DeepSummary
The transcript is a discussion of the first presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump, where Biden's performance was widely criticized as a disaster by pundits and commentators from across the political spectrum. The panelists, Mary Katharine Ham and Ben Smith, analyze Biden's numerous gaffes, incoherent statements, and lack of command during the debate.
They speculate on the potential fallout from Biden's poor showing, including discussions within the Democratic Party about replacing him as the nominee. However, they acknowledge the difficulty of such a scenario given how late it is in the election cycle. Trump's performance is also evaluated, with some praise for his relative discipline, albeit with characteristic moments of going "off the rails".
The broader implications for American politics are touched upon, with concerns raised about the decline in substantive policy discussions and the increasing focus on personal attacks and unorthodox behavior from candidates like Trump.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Joe Biden's performance at the first presidential debate was widely panned as shockingly poor and incoherent, sparking discussions within the Democratic Party about potentially replacing him as the nominee.
- While Trump demonstrated more discipline and coherence than expected, his performance was still laced with characteristic moments of going off the rails.
- Broader concerns were raised about the deteriorating state of American political discourse, substantive policy debates being overshadowed by personal attacks, and whether norms of civility from past elections can be restored.
- Replacing Biden faces major logistical and political hurdles given how late it is in the election cycle, Kamala Harris's lack of widespread appeal, and Biden's long-held presidential ambitions.
- Trump's populist, anti-elite appeal exemplified by his potential embrace of JD Vance may signal a permanent shift in Republican politics away from the days of candidates like Mitt Romney.
- The Biden campaign may feel pressured to put Biden in as many public appearances as possible to counteract concerns about his cognitive abilities after the debate performance.
- Overall, the panelists seemed to view Biden's debate outing as an unmitigated disaster with potentially far-reaching consequences for the Democratic Party and the norms of presidential campaigns.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “This was a game changing debate in the sense that right now, as we speak, there is a deep, a wide and a very aggressive panic in the Democratic Party.“ by Mary Katharine Ham
- “You know, I was thinking during this debate, and this is probably a, a bigger question than this debate. It's a very big question. But, Mary, Kathy, you've been an observer of this for a long time, particularly from the right and the evolution or devolution of the Republican Party. Do we spring back from this? I mean, is there a politics that looks anything like Mitt Romney and Barack Obama? Or. I was watching the debate between George HW Bush and Michael Dukakis, and it's like this is a different universe. Nothing even similar at all. You would think that they were playing different sports. Do we get back to this point ever?“ by Michael Moynihan
- “Joe Biden is gonna be, like, at your 4 July barbecue, like, just trying to prove to you and to every other American that he's just doing fine. Like, that's the only answer for them to shove him out there everywhere.“ by Mary Katharine Ham
Entities
Person
Company
Episode Information
Honestly with Bari Weiss
The Free Press
6/28/24