The Presidential Debate, "Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" Megathread

[CountDeMoney]

For the sake of fact-checking, trolling, and overall monitoring the slow, agonizing death throes of American democracy as it happens!, I would like to keep the running dialog on the debate tonight in here.  If only to reduce the stress on "the Election" thread.

[mongers]

Good idea, thanks for reminding me it's own soon.

[11B4V]

Goodie, goodie..

[Jacob]

It is going to be grand, I have no doubt. Time for some pearl clutching, some gloating, some tut-tutting, and perhaps even some lols.

Will Trump stop lying? Will he manage to look like he has any kind of plan that's even remotely coherent other than pissing off progressives, ethnic minorities, and the politically correct?

Will Hillary manage to somehow land on that tiny magical spot that is "yeah, I guess she's human" and somehow shrug off the years of vilification?

Tune in and find out!

Just a note - this year last time Romney was leading against Obama in most (if not all polls).

[lustindarkness]

  If only to reduce the stress on "the Election" thread.

Stress? What stress?

[CountDeMoney]

The weight of gravity.  What if somebody doesn't log in until tomorrow and find 25 pages of minute-by-minute color commentary?  That's not polite.

[DGuller]

Can't really bring myself to watch it.  What am I going to get out of it?  Nothing, except maybe cognitive decline.  And almost surely a sense of disappointment.  The best possible scenario is that Trump shows himself to be utterly unfit, but even then it would be depressing that it required a debate to prove it.  And all the other possibilities are just downhill from here, and they're considerably more likely.

[CountDeMoney]

The best possible scenario is that Trump shows himself to be utterly unfit, but even then it would be depressing that it required a debate to prove it.

He's been doing that for a year    You just have a chance to see reason #3,136 live.

[lustindarkness]

The weight of gravity.  What if somebody doesn't log in until tomorrow and find 25 pages of minute-by-minute color commentary?  That's not polite.

Define "polite" please, thank you.

[Legbiter]

Maybe nothing very interesting will happen. Trump will be fairly subdued relatively speaking and Clinton will not have any health issues. Tone and body language rather than what's being said will generate an overall vibe and determine the winner.

Trump has an advantage I'd say.

[DGuller]

The best possible scenario is that Trump shows himself to be utterly unfit, but even then it would be depressing that it required a debate to prove it.

He's been doing that for a year    You just have a chance to see reason #3,136 live.

Exactly.  And I generally don't need more than 10 reasons to come to a conclusion, so what's the point of running up the count after that?  I don't find this circus amusing, I find it very frightening.

[jimmy olsen]

 Link to the debate stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Am6ovK7s

[Legbiter]

Link to the debate stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Am6ovK7s

Thanks.

[lustindarkness]

The best possible scenario is that Trump shows himself to be utterly unfit, but even then it would be depressing that it required a debate to prove it.

He's been doing that for a year    You just have a chance to see reason #3,136 live.

Exactly.  And I generally don't need more than 10 reasons to come to a conclusion, so what's the point of running up the count after that?  I don't find this circus amusing, I find it very frightening.

Same reason I have to watch. 

[CountDeMoney]

and Clinton will not have any health issues

  What are your friends in Trollkin Land laying odds on?  Stroke? Loss of bladder control? Uncontrollable tremors?  A case of "the vapors?"