So we have an uncharacteristically early presidential debate coming up next week and I'm curious how folks think it will play out.
IMO it is shaping up to be the most consequential debate at least in my lifetime. Just thinking about the last three presidential campaigns:
The 2020 debates were really bad for Trump, but I would argue that his campaign was dead in the water for months before that.
Hillary beat Trump at all three debates in 2016, but obviously that wasn't enough for her to win. Still, even if she had won I don't think anyone would have pointed to the debates making any difference one way or another.
Romney beat Obama in the first debate in 2012, arguably the only one that mattered, and still lost the election. IMO more than anything else, I think this is and 2016 are the biggest pieces of evidence that debates generally don't make a difference one way or another.
But here will be a different story. It's early enough in the campaign and given the situation with both candidates, it could be a real make or break moment for either. It's Biden's opportunity to significantly weaken the narrative that he's too old and feeble to do the job, but at the same time if he blows it there could be real panic leading up to the Democratic convention. I think a lot of people are rightfully expecting Trump to do poorly since he has never had a good debate, but I also wouldn't underestimate him.
The timing is also interesting not just with the recent Trump conviction but he is also beginning to open up a lead in polling and in key rust belt states (and is also closing the gap in the sunbelt states). IMO if Biden makes a good impression and wins the narrative war, I could easily see the polling continue to shift in his favor and sit around Biden +5 nationally until the election, which is enough for him to eek out a win. He could also open up a larger lead, but right now the priority needs to be keeping his campaign competitive, which is in the neighborhood of Biden +5 IMO.