looks like Biden's held his lead, though he lost a few points. Hopefully, he gets his sh**t together for the July debates.
This. He also needs to do much better on a debate stage with Trump.
You seriously think Trump is going to agree to debate his opponent?
Yes, he likes being on TV. He proably feels "safer" now than in 2016 since he's been in office for over three years.
The debates were a boon to the Trump campaign in 2016. If anything, Democrats should be mulling over their participation. They would do a great service to our democracy by denouncing the events as mindless spectacles and putting an end to the entire pathetic tradition.
The primary debates are important, at least for the party not in power since they are the cheapest way to take continual shots at the incumbent party. They are particularly important for the unknown candidates since it is their only shot (however fleeting) that they have to become a contender.
In the general election, it seems different to me. Most people watching have already picked a side and they watch it like a sporting event. "Good one Trump!" "Knock him down Hillary!", etc. I'm not sure it actually changes anyone's mind, though it might affect voter turnout in cases where the candidates aren't boring.
I think the 2016 Democratic debates were an exception since Bernie Sanders was almost viewed as a third party candidate to a lot of new viewers who were never interested before.
