this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2024
623 points (98.3% liked)

politics

19073 readers
5125 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

Even so devoted a bootlicker as Senator Lindsey Graham declared the debate a “disaster” for the ex-president.

Donald Trump is so feral and narcissistic, so unrestrained and so outside the norm of American politics, that he’s difficult to debate. It’s disorienting. Very few people have been able to stand up to him without being pulled into the muck. In the past, even when he lost debates on points, he dominated his opponents.

But on a Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Kamala Harris cracked the code.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] Ensign_Crab 191 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Trump was always broken. Harris just drew attention to it in the right way.

[–] pyre 89 points 1 month ago (2 children)

no but she really hacked him like a cyberpunk runner.

the issue of immigration is her worst and his best polling issue. so when she was answering that question she added this part about crowds leaving his rallies early. the moderator moved past that and almost helped him by refocusing the question on immigration but he just couldn't let it go. he not only focused on the crowd remark, but also went immediately unhinged, screaming about people eating cats.

it's like a fucking cheat code. look at his reaction to her saying people have early. it's like the sound the game makes to let you know the cheat code is activated.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Right? Such an obvious trap and he jumped into it, head first. Fascinating to see

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 month ago (1 children)

To attack a narcissist, you need to attack the cracks in the reality they paint for themselves.

It just so happens that as someone who has been an enthusiastic and professional grade debater for 40+ years, Harris also knew exactly how to do this without getting his mud on herself, and she knew to do it just as he was hoping to hit his stride.

It was great to watch. So many politicians from so many walks of life have been completely humiliated by Trump's ridiculous persona. He's so inflammatory, so full of lies, and so narcissistic professional politicians have been reduced to flinging his poo back at him. Instead Harris made him wallow in it.

[–] WoodScientist 11 points 1 month ago

I'm just pleased to see that they finally recognized how to debate Trump. He's a fat fart of a narcissist who debates with a cloud of grievance and endless lies. He isn't a regular candidate; he is simply a bully. And like all bullies, deep down he needs to make other people feel small because that's the only way he can not feel small himself.

The mistake that so many others have made is that they treat Trump like any other ordinary candidate. Instead, it seems like team Harris actually sat down with a few psychologists, got to the core of Trump's fragile psyche, and figured out how to break him. If he wasn't such a cruel villain himself bent on ruining the lives of countless others, I would actually think such a trick is unfair and cruel. But sometimes you have to do what's wrong in order to do what's right. Trump is so consumed with his own ego that he is literally willing to order the extrajudicial imprisonment and summary execution of people who offend his ego. He is a dangerous man that cannot be allowed near any real power. And if taking advantage of his mental deficiencies is unfair play, so be it. I am willing to break the mind of a signal malignant narcissist if it means saving the Republic. I have no more sympathy for his mental illness than I do for those of countless dictators through history. The worst tyrants of the 20th century may have had some legitimate psychological illnesses that made them act the way they do, but that does not excuse their actions. Mentally deficient or not, they need to be taken down by any means necessary.

Hell, the only reason I don't endorse violence to keep these people out of power is that it's counter-productive to create martyrs. These people need to be shown as the fools they truly are. Only then can the spell be disrupted. If Trump's attempted assassin had succeeded, a dozen baby Trumps would have quickly risen up following the same playbook. Trump instead needs to be defeated not with violence, but with total abject humiliation and defeat at the ballot box. He needs to die not as a martyr at the height of his power, but from old age, as a sad, tired old man, repeatedly defeated and ranting at the clouds, repeating facebook rumors, til his dying breath. THAT is how you defeat Trumpism. You have to break his psyche so fundamentally that he never recovers. He needs to be defeated resoundingly and made such a fool that no one will ever attempt his playbook again, or at least until his humiliation has passed from living memory. Ideally he will end up dying in prison. But regardless he needs to live to til the end of his natural life, making a greater fool of himself with every word he speaks, from now until the end, digging his pit of shame ever deeper. THAT is how you defeat a demagogue like Trump. You don't out-logic him. You don't kill him. You break him. You shatter what his left of his ego and mind. Leave him a blubbering fool trapped in the remnants of his own shattered ego. That is how you deal with Trump. You have no mercy, and you break him.

[–] Landless2029 23 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Holy crap she got me too!

