given the questions they asked him, there was no way for him to win this debate. It was 100% biased in favor of Harris. But he would have done better to chill out a little, relax a little more, and not take the bait by her. Trump is at his best when he’s funny. He is at his worst when he is on the defensive.

ABC didn’t seem as concerned with regaining public trust as they did with helping Harris beat Trump. It’s moments like these when I hear those words from a great movie, “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

Will it matter? Hard to say.

Trump was stuck in a strange place. He was warned not to get personal. Meanwhile, Harris was hitting him below the belt time and time again. The moderators continuously put Trump on defense and threw easy softballs at Harris. It was embarrassing. They should hang their heads in shame. But they won’t. “Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

Trump didn’t nail her on Afghanistan, nor did he bring up “gender-affirming care” on minors. The moderators didn’t fact-check Harris when she repeated blatant lies about Trump, like “good people on both sides,” like the “bloodbath” lie. But “forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.”

It’s possible her aggressive stance alienated many. Maybe they ended up feeling bad for Trump. I did. I found Harris as irritating as I always do. She came off to me as smug, mean, condescending - just as she did when she debated Mike Pence and the other Democrats on the stage in 2020.

The question is whether this will matter in this very tight race. Will it give Harris the 2 or 3 points she needs to distance herself from Trump?

Hillary Clinton won every debate with Trump. The press handed her the win. She was way ahead in the polls. But it didn’t seem to change things for her. The unseen voters for Trump turned out. Hillary’s voters stayed home. I can tell you this much: Kamala Harris’ voters won’t stay home, and those who do will have their ballots harvested. This isn’t 2016.

Here is some analysis from Twitter:

Americans know what living under Kamala Harris and Joe Biden is like. They know. I’m not sure a debate can fix that problem.

In sum, the debate was like sitting in my mom’s living room and being forced to watch MSNBC. I’m glad it’s over. I can’t wait for the election to be over. Even if Harris wins the election, the Democrats are still stuck with her as their president, and she will be a terrible president. Their empire is still collapsing. There is nothing they can do, no election they can win that can fix that. All they can do is kick the can down the road.

Here is Ben Shapiro’s reaction:

My advice? Stay off of social media for the next few days until it calms down. There is nothing more annoying in this world — and I mean nothing — than sanctimonious Democrats spiking the ball.

This is Megyn Kelly’s post-debate wrap-up. If you are interested.