The first polls are in following the presidential debate, and they are — thus far — almost identical to the polls before the debate.
That is something of a surprise, given that the media told us Vice President Kamala Harris absolutely destroyed former President Donald Trump.
Perhaps the rest of America didn’t hear a coherent economic policy? Perhaps they noticed that the moderators were insanely biased? Perhaps they didn’t like the scowling and smirking?
For what it’s worth, I thought Harris “won” the debate — or, to be more precise, she used it more effectively than Trump did. She needed to show Democrats that she could put up a good fight, and did so.
She did not close the deal with the electorate; indeed, she had no answers to basic questions, like “do you believe Americans are better off than they were four years ago?” But she confirmed to Democrats, who never voted for her, that she is a viable candidate.
Trump tried to beat her, which was a mistake.
For weeks, I had been saying that Trump should ignore Kamala at the debate, simply because no matter how well he did, or how poorly she did, her supporters would be led to believe that she had won. The ecstasy that greeted Kamala’s performance would have been the same had she bombed completely.
What Trump needed to do was to communicate to his own voters, giving them a sense of what victory will feel like.
Very few people watch debates to make up their minds anymore; most have already decided. Harris and her party understand that the election is really two elections — one for Democrats, and one for everyone else.
The Democrats feel “vibes,” vote by mail, and enjoy the adoration of the mainstream media. The Republicans — poor wretches — think about issues, and show up in person on Election Day. Unless they show up in overwhelming numbers, they lose.
Trump didn’t commit any egregious errors — the “dogs” and “cats” produced wonderful memes — and the “fact-checking” by the moderators probably helped him by making it clear once more that he is fighting a rigged system.
But he missed opportunities. When Kamala whiffed on the economic question, he should have pointed that out. When the moderators fought him, he should have pulled a Newt Gingrich and reminded them how awful they are.
The good news, for Trump, is that it probably doesn’t matter.
As I had also been saying for weeks, the debate will likely be a non-factor in the election. That’s because the underlying issues are so powerful.
Democrats are relying on abortion, but for most people, abortion is usually something that happens to someone else. Republicans are running on inflation, a border crisis, anxiety about crime — things that are, more or less, happening to everybody.
There is a quiet sense of urgency in America today, a feeling that things cannot possibly continue to go on like this.
Maybe your debit card was rejected at the grocery store. Maybe there’s a tent city across the street from you and the police won’t intervene anymore. Maybe your kids are being told they are transgender at school and you can’t do a damned thing about it. Maybe you wonder why our politicians are spending so much money on a war in Ukraine.
Everyone understands that Kamala Harris won’t change any of that, because the people in charge today will still be in charge if she wins.
So it is possible that Americans have already decided to give Trump another chance — as long as he isn’t too crazy. A man who stood up with a bullet wound in his head might just have the will to fix things.
In the meantime, let Democrats feel that at least they put up a good fight. Maybe that means they’ll accept the loss this time.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days, available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency, now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
