October 16, 2020

Savannah Guthrie interrupted Trump aggressively and actively battled him throughout last night's town hall, but she failed to pin him down and left me still wondering...

... whether Trump failed to get tested the day of the debate with Joe Biden. That debate was September 29th. Look at how annoyingly evasive Trump is and how Guthrie never figures out the right question to do anything more than exaggerate the annoying evasiveness. 

I want a clear answer to the question whether it's possible that Trump already had the coronavirus during the debate and whether, suspecting that he was becoming ill, he avoided getting tested on the day of the debate. 

From the transcript:
Savannah Guthrie: (08:07) Your first positive test was Thursday, October 1st, okay? When was your last negative test? When did you last remember having a negative test? 

President Trump: (08:18) Well, I test quite a bit, and I can tell you that before the debate, which I thought it was a very good debate, and I felt fantastically, I had no problems before. 

So he, on his own, offers an assertion he "felt fantastically" — bad English, by the way — which gets out in front of my suspicion without exactly saying that he experienced no symptoms at all. There are may ways to feel fantastic, such as by taking a drug that masks symptoms or by concentrating not on your bodily feelings but on your mind. He'd just claimed it "was a very good debate" — which strains credulity — so he might have been thinking of his mood when he said he felt fantastic. Then he adds, "I had no problems before." Before the debate? Exactly when did he feel his first symptom? During the debate? 

Savannah Guthrie: (08:27) Did you test the day of the debate? 

President Trump: (08:29) I don’t know, I don’t even remember.

This is so important. I don't believe he can't remember! Wouldn't he have focused hard on proving that he had no knowledge of the approaching disease at the time of the debate? If he didn't test on that day, why didn't he? Was it because he felt the first twinge of a symptom and didn't want to lose out? Was it that he didn't want the misfortune of a false positive to pop up on that important day?

I test all the time. But I can tell you this, after the debate, I guess a day or so, I think it was Thursday evening, maybe even late Thursday evening, I tested positive. That’s when I first found out about it. 

The debate was on Tuesday, so did he have a negative test at least on Wednesday? Are both Tuesday and Wednesday blank in his memory? That's hard to believe, and why wouldn't he have checked the record to see when the tests were? It's so important. But he switches to what he "can tell" us — what we already know — that he tested positive on Thursday. Notice that he says "I tested positive," not "I first tested positive." But he says he "first found out" on Thursday evening. First found out what? It's weaselly, so that I'm thinking he's splitting hairs, concentrating on the fact that he got the Thursday test results in the evening of that day and not exactly saying that the Thursday test was the first positive test. 

Guthrie doesn't listen to his words and parse them back to him to pin down the meaning. She jumps to another point in time.

Savannah Guthrie: (08:44) Well, back to the debate, because the debate commission’s rules, it was the honor system.

 President Trump: (08:48) Yeah. 

Savannah Guthrie: (08:48) Would be that you would come with a negative test. You say you don’t know if you’ve got a test on the day of the debate? 

President Trump: (08:53) I had no problem. Again, the doctors do it. I don’t ask them. I test all the time. And they- 

Completely, annoyingly evasive! 

Savannah Guthrie: (08:57) Did you take a test, though, on the day of the debate? 

President Trump: (09:00) If you ask as the doctor, they’ll give you a perfect answer. But they take a test and I leave and I go about my business. 

Like he just doesn't bother to get up to speed on these little details. Ask my underling! Who knows?! I'm a busy man.  

Savannah Guthrie: (09:06) So you did you take a test on the day of the debate, I guess is the bottom line? 

President Trump: (09:07) I probably did, and I took a test the day before and the day before and I was always in great shape, and I was in great shape for the debate. And it was only after the debate, a period of time after the debate that I said, “That’s interesting.” And they took a test and it tested positive. 

On Thursday. What about Wednesday, the first day after the debate? Guthrie should listen to his words and use them in asking the next question, but she backs off and lets her eagerness to move on show:

Savannah Guthrie: (09:25) Just to button it up, do you take a test every single day?

