The final presidential debate, Thursday, featured a more strategic and measured President Trump who allowed Democratic nominee Joe Biden to speak more freely and thus tie himself in knots with his own policy proposals, including admitting to wanting to gut the oil and natural gas industry in this country. The liberal media have spent weeks denying this fact, so it was no surprise that CNN’s so-called “journalists” kept far away from it as they attacked the President.
Kicking off the hot takes, consistently shoddy Jake Tapper proclaimed that Trump “theoretically” acted like a normal human. “It was definitely a more normal debate. President Trump behaved more like a regular person might, theoretically,” he told Wolf Blitzer.
Adding: “I think it's fair to say that Trump supporters and Republican officeholders can relax for the night. They can exhale. He didn't set himself on fire tonight like he did at the first debate.”
After accusing Trump of lying “like Pinocchio,” Tapper admitted that Trump got in some “clean hits” on Biden. But there was no mention of Trump getting Biden to admit he would “transition from the oil industry, yeah.”
Instead, Tapper complained about Trump using “Fox lingo that most voters have no idea what he’s talking about” (a tacit admission that CNN hides critical news from their viewers). And showing his contempt for Trump supporters, Tapper declared Trump was feeding them “raw meat” like they were a pack of rabid animals.
And after continuing to lie about separated families at the border, he tried to say the debate didn’t change the race:
So, I think at the end of the day, Dana, the race has been fairly stable. I think, you know, there might be some movement when it comes to soft Trump supporters who were unsure feeling like, well, that's a more normal person than the last debate. And maybe even some points scored in terms of getting black men, who really hate that 1994 crime bill and their families on board, perhaps.
But I don't see anything that will change the trajectory of the race in a significant way. What do you think?
Of course, chief political correspondent Dana Bash completely agreed like the good Zuckerbot that she was. Adding: “As you said, there were a lot of things that [fact-checker] Daniel [Dale] will get to that were just flat out lies and they got off course talking about things that probably most people don't care about, especially in where we are in a pandemic in very, very tough times.”
Next up was political correspondent Abby Phillip, who saw fit to try to discount the President’s debate performance by arguing that the substance didn’t change from the last debate or his stump speeches (Click "expand"):
Yeah, and you know, honestly this debate was just the same content from the first debate except that now you could understand what people are saying. And so in that respect, it was better because people could, you know, really evaluate the differences between what was being said.
But in terms of the substance of what was being said, the President fell into some of the same patterns, continued to down play the virus and the effect of this upswing that the country is currently in right now heading into the holiday season.
(…)
I think the president really walked back into that trap because if you listen to him day to day like we all do, you hear the same content that he gives off in all of his interviews, in his media gaggles. It happened on the debate stage in a calmer tone, but it still isn't bridging the gap with the voters in the middle.
She also complained about how Trump brought up the harmful and dangerous policies of Democratic governors and mayors. “He kept doing something that I think Joe Biden actually tried to exploit, which is dividing the country into red states and blue states,” she whined. “Repeatedly talking about the red states or the blue states are doing this and the blue states [that].”
Just like with their usual coverage, CNN’s goal was to keep the focus on Trump so they couldn’t talk about Biden’s problems. And as expected, they refused to discuss the Hunter Biden laptop scandal. This is CNN.
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The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN’s Post Debate Analysis
October 22, 2020
10:37:20 p.m. Eastern(…)
JAKE TAPPER: Yeah, that's right, Wolf. It was definitely a more normal debate. President Trump behaved more like a regular person might, theoretically. I think it's fair to say that Trump supporters and Republican office holders can relax for the night. They can exhale. He didn't set himself on fire tonight like he did at the first debate.
I mean, he did lie like Pinocchio and I'm sure Daniel Dale will get to that in the fact checking section. But beyond that, it's fair to say, I think, President Trump got in a couple of clean hits when it came to Vice President Biden, when it came to the 1994 crime bill, when it came to Joe Biden being in politics for so wrong. He even probably even fed some raw meat to his base successfully using Breitbart and Fox lingo that most voters have no idea what he’s talking about. But he got those shots in there however based in reality they are.
The problem for the president as I see it is twofold. One, Joe Biden did fine. He had a fine performance. He definitely reached the threshold. And given that so much of this election is a referendum on Donald Trump. And he is the underdog, according to polls, Joe Biden is ahead. Joe Biden did nothing to disqualify himself. It was a fine performance.
And the second problem is that Joe Biden scored points. He got his licks in on issues that I think might affect voters more when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. When it comes to health care and the fact that the Trump administration has not offered any sort of viable alternative to ObamaCare. And then there was that rough moment that had to do with the fact that -- of the child family separation policy, there are still more than 500 kids that the Trump administration has not been able to place back with the parents, whose arms they snatched them from.
So, I think at the end of the day, Dana, the race has been fairly stable. I think, you know, there might be some movement when it comes to soft Trump supporters who were unsure feeling like, well, that's a more normal person than the last debate. And maybe even some points scored in terms of getting black men, who really hate that 1994 crime bill and their families on board, perhaps.
But I don't see anything that will change the trajectory of the race in a significant way. What do you think?
DANA BASH: I agree with you. Look, we all described in colorful terms what we thought of the first presidential debate. And this was a debate. It's what Americans should expect when they are watching two people who want to be the leader of their country, the leader of the free world, to try to figure out where they stand on policy issues and where they are when it comes to their character.
As you said, there were a lot of things that Daniel will get to that were just flat out lies and they got off course talking about things that probably most people don't care about, especially in where we are in a pandemic in very, very tough times.
But Donald Trump listened to his advisers this time. I talked to a lot of them going into the debate. They told me exactly what they were trying to get him to do, which is much like they did the last time. He didn't listen last time. He did this time for the most part. But do you know what? So did Joe Biden. He did what he practiced to do.
ABBY PHILLIP: Yeah, and you know, honestly this debate was just the same content from the first debate except that now you could understand what people are saying. And so in that respect, it was better because people could, you know, really evaluate the differences between what was being said.
But in terms of the substance of what was being said, the President fell into some of the same patterns, continued to down play the virus and the effect of this upswing that the country is currently in right now heading into the holiday season.
He kept doing something that I think Joe Biden actually tried to exploit, which is dividing the country into red states and blue states. Repeatedly talking about the red states or the blue states are doing this and the blue states --
TAPPER: Your Democrats, your Democrats governors.
PHILLIPS: Yeah, and if you watch the ads that are on television for the Biden campaign right now, the message right now is not about coronavirus. It's not about fracking. It's not about any of those things. It's about unity. It's about bringing the country together. And you saw Joe Biden repeatedly saying I'm not going to do that.
I think the president really walked back into that trap because if you listen to him day to day like we all do, you hear the same content that he gives off in all of his interviews, in his media gaggles. It happened on the debate stage in a calmer tone, but it still isn't bridging the gap with the voters in the middle.
(…)
