Biden and Trump agree to debate

[Ronson]

I haven't kept track of past debates (mainly because I rarely care about it), but I hear that the timing of this debate is unusual. It's either that, or something's coming that will cancel debates and bail Biden out.

There are a lot of theories floating around on the early date. Aside from keeping RFK Jr. off the stage, one theory is if Biden flops big time, it will be mostly forgotten by November (especially if the September debate goes ahead). Also, if he flops big time they still have time to possibly get a replacement (I'm still expecting to see Michelle at some point). Trump just wants a chance to get at Biden, but also the early date will likely be better for Trump's availability (although I think that any judge would delay court proceedings to allow for the debate).

[seanD]

There are a lot of theories floating around on the early date. Aside from keeping RFK Jr. off the stage, one theory is if Biden flops big time, it will be mostly forgotten by November (especially if the September debate goes ahead). Also, if he flops big time they still have time to possibly get a replacement (I'm still expecting to see Michelle at some point). Trump just wants a chance to get at Biden, but also the early date will likely be better for Trump's availability (although I think that any judge would delay court proceedings to allow for the debate).

Even if by a miracle, they actually have the debate, you'd think that their stringent rules -- i.e. the timing, no audience attendance, mics must be muted, can't be a conservative broadcast, et al. -- trying to make it as plausible as possible for Biden to get through it would send off alarm bells in and of itself, but here we are. We all know Biden is senile and just pretend like this is all normal.

[Sam]

Unnamed sources... and no dates

NYT reporting and the linear nature of causality vs. your haphazard speculation.

It's easy enough to reframe your thinking and acknowledge that we have two sets of extremely professional campaign staffers who work in the background setting up these events.

But that would require some adjustments to the lazy narrative that folks here get way too much enjoyment investing themselves into.

-Sam

[CivilDiscourse]

NYT reporting and the linear nature of causality vs. your haphazard speculation.

It's easy enough to reframe your thinking and acknowledge that we have two sets of extremely professional campaign staffers who work in the background setting up these events.

But that would require some adjustments to the lazy narrative that folks here get way too much enjoyment investing themselves into.

-Sam

You have nothing so far, please try again

[rogue06]

There are a lot of theories floating around on the early date. Aside from keeping RFK Jr. off the stage, one theory is if Biden flops big time, it will be mostly forgotten by November (especially if the September debate goes ahead). Also, if he flops big time they still have time to possibly get a replacement (I'm still expecting to see Michelle at some point). Trump just wants a chance to get at Biden, but also the early date will likely be better for Trump's availability (although I think that any judge would delay court proceedings to allow for the debate).

One judge made a point of forbidding OMB time enough to go to his son's graduation ceremony.

[Sparko]

I am curious to see Biden in the upcoming debate compared to Biden in his last debate. I am guessing the difference in his behavior, speech and alertness will be glaring.

[rogue06]

How were Biden staffers caught off guard when they have been negotiating the details of a debate with Trump campaign staffers for weeks?

The urge to peg this into some narrative about two candidates who don't know what they're doing or where they are on a given day is just making people willful dupes, the kind of folks who insist, despite being grown adults, on treating WWE personalities like they were real.

-Sam

Apparently what caught them off guard was when old Joe announced that he was eager to debate OMB when he was on Howard Stern's show late last month. Since then there have been talks.

[Sam]

One judge made a point of forbidding OMB time enough to go to his son's graduation ceremony.

This is false:

Source: Trump Appears to Be Ditching Barron’s Graduation for a Fundraiser. Hafiz Rashid. Yahoo! May 7, 2024

Donald Trump got a day off from his hush-money trial next week after requesting to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation. But on the same day, he’s actually scheduled to attend a fundraising dinner in Minnesota.


Trump is required by New York state law to attend all of the proceedings in his hush-money trial, so his legal team had to file a motion with Judge Juan Merchan asking permission for the trial to be put on hiatus on May 17. Merchan agreed to do so, but Trump is also scheduled to be the headline speaker at the Republican Party of Minnesota’s annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner in St. Paul that day. (Barron is graduating from Oxbridge Academy in Palm Beach, Florida.)

Trump has complained to reporters since mid-April that Merchan was not allowing him to go to his son’s graduation.

© Copyright Original Source

-Sam

[rogue06]

Apparently what caught them off guard was when old Joe announced that he was eager to debate OMB when he was on Howard Stern's show late last month. Since then there have been talks.

So Merchan finally gave him permission. I guess OMB's putting a spotlight on it put some pressure on him.

And everything I've seen so far indicates that OMB plans on attending. But we'll see. Going to multiple events in one day is not anything new for him.

[rogue06]

Apparently what caught them off guard was when old Joe announced that he was eager to debate OMB when he was on Howard Stern's show late last month. Since then there have been talks.

Confirmed

Howard Stern interview put gears in motion


Biden’s declaration last month to Howard Stern that he was “happy” to debate Trump, a statement that wasn’t planned ahead of time, helped spur a chain of events leading up to Wednesday’s announcements.

Both candidates’ campaigns believed that the earlier the men could debate, the better. It made little sense to debate after voters were able to cast ballots, which would have been the case if they stuck to the schedule proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

[seanD]

Confirmed

Howard Stern interview put gears in motion


Biden’s declaration last month to Howard Stern that he was “happy” to debate Trump, a statement that wasn’t planned ahead of time, helped spur a chain of events leading up to Wednesday’s announcements.

Both candidates’ campaigns believed that the earlier the men could debate, the better. It made little sense to debate after voters were able to cast ballots, which would have been the case if they stuck to the schedule proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

I guess it comes down to, will their attempt to put as many training wheels on the debate that they can for Biden and allow it to happen and hope for the best, or will something come up at the last moment to disrupt it all? Being that it appears his handlers were caught off guard, makes it interesting, because now they apparently have to plan things at the spur of the moment.

[Sparko]

I guess it comes down to, will their attempt to put as many training wheels on the debate that they can for Biden and allow it to happen and hope for the best, or will something come up at the last moment to disrupt it all? Being that it appears his handlers were caught off guard, makes it interesting, because now they apparently have to plan things at the spur of the moment.

Maybe they will just keep cutting Trump's mic until he gets mad and blows up, or walks out. Then they can claim victory and mock Trump.

[Cow Poke]

Maybe they will just keep cutting Trump's mic until he gets mad and blows up, or walks out. Then they can claim victory and mock Trump.

Supposedly, the mic turns off when the time expires, but that won't keep Trump from mocking Biden.

[rogue06]

Maybe they will just keep cutting Trump's mic until he gets mad and blows up, or walks out. Then they can claim victory and mock Trump.

Apparently the rules being agreed to is that their mic will be muted when the other person is talking. IIRC, that was what they agreed on for the second debate in 2020.

[rogue06]

Supposedly, the mic turns off when the time expires, but that won't keep Trump from mocking Biden.

I wouldn't put it past OMB to whip out the equivalent of a "Mister Microphone" so he can be heard on old Joe's mic.