We swapped dentures for teeth

Reminiscent of 2008.

And sadly, large swaths of his base would just eat it up for tElLiNg It LiKe It Is or because they're mostly racist misogynists.

I’m willing to bet that’s the goal on Harris’ part. The Democrats have finally found that the way to unravel him is just belittle him rather than giving him any measure of power. If the debate goes forward unmuted, she just has to be dismissive and call him weird/old/whatever and I guarantee he’ll fly off the handle.

He was able to keep it contained against Hillary back in the day and just called her a "nasty woman". He will have no such restraint with Harris. I'm expecting him to say he will "see you next Tuesday", like he did with that lawyer. It's the type of thing an edgy twelve year old would say, which is why I expect him to say it.

I am sure that she has studied everything that he said about Clinton and all of his tactics and is just ready to tear him apart. That said I suspect his plan will be just to talk solidly and not give anyone a chance to say anything. The more noise he puts up and doesn't answer any questions The less that he can get into trouble.

I also suspect if it starts going poorly for him he just walks off stage.

I think it's because she knows he'll say some outlandish shit when it's muted and she wants to make sure that when he forgets that he has a live mic, it's all on tape.

That's the only way it's a good idea. Otherwise, he'll just keep interrupting her throughout the whole thing and she won't be able to get a word in edgewise.

Yes she's a former prosecutor and thus used to argue for a living but that was a) a long time ago and b) in a highly regulated setting where there's serious consequences for breaking decorum.

In a "debate" on a for-profit yellow media outlet, he's not going to be held in check by the moderator(s) or anyone else and even though most if not all of his blathering is going to be lies, he's likely going to win by default for being "high energy" or whatever bullshit the corrupt pundit class comes up with to spin his lunacy and childish bullying as a show of strength.

That's already what the Trump team is demanding. They want to have mics muted because they realized how much better it made Trump look at the Biden debate.

Trump has cognitively declined since 2016 and is increasingly incoherent and nasty. I think the Dems are gambling that many voters aren't watching his stump appearances so this is a good way to expose him to voters.

I think its too big a gamble and mute him. I think he will expose himself enough on his own turns to speak.

Came here to say this. How will they shut him up? The people who came to hear him talk will want to hear his word salad gospel, no matter how long he yammers for. She won't be able to get a word in.

And based on what happened with Hillary Clinton, there should also perhaps be a demand that he stay put at his lectern and not be allowed to walk around the stage/behind her...

RECLAIMING MY TIME

Harris isn't a smug elitist nor a doddering old fool. She'll cut him off and dress him down.

The problem is that muting his mic when it's not his turn to talk doesn't keep him from spewing rampant bullshit when it IS his time to talk.

It clearly isn't her plan to refute his lies and lend credence to the ridiculous things he says. It's probably to say "what? That doesn't even make sense .... Lol he's still talking.... Haha he just keeps ranting and those aren't even words." Or something. I obviously don't know her exact plan but she understands that standing there trying to fact check him won't work.

I didn't know about the muted mics at the last debate so when I saw all the highlights I was surprised how calm and respectful Trump was to Biden. I couldn't understand it, I thought maybe he was being kind and had some sympathy to Biden due to his ill state at the time.

But then I remembered who the F he is and now I know his mic was muted it all makes sense. I'm surprised he didn't just try shouting anyway over the muted mic.

But just watching those highlights in isolation without that knowledge it almost...... kinda almost made him seem human.

So definitely, unmute the mics so we see the real Trump and let him implode.

That's what everyone was saying prior to the 2016 debates, but despite shouting over Hillary constantly those were at best a tie but more likely a Trump win on balance.

I'm not saying it can't work, but Harris needs to be able to control the room and put Trump in his place by force of personality alone. She needs to bite back and shut him down successfully, and that's not all that easy to do.

Taking the high road and "letting him make a fool out of himself" is not gonna work out the way they want.

Clearly not, since the most recent one is why we have Harris instead of Biden as the candidate.

But the goal isn't just to convince people that you're better than the other candidate

it's to convince sympathetic people to get out and vote for you, and if not that, then at least not vote for the other.

I think people are largely decided on who they are not voting for, but who they are voting for is a bit different.

The election is a circus, the candidates are Carneys. They have great games and fabulous prizes, they just need your vote.