President Trump: (09:26) No. No, but I take a lot of tests. 

Savannah Guthrie: (09:29) Okay. And you don’t know if you took a test the day of the debate? 

Now, she's repeating what he already said, that he doesn't know about that one day — the crucial day — and leaving the next day — Wednesday — completely unexplored.

President Trump: (09:31) Possibly I did, possibly I didn’t. But the doctor has very accurate information and it’s not only that doctor, it’s many doctors. The one thing, if you’re President, you have a lot of doctors you’re surrounded by.

Wouldn't he have wanted to know this information very exactly and found out for himself? It fits importantly into an argument he needs to make! Why hasn't he asked? I don't believe he hasn't.  

But I was in great shape for the debate. And sometime after the debate, I tested positive, then that’s when they decided to, let’s go. 

Savannah Guthrie: (09:50) Okay, good. I hopefully provided some clarity for folks.

Missed opportunity and I think she knows it. It's like she's weakly pleading for us to accept her work —  "I hopefully provided some clarity for folks." No. At best, you let him display unclarity. 

283 comments:

1 – 200 of 283   Newer›   Newest»
wendybar said...

Joe was maskless. Tell me why he couldn't debate Trump?? (Besides the lying cheating ex-intern being biased??) When is there going to be 1 conservative debate moderator. Real Conservative, not a never trumper Conservative. Joe needs some real questions.

wendybar said...

And as I said, and others did too...Savannah was a c word. Period. She NEVER would have treated Obama like that, nor would she treat Biden like that. Blatant bias makes Trump look better except to rabid haters.

Mark said...

Both he and his doctor have refused to answer. You do not have to wonder, he did not get tested.

Ralph L said...

Rather more importantly, he avoided answering her about Roe.

Curious George said...

"This is so important."

Why?

rehajm said...

Think of his evasiveness like Twitter censoring

The answer you seek could lead to real world harm

Curious George said...

"The debate was on Tuesday, so did he have a negative test at least on Wednesday? Are both Tuesday and Wednesday blank in his memory?"

You posted Wednesday when it was Thursday. Trumps a very very busy guy. I don't find it unusual at all that he doesn't recall the timing of act that frequently happens, but is scheduled for him.

stevew said...

Why should I care?

Meanwhile, Joe Biden shares a plane with someone that has tested positive for the virus and is not in quarantine.

alanc709 said...

Aggressively neutral on Trump, passively biased on Biden. Careful, you might not be censored by Twitter and Facebook, and then people would know you're in the tank.

tim in vermont said...

"(09:00) If you ask as the doctor, they’ll give you a perfect answer.”

So ask the fucking doctor. Yeesh. It should have ended there.

Not that I object to subjecting politicians to sharp questioning. it would be interesting to see how Biden reacts to sharp questioning, but the fact is that we will never know. I am sure when he deals with Xi, Xi will whip out his folder of kompromat based on the bribes Biden’s son has solicited and accepted on behalf of ‘Pop’, or is it “Corn Pop”?, and then start negotiating, and of course Putin knows where all of the election interference really cam from, so he will have his folder ready too, but we won’t know if Biden is up to the task of dealing with other heads of state because he hasn’t been tested.

This email stuff is very important, I am sorry if it strains credulity with you that a crackhead who once abandoned a rental car with a crack pipe in it would forget about a laptop, or be hard for a repairman to get on the phone, but the computer is in government possession and we should have a right to know if it’s all lies (an incredible risk by Giuliani and Trump) or authentic, which means that Biden should be subject to a special counsel at a minimum, and probably should step down.

tim in vermont said...

"Both he and his doctor have refused to answer.”

Has the doctor been asked since Trump gave permission to answer in the debate?

Nick said...

So What? The fact that 70 people caught it and only like three were even hospitalized proves it is not the immediate death-sentence everyone is making it out to be.

