Vee

ABC says it didn't do enough to change the race for Trump. "Joe Biden had his best debate in 2020." Said he was surprisingly aggressive and very strong.

Biden brings up the Central Park 5. Trump is now babbling about "the laptop from Hell". Trump is uhhh, doing some sort of supposed BLM chant: "Pigs in a blanket/Fry em/Like bacon!" Admits he "doesn't know what to say" to unhappy Black voters. Trump: "I am the least racist person in this room!" Biden: "Abraham Lincoln here is the most racist president we've had in modern history." Invokes the Proud Boys. "This guy is a dogwhistle about as big as a foghorn!"

Trump on a relief bill: "Nancy Pelosi doesn't want to approve anything - " Welker: "But you're the president." Biden finally invokes the Heroes Act. Rails against the GOP doing nothing, McConnell and Trump doing nothing. "Mitch McConnell said let 'em go bankrupt!" Trump is now rambling about the bill being for "high crime Democrat cities" and illegals. Biden replies: "When I get elected, I'm gonna be an American president. I don't see red states and blue states, what I see is America, United States!" The media loves this sort of thing, BTW You can handwring if you want to, but Joe is killing it tonight. He has also succeeded in both making Trump lose control and keeping him at bay at the same time. Welker to Trump: "How will you reunite [undocumented] kids with their families?" Trump rambles about coyotes and cartels. Joe: "Their parents were with them! They separated them from their parents! And it makes us a laughing stock and violates every notion of who we are as a nation! Parents were ripped from their arms and they were separated! It's criminal!" Trump just said "only the lowest iQ" immigrants/asylum seekers come back legally?

Pressed by Welker on how to sanction China, Trump has no answer. Joe addressing the camera again: "There's a reason he's bringing up all this malarkey. It's not about his family or my family, it's about your family, and your family's hurting right now. [...] We should be talking about your family, and that's the last thing he wants to talk about." Trump is angry, ranting and mocking Joe's rhetoric about the family table. This whole thing has been bad for Donald, but that retort about Biden's family table rhetoric is the fatal blow for him with the Beltway. Trump whines about his good relationships with dictators. Biden: "We had a good relationship with Hitler before the war, too." Trump interrupting and angry now. Biden invokes the public option! Joe is having a ball, laughs as Trump stares directly into the camera, bugeyed and miserable. Now Trump is ranting about Kamala and Bernie. The new tone is long gone. Joe: "He's a very confused guy. He thinks he's running against somebody else. He's running against Joe. Biden." Donald is melting down.

Trump is rambling about Hunter, and suddenly just claimed Joe was "selling pillows and sheets". The baffled look on Joe's face (and mine) was priceless. That line is going to be the takeaway from tonight. Joe is now bringing up Trump's secret Chinese accounts. He's having fun. Trump is once again defending not releasing his tax returns. Weak night all around for him. Trump is now rambling about Joe being "the big man" in China. "You're the big man, I think!" Over and over! LOL "Stop playing around!" Trump is struggling not to interrupt as Biden mocks him for not revealing his taxes in four years. Losing his temper. "They spied on my campaign!" Joe is laughing. Trump is now rambling about "Muller". New Tone Thursday is officially over, but Joe is doing very well and staying above the fray. Happy and smiling. Trump foolishly leaves Joe the opening to bring up Ukraine and the impeachment again. Trump is now babbling.

Biden is much more energized tonight than Donald so far. "'Learning to live with it?' We're dying with it!" [...] "Instead of being in a sand trap in his golf course, he should've been working with the Congress." LOL - Donald is now denying he didn't take responsibility, saying "I take full responsibility" but then blaming China. Trump rambles about NYC some more. Joe: "I don't look at this as blue states and red states. They're all the United States." Trump now playing defense on his comments about Fauci. "I think he's a Democrat, but that's okay!" Trump has nothing tonight. He's soft, full of excuses and clearly trying to stay on message but it's not going to pull votes. The Beltway may cream over him being quiet and not interrupting much (yet, anyway) but Joe is very strong tonight and Trump comes off lethargic. And now, Donald's losing his temper. Biden scored points bringing up Rudy, Putin and the bounties on soldiers again.

Donald looks weary and slow at tonight's debate. End of his first answer (word salad) and Trump looks winded and agitated. He got that look at the end of his first answer that is always his tell when he's off balance. Grilled on a vaccine timeline, Trump backtracks and says it could be "by the end of the year". He's restrained so far, but lethargic. The media may kvell over the "new tone" again, but that's not worth getting agitated about - it never lasts and it never is reflected in public opinion, so they all back off.

The cut-short 60 Minutes interview makes Trump look terrible and weak, so of course he posted it himself ahead of time to make things worse for himself. Thread: Another, longer thread:

Very nice.

Ratcliffe, of all people!, literally just said that any claims of election fraud or voter interference are "just untrue." He just tanked Trump's narrative. This appears to be an attempt to blame election interference inside the U.S. from white supremacists on foreign powers. tbh they can cover their ass all they like, AFAIC. All that matters to me today is this is not Comey II, not that I think that would work as well this time. And it does severely damage Trump's claims.

I do not think this is going to be that close. But I am still staying very vigilant and very nervous.

The new trailer for David Fincher's Mank, featuring not just Amanda Seyfried this time but also Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan, GL) and Joseph Cross (Casey, ATWT).

And more:

LMAO:

That is hilarious fantasy. Meanwhile! Between the above and the news that Thursday's debate will automatically mute mics between responses, I feel like we're in for a fun few days. As for this headline, this attack already has failed. The Hunter stuff has never worked and never will, and Trump took a huge hit for it in the last debate with voters.

Begging:

"Volume 2" is up!

It sounds to me like they're running from it, but my bet is Trump's ego will force him to show up against the admin's advice and implode again.