I didn't realize she pulled out that bait on the immigration issue! That was calculated as fuck!

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Yea, I feel like I didn't see anything new from him. Kamala just lead him around like a dog on a leash, and exposed it better than anyone else has.

[–] RecklessBoon 18 points 1 month ago

I don't even think the immigrants would eat that dog

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Rapidcreek 158 points 1 month ago (4 children)

One thing I've come to believe is that the extended media reaction to a debate affects public opinion more than the debate itself. The media don't quite dictate viewers' judgments, but they shape and solidify them. And what this string of posts is making clear is that on the day after Donald Trump is still losing the debate. He's probably going to try to stage some dramatic bullshit to derail this media train.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago

Very astute observation. I think the only thing I disagree with is that I personally think the media do to a large extent directly dictate viewers judgements. Which makes the rest of your points even more salient.

[–] Zombiepirate 22 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He's going to eat a live dog to prove how hawrable it is.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Cryophilia 15 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Absolutely. If the media outlets had decided that Trump won, then Trump won. Almost no one actually watched the debate. They only looked at "highlights" curated for them.

[–] taiyang 18 points 1 month ago (3 children)

I mean, overnight numbers suggest it's a second most watched TV event since Superbowl, but you're not wrong in that people don't necessarily pay attention or process it. Highlights are the part people grab onto and boy do we have a lot of good ones.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Wouldn’t be surprised if he replaced Vance with RFK Jr now as that would kill discussion of the debate.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

He arguably can't.

He and vance are on the ballot. So is RFK, funny enough. Which is why RFK is trying to get off the ballot in swing states. The reason Biden could tag Kamala in is that the DNC had not actually chosen a candidate yet.

My suspicion is that an exception would be made rather than run into the mess of leaving republicans unelectable in states. But it would still be a giant shitshow and not in a good way.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] NineMileTower 69 points 1 month ago (1 children)

That motherfucker been broke.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] kmartburrito 57 points 1 month ago

🌎👨‍🚀🔫👨‍🚀

[–] [email protected] 57 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He should resign. Clearly he isn't capable.

[–] krashmo 41 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Resign from what, life? I'm on board that's just an odd phrasing

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Would not object. It's been a good run, Donald.

[–] HappycamperNZ 13 points 1 month ago

Hes never had a good run

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Makeitstop 50 points 1 month ago

On that stage we saw the two things most capable of utterly destroying Trump: A prosecutor, and Trump.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

She should have mentioned his tiny little hands after shaking them - dude has such a LDE vibe, I bet he'd have lost his shit.

[–] EtherWhack 20 points 1 month ago (2 children)

She's more mature than to stoop down to his level and ridicule someone's appearance or anything like that. The handshake was enough to get to him and plant that seed, a complete and total power move.

[–] taiyang 11 points 1 month ago (2 children)

The moment I saw that handshake I was like "oh. Power move". I think he even said "have fun" lol

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] twistypencil 26 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Did nobody notice the moment when he tried to silence her and added, 'sound familiar' to make some sexist remark about telling women to shut up? "I'm talking now, sound familiar?"

[–] TheKracken 36 points 1 month ago (3 children)

She said "I'm speaking" to shut up pence in the 2020 debate. That's what he was referring to. Still he's a dick.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] molten 21 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Wish I could read the article.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Trump is Humpty Dumpty.

[–] ThePowerOfGeek 27 points 1 month ago (3 children)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] homesweethomeMrL 17 points 1 month ago

Even so devoted a bootlicker as Senator Lindsey Graham declared the debate a “disaster” for the ex-president.

Lindsey Slam!

[–] NocturnalMorning 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

What did they expect Kamala Harris used to be a prosecutor?

[–] 800XL 16 points 1 month ago (2 children)

He thought he could take her because everyone around him always tells him what a good smart special big boy he is and they let him win at everything. As we all saw, his temper tantrums when he loses are something special.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] ValorieAF 14 points 1 month ago

New "aight I'ma head out meme" just dropped

[–] Fedizen 13 points 1 month ago

It was super effective. I am surprised he didn't faint

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 month ago
[–] Vandals_handle 11 points 1 month ago

Cautious hope that this may a "Have you no sense of decency sir?" moment.

load more comments
view more: next ›