Kamala, the Donald Slayer

The Vice-President destroyed the former President in their first debate. It will be hard to recover from his debacle.

How did we get this lucky? In our hour of greatest need a politician emerges who, as Mika Brzezinski said on Morning Joe, “was superb. She was confident, she was classy, she was joyful. And she also went right in there and baited him over and over and over again - and he fell for it each time.”

Harris was prepared. She immediately and methodically presented her ideas, emphasized that she would “put you first” and outlined key elements of her plan for an “opportunity economy” that would improve the lives of every day Americans. Trump’s economic agenda consisted of closing the border, drilling for oil and imposing historically high tariffs that would wreck the economy.

Trump couldn’t handle it. As several have observed, the moment that Trump unraveled was when Harris invited “all Americans to attend a Trump rally and to see the lies in person. And to see how tired and boring the rallies are.” Trump just lost it from then on. Trump looked old, out of touch and talking primarily to the MAGA base. It is very unlikely that Trump won over any of the new voters he desperately needs and quite likely - if the focus groups and instant polls after the debate are any indicator - he lost many voters still undecided.

His foreign policy statements were a disaster. He would not say if he wanted Ukraine to win its war against the Russian invaders, His only answer to ending the Gaza War was to say that it wouldn’t have happened if he had been president. When Harris said that world leaders are laughing at him, he held up corrupt Hungarian autocrat Victor Orban as a validator of his “great leadership.”

Even on Fox News, Brit Hume said that Harris won hands down, that there was no way to sugar-coat it. Over at MSNBC, Chris Hayes said that Harris was the best person to ever debate Trump — and Lawrence O’Donnell interrupted to say that it might have been the best performance ever in a presidential debate. Eugene Robinson said it was “the most comprehensive beat down I have ever seen on a debate stage. If there was a mercy rule, it would have been called early.”

Trump knows he got beat. He actually came out personally to the spin room afterwards to attack Harris, attack the moderators for occasionally fact-checking him (three times), and attack the media for its unfair coverage. Fox News has picked up the claim that the debate was really “three against one.”

It won’t work. It would have been journalistic malpractice not to correct Trump’s claim that “In Springfield they’re eating dogs! They’re eating cats!” - a bizarre anti-migrant myth that has been disproved by local officials and media. We are likely to see that clip over and over again in the weeks ahead. It’s standard crazy fare for Trump rallies, but tens of millions of people had the chance to see it up close.

This debate makes it very hard for major media to continue sane-washing Trump. This is the practice of shifting through the crazy talk and pulling out one or two nuggets of policy that they then pretend are the main take aways from his rants. The debate showed the full rant.

Former Obama campaign aide Jim Messina said on television Wednesday morning, “Thirty years from now people will show the clips of Harris ripping him apart on abortion as the prototypical example of how to do this. The substance, the passion, looking straight at him, making it personal with stories of the emergency rooms. You could see swing voters moving. We have not seen an evisceration like this in modern American political history.”

Kamala Harris also did the most important thing she had to do before her largest national audience to-date: She passed the Commander-in-Chief test. Americans can now see her as president. Can feel comfortable with her leadership. This is no small feat for someone who would become the first female president in American history.

Perhaps the best, most comprehensive assessment was given by former Fox News host Chris Wallace. After Trump made the unprecedented move to go into the spin room to try to convince people that they did not see what they just saw, claiming “It was the best debate I’ve ever personally had ,” Wallace said this on CNN:

“I didn’t think I would ever see a debate as devastating as the one where Joe Biden essentially tanked his re-election campaign. I think tonight was just as devastating. Kamala Harris pitched a shut-out on just about every issue I can think of. She shut Donald Trump down on abortion. She shut Trump down on January 6 and democracy. She shut him down on national security. She turned to the former president and said ‘the military leaders who served with you think that you are a disgrace.’ And at the end, she very powerfully made the case that she is the candidate of change, that we need to turn the page from a decade of division and polarization.

“On substance, she pitched a shut out and I think she did on style as well. The image of the debate is that she is on stage happy and smiling, expressive, shaking her head in dismay at things Trump was saying. Trump looked angry, scowling. She was looking directly at the audience; he was looking at the moderators. And something else: Donald Trump looked old tonight.”

Wow.

It is fitting that we close with a momentous development right after the debate. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Taylor Swift gave a ringing endorsement of Kamala Harris. She sent this thoughtful Instagram message to her over 283 million followers around the world. (Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clarks was one of millions who liked the post.)

“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight. If you haven’t already, now is a great time to do your research on the issues at hand and the stances these candidates take on the topics that matter to you the most. As a voter, I make sure to watch and read everything I can about their proposed policies and plans for this country.

”Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation. It brought me to the conclusion that I need to be very transparent about my actual plans for this election as a voter. The simplest way to combat misinformation is with the truth.

”I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election. I’m voting for @kamalaharrisbecause she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them. I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos. I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate @timwalz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.

”I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early. I’ll link where to register and find early voting dates and info in my story.

”With love and hope,

”Taylor Swift
Childless Cat Lady”