Comments by "Peter deWolf" (@StoneShards) on "First Presidential Debate Analysis and Reaction" video.

  1. I think Trump wasn't fully prepared for the fluid style of the debate, which meant a faster pace of interaction. That presented a challenge to a person keen on maximizing every opportunity: faster pace means opportunities present and disappear more quickly. And, then, too, everyone forgets the challenges of extemporaneous speaking.
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  2. Trump could have let Biden finish more of his sentences, since that's where Biden tends to flub. But, Biden still didn't look good; he looked weak, frail, and still thoughtless. Trump's into a 3-night engagement, so I look for him to change it up next time, having sounded Joe out; Trump missed opportunities to drive his points home with specific information. Now he's got a good idea how to prepare, a sense of Joe's more tender weaknesses. The CNN panel, afterwards, needed to take a break to recover--that's what THEY said! They'd never seen anything like it! hahaha...
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  3. I think Wallace put his own little twist on the style of "debate" moderation. It was the most efficient such political theater I've seen, notably because of the "high flow rate", if you will: not a lot of dead space.
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