William A. Jacobson (legalinsurrection.com)
"Democrats were “thrilled with her facial expressions, thrilled with how she mocked him visually while he was talking, and that was deliberate. There’s no question that was deliberate—that was part of their plan. I just don’t know how that’s going to play. I don’t think it’s going to play well.' ”
. . ."So, it was anger at the moderators, frustration that Trump wasn’t making a lot of the points I thought he could have made, but he was being Trump. And I’ve misjudged his appeal to voters and his electoral success so many times, so it is what it is.
"But there’s something else I took away from this—and it’s showing on the screen just to the side of me here. One thing I really noticed throughout was the faces that Harris was making—very condescending, very mocking, very childish, actually. I think that’s the one thing I remember more than anything about the debate.
"Now, I think Trump did a very good job, even though he didn’t make the points I thought he could have, like showing how she flip-flopped. He hit hard on the border and the economy, and I think that may have a lasting impact.
"What’s showing up in the focus groups—ones I’ve seen not by right-wing groups, but CNN, Reuters, NBC—there seems to be a disconnect between who they think won the debate and how they’re reacting substantively.
"Trafalgar was consistent with the others, showing a 15-point win for Harris in terms of who won the debate, but no movement in who people were going to vote for. CNN was interesting—they had an even larger, 20-plus-point win for Harris, but found that on the key issue—voters’ most important issue—the economy, Trump actually improved over pre-debate polling. Similar findings came from Reuters and NBC." . . .
The American Spectator |
Mark Penn is not the only veteran Democratic pollster and advisor to criticize the moderation. In an editorial, Doug Schoen, an advisor to President Clinton and N.Y.C. Mayor Mike Bloomberg, lamented that Harris "was aided and abetted by two ABC News moderators who seemingly felt the need to fact-check virtually everything the former president said."
What's Going on With CNN? Jake Tapper Rips Into Kamala Harris' Debate Performance – RedState . . ."When she was asked if Americans were better off, she went into a riff about how she was raised as a "middle-class kid" and she claimed she was the only one on the stage who had a plan that was about lifting up the middle class. So what was it? She wouldn't say. You mean like Joe Biden was always talking about lifting up the middle class while crushing them with the inflation and the border influx?
" 'Despite the economy being the number one issue facing the country," Tapper said, Harris "generally reverted to talking points about a few of her policy proposals. Even Harris allies today are saying that she needs to talk more about what she will do for Americans, if elected."
" 'On the border, she also dodged," he declared." . . .