Byron York’s Daily Memo: The First Debate: The Revenant Bear and the ‘Shit Show’ Divide
In the first moments after the debate, a “shit show” divide emerged in the commentary. There were those on the anti-Trump side who quickly embraced the term. “Imagine being a world leader and watching this shit show and wondering what is happening to the U.S.,” tweeted the New Yorker’s Susan Glasser. “This debate is already a shit show,” said former network newscaster Elizabeth Vargas.
And then there were those who put aside their emotions and tried to envision what voters saw. “A messy, unpleasant event that nevertheless gave voters a pretty clear idea of who these candidates are,” tweeted the writer Mickey Kaus. “High-energy, no discipline vs. wan, dreary throwback to Obama (‘green jobs’) with a little left craziness (eg antifa doesn’t exists).”
Who won? We’ll know more in a few days. But it seems clear that Trump will be advised to dial it back for the next debate. He’ll probably take a close look at public reaction to decide whether to follow that advice. But he now knows that while Biden won’t magically collapse, he is also not terribly good at debating on this level. Next stop October 15, in Miami.