Serious yes. Not worth destroying the country over.

Ralph L said...

He should have cited HIPPA rules and told her to stuff it.

Patrick said...

Trump has no fear and no empathy, which is why he will likely get the lowest share of the female vote ever. His cavalier attitude doesn't play well with the suburban woman, who has been conditioned this election cycle to fear coronavirus and the racism bogeyman. They can't help being afraid. It's in their dna. Can't you see, his carelessness is KILLING PEOPLE!!

mezzrow said...

Just for clarity, can I restate the premise here as "How many people did Donald Trump knowingly infect with the COVID-19 virus, thereby proving his callous disregard for science and his unfitness for the job of POTUS?"

Thanks for the window into the mind of the core voter that represents the backbone of the Trump opposition. No matter what Trump's answer may be, this may be the fulcrum upon which our nation will decide its fate. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Leland said...

I need validation for my quack conspiracies, said the cruelly neutral.

Laslo Spatula said...

I'd be curious for Biden's doctor to elaborate on Joe's health regimen immediately prior to the debate.

No reason to ask Biden: people will easily accept that he doesn't remember.

I am Laslo.

Sydney said...

It doesn't matter clinically. You can be negative and still have the infection. The best tests have a false negative rate of 30%.

SoTheBlondSays said...

Why do you care? That is such small ball compared to all the other crap that is going on. As is almost all the stuff Savannah asked about. Get a little upset about Biden's non answers on court packing and his son's treason.

SoTheBlondSays said...

Why do you care? That is such small ball compared to all the other crap that is going on. As is almost all the stuff Savannah asked about. Get a little upset about Biden's non answers on court packing and his son's treason.

Jersey Fled said...

Did anyone get sick at the debate?

I believe the answer is no, but please correct me if I am in error.

BTW I didn't get tested today.

Mark said...

"Has the doctor been asked since Trump gave permission to answer in the debate?"

LMAO, give me a break.

Yes or no would have been acceptable answers. Just like when someone pleads the 5th, we know what this answer means.

The fact that you pretend to be an idiot to cover for Trump says a lot about you.

MountainMan said...

So when is Biden going to sit down with Tucker Carlson or Mark Levin?

mezzrow said...

Not that I object to subjecting politicians to sharp questioning. it would be interesting to see how Biden reacts to sharp questioning, but the fact is that we will never know. I am sure when he deals with Xi, Xi will whip out his folder of kompromat based on the bribes Biden’s son has solicited and accepted on behalf of ‘Pop’, or is it “Corn Pop”?, and then start negotiating, and of course Putin knows where all of the election interference really cam from, so he will have his folder ready too, but we won’t know if Biden is up to the task of dealing with other heads of state because he hasn’t been tested.

This email stuff is very important, I am sorry if it strains credulity with you that a crackhead who once abandoned a rental car with a crack pipe in it would forget about a laptop, or be hard for a repairman to get on the phone, but the computer is in government possession and we should have a right to know if it’s all lies (an incredible risk by Giuliani and Trump) or authentic, which means that Biden should be subject to a special counsel at a minimum, and probably should step down.


Imagine if the Chinese and their fifth column minions inside government set up a perjury trap for Joe and get him to plead guilty to something he didn't do just to protect his only surviving son. I know, this sounds ridiculous...

Rusty said...

Why is this important to you?

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

interrupted and aggressively battled

Filed under “Words never spoken” when describing a Democrat being questioned by the media.

Meanwhile, back in the land of things that matter, we found out yesterday that Joe and Hunter may also be on China’s payroll. Maybe you can opine about that in your next post and compare how many times Joe was interrupted and aggressively battled on that topic.

iowan2 said...

What difference, at this point, does it make?

rhhardin said...

If you get a test every day you get a lot of false positives. What counts as a real positive takes some statistical analysis of retesting. Are consecutive tests correlated? Then you'd have to wait until they're not.

Crimso said...

We've had Truthers, Birthers, etc. etc. Now we have Testers.

rhhardin said...

