"I DIDN'T KNOW HIM, BUT HE SURE KNEW ME" / WHO WON THE DEBATE?
Vol. III | Issue. 257 | September 12, 2024
When a tearful, accordion-playing Black mourner along the funeral route back from Warm Springs, Georgia, where FDR died on April 12, 1945, to Washington, D.C., was asked by a local reporter, "Did you know him?" the tearful mourner responded, "I didn’t know him, but he knew me." To a nation in mourning over the death of President Roosevelt, who had shepherded America through war and depression, the connection was deep, and FDR's passing evoked a deeply emotional response. Had the mourner in the iconic photo known of FDR’s resistance to civil rights for Black citizens in the South—given his necessary fealty to keeping the then-cracker South solidly Democrat for political purposes—it might have added complexity to the scene. That said, and despite all of his many contradictions, flaws, and corrupt instincts, FDR knew his people, which brings us to the question:
Who won the debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris?
On the visual plane, Harris looked great and seemed poised, but for the most part, although she answered nothing and conveyed nothing, she definitely got under Trump's skin. There is also a plurality of opinion that she "won the debate." For those preaching to the choir, it seems their guy “always wins” the debate, but guess what? That doesn’t matter. What does winning mean? Does it mean getting compliments for your performance, high marks for delivery, or quantifying the number of zingers delivered to the guy on the opposite dais? Or does it mean that you reached and convinced the voters you need to win over?
I’ll be the first—or maybe the zillionth—to admit that based on superficial optics, Trump "lost" the debate. He looked peevish, angry, and often petty, but guess what? That’s vintage Trump. Kamala had a secret weapon the other night: She made it more difficult for Trump to be tough on a woman until he found his stride. Trump was never at that disadvantage with Hillary Clinton in a pantsuit because she didn’t quite look like a "girl," so it was easier for him to come out swinging.
In the so-called "spin rooms," it was pretty easy for the pundits to call Harris’s performance brilliant—a clear winner—with all the usual adjectives. But guess what? The post-debate analytics have conveyed a different story. Presidential debates aren’t about "winning" based on style or even command of the issues. Just ask our friend Al Gore, who ran circles around George Bush in 2000. Gore had all the smugness of the always-smartest kid in the class and showed that Bush was ignorant about who the Taliban were in Afghanistan. Well, Bush didn’t know who they were, but he did know how to kick their a** when the time came (militarily, that is).
As it turns out, Trump’s performance resonated with many independents who are leaning towards voting for him or who remained in place. As for Harris, while she appeared not as ignorant as many thought she would, she failed to win over the independent voter in her direction.
Here’s why, and it’s simple. Trump has a record, and so does she. People know viscerally that they aren’t better off now than they were four years ago—in fact, quite the opposite. Trump’s red-meat responses and rhetoric weren’t just aimed at his "base" but at everyone out there who can’t afford their groceries, fill their tank, or live safely in their communities. In short, Trump, in his often obnoxious and seemingly unappealing style, has the ability to communicate on debate night to the "he sure knew me" Independent voter.
Kamala Harris is still the incompetent Far-Left advocate and implementer of policies that are destroying The American Way.
As for the polls, pundits, and predictions, just like the 40th President, Ronald Reagan said, there is only one poll that counts, and that’s the one on election day.
-Emes