I watched a little of Fox and Newsmax after the debate last night. Although I didn’t hear anyone say it, I don’t think anyone thought Trump “won” or did a very good job. I think they all thought Harris did a better job, although they weren’t going to say that, either. I heard complaints about Harris not being specific about what she was going to do (not that Trump was any better in that regard), and I heard loads of complaints about the ABC moderators, that they were simply biased.

I actually thought the moderators did a good job. Their questions were clear, covered an array of topics, and I don’t think the questions were slanted. And they were faced with two problems. First, Trump wanted to get ghe last word on every question, and they let him. And second, after the CNN moderators were criticized for not doing any fact checking, they did try to fact check Trump two or three times.

Although I didn’t spend hours listening to post debate comments,  I did hear the CNN fact checker say that Trump made untrue statements more than 30 times, and Harris perhaps only once.

I might have been most interested in the Hatian immigrants in Springfield Ohio, who are eating people’s pets for dinner. Just, I guess, like they do on special occasions in Haiti.

There is obviously no evidence of this, as the city manager has confirmed, and it is a very racist comment. But I heard Trump trumpet it in the debate, and then I heard Kaitlin Collins ask JD Vance about it and he said (and I paraphrase) “Well, the city manager might be incorrect. We really don’t know. People tell us their pets have been eaten, and they are the ones on the line, so we have to listen to them. This may be happening only a little, or it may be happening all the time, right? And, I must say, I am disappointed in the media. You should be in Springfield investigating this story. But all you are doing is sitting here.”

I admit to being a bit concerned when Harris didn’t answer the first question about why so many don’t sense the improved economy. Instead she simply said (and I paraphrase), “And now, my opening statement….”.

But from then on, she was sharp and right on point, while all he did was “the Trump weave”.

In fact, she grew stronger while the night wore on, and he looked tired, tired and confused. When it came time for the summations, I was frankly shocked. Harris provided an acceptable summation, while Trump appeared to be having a hard time staying awake.

I thought she was at her best on women’s health and on tearing Trump apart. She critiqued his performance, his morals, his lack of plans and everything else about him, making sure to mention all of his former compatriots who wanted him banished from their sight. Trump didn’t critize Harris at all, other than to use his normal adjectives to describe her, and say again and again that the country was falling apart because of her, that her election would destroy it, and that World War III was right around the corner.

She did an acceptable job strattling the Israel Hamas war (what else can you do?) and I don’t remember him addressing it. On Russia Ukraine, he confirmed that he doesn’t care who wins, and that when he is president elect, he will call Putin and he will call Zelenskyy and the war will be over. Why he doesn’t do that today, I am not sure. After all, the war would end and, based on that, hr might be elected president after all.

In conclusion, he lost, she won, and it might have moved those few votes needed in the election.

But there is more to do.