By Ray Cardello for September 12, 2024, Season 28 / Post 36

Donald Trump had a horrible night, and many, including me, felt he lost the debate. I thought the former president had let this opportunity to regain the White House slip away. I may have missed an angle on the outcome of what may be the only face-to-face of the 2024 election. Trump lost, but Kamala Harris did not win. When her keepers challenged Trump to a rematch before the lights went out in Philly, they acknowledged that their paper lion did not accomplish her task. Kamala Harris left many questions unanswered, but worse, she exposed the actual depth of her campaign with the numerous lies she resorted to to disparage Trump. This was where she lost the Independents, the most crucial voting block. These are the voters who will determine the outcome of the election,

We focused on Trump’s performance and saw him flustered by Harris’ persistent lies and lack of detail while restrained by the moderators. I am not referring to the moderators by name as they do not deserve the attention. These two ABC employees were a support team for Harris. Trump spoke for more minutes than Harris, but much of that time was spent defending against bogus allegations that the moderators should have caught. On the other hand, Harris was being asked short, direct questions and then fed follow-up softball questions. There was something very rehearsed about the interaction between Harris and ABC’s team. I would not be surprised if we had a repeat of the CNN/Donna Brazile/Hillary Clinton scandal in 2016.

I watched many recaps of the debate on various outlets, and the legacy media was celebrating, but the focus groups highlighted on many segments on FOX were revealing. The response of Republicans was predictable. The blue and yellow lines representing the reactions of Democrats and Independents told a deeper story. When either candidate was speaking on key issues like the border or economy, the blue (Democrat) line flattened, showing a neutral reaction to Trump or Harris. These two issues, not abortion, will determine people’s votes, and that is not good for Harris. People are paying attention to these issues, and she is part of the team that put us in the horrible place we find America.

The yellow (Independent) line tracked the red (Republican) line on all key issues. The pollsters all agreed they had not seen such tracking since 2016 when Independents supported Trump. The Independents who commented say that Harris did not answer any of their questions about her policy switch. The details she does supply indicate a move to the left and not center. They do not see a break from the Biden/Harris administration and they do not think that is best for the country.

The Independents also have a credibility issue with Kamala. They are concerned not only with the constant string of lies but are also leery that she will stay close to the center. They feel she is commenting to win the election, and once in play, she will revert to her Socialist side. Harris is using a curious message in her advertising that she is the new generation of leaders. First, she is part of the current power team. If we need a new generation, we would be looking at someone far younger than Kamala and Walz.They are part of the swamp, and the Independents are seeing through her.