lmao at that thread starting with the OP:
On the eve of the second Democratic primary debate and after last nights debate, I've come to that question in my mind again...
What is the best way to beat Trump in a debate?
I looked at last nights debate with this question at the top of my mind. Which of these candidates has what it takes? What does it take?
Back in 2016, I pulled for Bernie. By default, I still am today but I'm open minded. The thing is, I felt Bernie could take Trump. He's a bulldog in debate. He can match Trumps boisterous New Yorker type attitude. But nowadays I'm even having second guesses about that. Would it be enough? And here's why.
Trump is a bully. He's not a politician. He's an entertainer. When politicians are on stage, they're looking to get their point across the longest and be the last one to speak. But Trump doesn't play the game that way. He wants to be the rudest (direct insults) and most imposing figure on stage (see him stalking Hillary during that fucking awkward town hall debate in 2016)
How do you counter that? As it is with bullies, if you play their game, you've lost. But if you choose not to play their game, you've still lost. And it's that thought that racks my brain so much.
Imagine if Hillary turned around in that old town hall and just said "Donald, why are you following me around the stage like a creep?" Would that have worked? It would have been a direct insult but... That would then have made Hillary look worse. But lets go with the thought that Hillary was a poisoned candidate and there was nothing she could have done to make people side with her on that...
What would Bernie be able to say if Trump stalked him around stage? What would Bernie be able to say if Trump constantly slammed his podium while screaming "SOCIALISM SOCIALISM SOCIALISM!!!"
Honestly, shit, I worry that if it came down to it and we had a candidate that DID find a secret way of getting under Trumps skin on stage, would Trump then pull another trick out of his sleeve? Live tweetstorming for example? He loosens his tie and starts spitting into the microphone, "This whole debate is rigged and you're all fake news! This is the perfect example of everyone being against me!" Hell I even recall times during the Hillary Trump debates where he openly whined about moderators giving Hillary more time than him.
It's just that Trump is a bully. He does not give a fuck. Can someone that DOES give a fuck, beat someone that does not? But really, I just want this thread to be an exploration of, what is the most effective way of beating Trump in a debate.
also they way they talk about Trump and even these things we call "debates" is hilarious, everyone freaked out last time and all he did was talk over the moderators a few times and had the ability to flawlessly speak in tweets after years of on-Twitter performance
he wasn't stalking Hillary in 2016, all the candidates wind up wandering around in town hall style press conferences, Trump just didn't sit down on the giant stool like everyone else does when it's not their turn, this had the effect of him winding up in every camera shot unintentionally because Hillary is shorter*... he even mentioned that had he known about the camera lines he would've sat down, dude is obsessive about where the cameras are
*the same thing happened in 2004 and 2008 with Kerry and Obama being taller (Kerry was also accused of being "aggressive" and shit when he also just wasn't sitting down)
