Dispatches From the Fortress – Day 202

Tonight's debate begins at 6 PM my time. I'll probably decide around 5:55 if I'm going to watch it live or wait 'til later and watch the highlights, leaving open the possibility of watching it in full on YouTube or elsewhere. One nice thing about the Internet is that you can watch things like this minutes, hour or even days later.

I've probably said this before here but I'm not a fan of these debates. The time limits prevent anyone from giving an answer of any substance and often, candidates get cut off just as they're getting to the topic I want to hear. It's a format that invites zingers much more than actual discussions of policy. There's a small live audience tonight — about seventy people, I believe. One report says they'd all be tested for COVID-19 before being admitted. I'm hoping they'll also be screened to make sure neither candidate is packing the place with supporters.

I guess the thing that always bothers me about them is this argument that your guy "won the debate." You don't "win" this kind of debate the way you win a baseball game by scoring more runs or win a golf tournament by taking fewer strokes. There's no numerical scorekeeping. Still, both sides will be out in force afterwards, making arguments they could have pre-taped about how their guy "won" in some non-numerical way. I suppose you could say that someone won a debate if their polling numbers moved significantly to better positions but that movement, if any, won't be known for some days. And it won't necessarily be because of the debate because there are plenty of other recent news items that could have budged them.

I'll make one prediction: The biggest tune-in for a presidential debate ever. Donald will probably consider that alone a "win" for him, regardless of how well he does or does not do.