It's important to Althouse because it would be putting women and children at risk. The usual. Trump probably got it from Melania or Barron.

wendybar said...

God help us if Biden wins. That scares me to death.

alanc709 said...

Mark said...
"Has the doctor been asked since Trump gave permission to answer in the debate?"

LMAO, give me a break.

Yes or no would have been acceptable answers. Just like when someone pleads the 5th, we know what this answer means.

The fact that you pretend to be an idiot to cover for Trump says a lot about you.

10/16/20, 7:05 AM

The fact that you exist proves we serve a cruel god. You call others idiot because of your own mental and intellectual inadequacy. Enjoy hell.

Tom T. said...

Try to articulate why this palace intrigue is "so important," because I'm not seeing it. Trump isn't coming to kiss me. Issues that affect the American public seem more important in my view: deregulation, the Green New Deal, public safety, Iran policy, Middle East peace with Israel. I'm disappointed that these issues were pushed aside in favor of the trivia as to whether he was tested on Tuesday vs. Wednesday.

narciso said...


Hmm


https://thefederalist.com/2020/10/15/the-new-yorkers-hunter-biden-whitewash-looks-awful-in-retrospect/

Don said...

Hope Hicks can give me any disease she wants to.

Tina Trent said...

So what?

Dave Begley said...

Not important. He got sick and then got better.

tim in vermont said...

"Yes or no would have been acceptable answers.”

There are laws binding doctors about patient medical records. Ask the doctor again now that Trump has given permission, and if he still says no, then you will have a point.

tim in vermont said...

"The fact that you pretend to be an idiot to cover for Trump says a lot about you.”

The fact that you can see I am not an idiot, but assume I am pretending to be one when I say something you don’t agree with says a lot about you.

iowan2 said...

I wish DC denizens would give straight answers. None of them do. I wont say its not important. I will say I am somewhat pre-occupied by the daily revelations that the Obama administration, with full participation of Vice President, Joe Biden, actively used all the power of the federal govt to spy on a political campaign, and the new Administration transition team, some truly meaningless (except as political rhetoric) answer about covid testing.
Talk about chasing shiny things.

We have govt documents putting Joe Biden in meetings with Obama, Brennen and Comey, planning on how to pursue the fabricated Russia hoax, against candidate Trump, then President elect Trump.
No, no, lets get this date nailed down...we have political ads ready to run, this is important.

rehajm said...

I've been tested twice since coffee this morning.

narciso said...

They did track down the nodding lady, shes a maga latina african american lawyer.

MayBee said...

e "can tell" us — what we already know — that he tested positive on Thursday. Notice that he says "I tested positive," not "I first tested positive." But he says he "first found out" on Thursday evening. First found out what? It's weaselly, so that I'm thinking he's splitting hairs,

I guess I don't see much difference between "first tested positive" and "first found out".

I know he was on Hannity that Thursday night and said Hope Hicks had tested positive and he was awaiting the results of his test.

Mary Beth said...

If he is getting tested every two or three days, and has been for months, I would find it much harder to believe that he remembers whether he was tested on any specific day. The importance of other events that day don't change the likelihood of remembering something that had become mundane, until suddenly it wasn't.

Birches said...

Yes, it has been proven that no one got sick because of the debate or after the debate. It was debate prep. And that means Trump was probably not the vector. But our media doesn't like that answer.

Kevin said...

I want a clear answer to the question whether it's possible that Trump already had the coronavirus during the debate and whether, suspecting that he was becoming ill, he avoided getting tested on the day of the debate.

Interestingly there were no such demands for clear answers from Biden yesterday about Hunter.

#CruelNeutrality

mockturtle said...

No harm, no foul.

Che Dolf said...

Meanwhile at the Biden town hall:

"Joe Biden Supports 8 Years Olds Being Able To Change Their Gender. 8 Year Olds!"
- link

This is evil, and the people who promote it are evil.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I’m not catching why this is a big deal worthy of a dozen paragraphs?

