Dem
51
GOP
49
The debate was a near-disaster. We know that. We went through that Saturday ad nauseum. If you took the weekend off, you might want to take a look, as (Z) really outdid himself.
Why "near-disaster" rather than "full-on, total, unmitigated disaster"? Well, Joe Biden raked in $27 million in the 24 hours after the debate (and $33 million in the first 48 hours). While Thomas Friedman and Paul Krugman are crying in their white whine, ordinary Democratic voters reacted to the debate by whipping out their credit cards and going to ActBlue. According to the staff accountant, $33 million is technically considered a lot of money. It is even more than the $26 million Biden got from the star-studded event in March at Radio City Music Hall that featured Biden along with Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Stephen Colbert, Lizzo, Mindy Kaling, and many other stars. A haul of $33 million does not speak to disillusion and despair among the grassroots. Thursday was the best fundraising day of the entire campaign and Friday was second. In contrast. Donald Trump raised only $8 million in the first 24 hours after the debate.
Money leads to more money. When the big donors see that the small donors are still on board, it may cause some of them to reevaluate and get out their checkbooks. If the small donors (a.k.a. voters) are not giving up, maybe a sense of hopelessness is a bit premature, especially after Biden's speech in North Carolina. If he can repeat that in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, hopelessness may give way to hope. Also, we may have to wait, say, 2 weeks to see what the polls are like after the debate and after a few (powerful?) performances like the one on North Carolina. Don't forget, the general public generally has the memory of a flea. A few reminders of what life was really like under Trump may jog that memory. Yes, young Black men look to be moving in Trump's direction. Maybe this video of the Ku Klux Klan in Charlottesville and Trump's remark about "Very fine people on both sides" might remind them a bit:
And Biden could bring this up a couple of times when in Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Detroit, Raleigh, or Atlanta. (V)