In the post-debate analysis last night on one of the cable channels, one analyst pointed out that no politician — male or female — had ever done what Vice President Kamala Harris achieved in her triumph over Donald Trump: she belittled and humiliated him.
Using sports metaphors, another political analyst said that you can’t complain about the referees (debate moderators) if you can’t even make your jump shots. A third one added: she pitched a shutout!
Peter Wehner in the Atlantic magazine had these thoughts.
Peter Wehner: “I’ve been watching presidential debates since 1976, and I’ve even been peripherally involved in a few. And I’ve never seen a candidate execute a debate strategy as well as Harris did.”
“The night, for Harris supporters, went better than even the most optimistic among them could have hoped. For Trump supporters, it was not just a defeat but a public humiliation, the crushing comeuppance they probably secretly feared might one day arrive but, until now, never quite had.”
“What Harris appeared to understand, better than anyone else who has debated Trump, is that the key to defeating him is to trigger him psychologically.”