MayBee said...

My big question of the night is this: Why did they cancel the debate? Biden was there in person. There was no reason to cancel the debate that was supposed to be last night. There was no reason to make it a video debate. The debate commission should answer for this.

I suspect it's because they want Trump to be treated the way he was treated, and want Biden to be treated the way he was treated.

MayBee said...

Oh and I guess Biden was allowed to have notes last night, but notes aren't available at debates.

Thistlerose said...

What difference does it make. Its very clear that all the testing we are doing and mask wearing that is required is not stopping the spread of covid. The experts don't know how to stop the spread of this any better then they do the spread of the common cold, but they are enjoying telling everyone what to do.

Temujin said...

This will really make some heads explode, but what if Trump had been tested and what if he was shown to be positive? How many days after that debate did he get sick? It was a Friday, the debate was on Tuesday. Let's say he started feeling poorly on Thursday. He could have still had tested negative on Tuesday.

But let's say he knew on Tuesday he had the virus, but he felt fine (which most people with the virus do- by a huge percentage). So what? Yes- it is his responsibility to not spread it. But in a low attended event, with the participants seated far apart, in a large open, well ventilated room with an enormous ceiling- was that a danger? Do we really know the answer to that? Was it anymore dangerous than any of us walking through a grocery store, passing dozens of people down in total as walk down the aisles? I suspect the grocery store would be much more dangerous than this was for Joe Biden or Susan Page. As for their staffs, Donald Trump's staff is in danger every day because they have to be close to him. And many of them have covid- as do Joe Biden's people now.

I think Savannah was pounding on something to make Trump look bad that Trump and most of the nation have moved well past. That thing she was pounding on- that and his taxes are both nothing more at this point than Democrat talking points. He looks strong and shows that getting the virus is not a death sentence- which is what most of the world thought (or was told) back in March. Many still live under that belief though the data shows anything but that.

I turned in twice- and both times she was pounding on his taxes. It must have lasted 10 minutes. Seriously- what passes for our press these days is nothing more than 'The View' with better clothes.

MayBee said...

Finally, I think it's interesting that so many people in the WH and Senate- plus Chris Christie!- got Covid and recovered really well. In most lifetimes, that would be a really inspiring story.
But not in CovidLife. During CovidLife there will be no feeling good about anything.

buwaya said...

"Trump has no fear and no empathy, which is why he will likely get the lowest share of the female vote ever. His cavalier attitude doesn't play well with the suburban woman"

It does make them want to have sex with you though. Fearless, cavalier and don't give a shit is the secret father-son advice since we were chipping rocks. The sticking point is fearless, which is a quality that may be difficult to achieve. It needs training in most cases.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

“Felt fantastically” could mean one of two things, that Trump felt extraordinarily well, or that Trump felt detached from reality.

AllenS said...

Cruel neutrality seems to flow only in one political direction.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

Anne, Anne. Dearest Anne. I should not have to explain this to you. Thus is America - the United States!. People "in Government" are exempt from laws, rules, and morality that bind those "not in Government." Often this exemption is specifically stated in statutes.

Those "in Government" are in no way obliged to follow the Wu-Han flu rules that apply to the rest of us. Nor should you expect a truthful, informative response from someone "in Government" who is questioned. Hillary and Joe have set the standard on that!

The Government Tribe protects its own. If this rankles your sense of "fairness" then you should work to reduce the amount of power - the amount of money, and the number of people employed - in Government.

Amadeus 48 said...

That one was like watching a cat (Guthrie) chase a laser dot on a wall. Trump toyed with her as she became increasingly foolish in her persistence.

Which brings us to Althouse...who, as Andrew Sullivan did with Sarah Palin and Trig, may go off on a crazy, Ahab-like search for the "truth" about Trump's bout with the bug.

Sheesh.

Sally327 said...

