Maddow’s Blog | The debate reinforced Biden and Trump’s greatest vulnerabilities

At the start of 2024, Democratic officials were feeling even more anxious than usual about the presidential race, as polls showed President Joe Biden in a relatively weak position against donald trump. When Ezra Klein of The New York Times discussed in February that it was time for the incumbent to abandon his reelection plans, his case ricocheted like a pinball throughout the party.

Biden and his team saw his State of the Union address as an opportunity to answer questions — and the president rose to the occasion. In an impressive display, the Democrat presented a compelling vision in a forceful and compelling way. Over the course of a single night at the Capitol, Biden silenced critics and reminded voters why they elected him in the first place.

Ezra Klein returned to the subject, a month after his provocative argument generated so much conversation, writing with a not-so-subtle dig at himself: “If the Joe Biden who showed up to give the State of the Union address last week is the Joe Biden who shows up for the rest of the campaign, you won’t have those weak-kneed pundits anymore.” suggesting he is not prepared to run for re-election.”

Three months later, the circumstances were similar. With national and state surveys showing Biden behind his criminal rival, it was once again time for the president to intervene, present a strong and convincing performance at national level and eliminate doubts about his preparation, as he did at the beginning of March.

In the first presidential debate of the cycle, this was not what happened. Like an NBC news report summed up:

But as important as this was, and as Democrats begin to Google whether it is even possible to replace a candidate, Trump’s weaknesses have also been exposed.

Before the debate, the presumptive Republican nominee was widely seen as a scandal-plagued liar who lives in his own reality, who has no vision for the future and who has no defenses for the many catastrophes of his failed first term. After the debate, the former president left no doubt that he is yet a scandal-plagued liar who lives in his own reality, who has no vision for the future and who has no defenses for the many catastrophes of his failed first term.

A New York Times report observed during the night: “Mr. Trump was confident and energetic, even as he unleashed a series of misleading attacks and falsehoods.”

Well, yes, I suppose so – although, as a rule, it is easy for a candidate to be “confident and forceful” when he drops the pretense of honesty and lies uncontrollably. In fact, winning debates is surprisingly easy when candidates decide they can say anything and hope to get away with it.

I don’t doubt that much of the political world’s focus will be on Biden’s faltering performance, but Trump’s shamelessly dishonest demagoguery was just as important.

Some other conclusions from my notes:

* These circumstances sure seem familiar. For a variety of reasonssitting presidents invariably loses the first debate during his re-election campaigns. The Biden team hoped to break the “curse.” Did not happen.

* Biden is a better president than candidate. Some people excel in job interviews but have trouble actually doing the work. For the Democratic president, it is the opposite.

* The democratic panic is about to get much worse. If you thought Democrats’ overnight anxiety was overwhelming, it’s about to reach a whole new level. I remembered a smart piece Dave Weigel wrote for Slate 12 years ago, after the first Obama/Romney debate.

“[T]The first presidential debate reminded me Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace,” Weigel wrote in 2012. “Democrats walked out of the theater/turned off the TV saying ‘huh, well, I wish it were better.’ After a few days talking to friends, everything goes from a disappointment to the worst shit in the history of humanity.”

As talk of last night’s debate spreads and voters who didn’t watch hear the rumors, the feeding frenzy will intensify.

This article was originally published in MSNBC.com