There is no scenario wherein it is at all likely that the President is going to say that he suspected he was sick with Covid-19 and so avoided getting tested. Thinking that might happen is like wishing for a Jack Nicholson Code Red moment. The big reveal will happen if only the right question gets asked in the right way. Yeah, no it isn't going to happen.

William said...

Which is more likely: Trump thought that he might have the virus and knowingly dodged the test in order to proceed with the debate or Trump doesn't remember if he had the test on this or that particular day?....I could make a credible argument in either direction Guthrie certainly pursued the matter aggressively. In either event, I don't think it's the kind of question that the election should hinge on.... Joe Biden was not asked a single question about his son's shady dealings. He didn't have to evade the question. It was never asked. The contrast with Guthrie and Althouse going all Perry Mason on whether or not Trump had the test on such and such a day versus the total absence of curiosity on George's part re the dead elephant in the room and the smoking elephant gun in Joe Biden's hands is indeed stark and instructive.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

So? Who cares?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Is this a bigger scandal that The Biden family corruption?

jnseward said...

My wife and I both thought, at the time, there there seemed to be something wrong with him. When he later tested positive, we thought, aha, he had it at the debate.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I don't understand why the GOP agrees to such unequal and unfair treatment.

Mark said...

Once again, the sycophants complain about how big mean Savanah Guthrie was too mean.

Meanwhile they ask us to believe that Trump mopped the floor with Xi.

It's one or the other.

Kate said...

I had no idea until now that this was the Left's latest conspiracy theory. Trump, who had to be hospitalized, was actually walking around for days infecting people, including Hicks, with covid. Ffs.

exhelodrvr1 said...

With all the unanswered issues (unanswered presumably because the answers would reflect poorly on Biden/the Democrats) why focus at all on when he found out about being ill? It is miniscule compared to all the issues with the FBI/CIA/Hillary campaign, to pack or not to pack, Green New Deal, Hunter and Ukraine, Biden and Hunter and China, BLM riots and why the Dems haven't come down harder on them, etc.

PubliusFlavius said...

"Meanwhile, back in the land of things that matter, we found out yesterday that Joe and Hunter may also be on China’s payroll....compare how many times Joe was interrupted and aggressively battled on that topic."

QFT

China Joe and his glass dick sucking son should answer real questions from the people.

mezzrow said...

I've been tested twice since coffee this morning.

Coffee spit take, here. You win the internet.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Not one question, from the other network, on Biden family corruption.

Emails reveal how Hunter Biden tried to cash in big on behalf of family with Chinese firm

Bob Boyd said...

This is so important. It's so important.

Why, Professor? Serious question.
Was this an issue before last night's town hall? If so, I missed it.

Browndog said...

Trump gave everyone the 'rona! He's a killer!

How about...Who gave it to Trump? Or, Hope Hicks? Do you care?

They tell us they can contact trace the average Joe, but can't figure out the source of the West Wing virus? Or, maybe more importantly, how it was spread?

Nobody knows, nobody cares, nobody want to know--Just shut the fuck up and put your damn mask on.

ConradBibby said...

Serious question, Ann: Do you care at all about a candidate's position on the issues? Because it seems like your entire focus on which candidate you like or respect more as a person.

Charlie Eklund said...

Cruel neutrality my backside. How disappointing. And you, a blogger.

CStanley said...

I think the question is of some importance because it goes to honesty- the campaigns agreed to certain rules which included testing and Trump most likely did not do so and does not want to be held accountable for it. I do find it kind of funny to think that Trump claims to not remember, because it’s not as though you could be unaware of whether or not a cotton swab has been put into your nasopharynx. I think by his evasiveness we can safely assume he either didn’t get tested that day or maybe already had a positive test so they purposely arrived too late for a test at the debate venue.

Whether or not that decision actually put people at risk is very debatable because testing can give false negatives and false positives. And I don’t think this was important enough to waste a lot of time on because it’s not going to sway any voters.

Dan from Madison said...

Ralph at 7am:
"He should have cited HIPPA rules and told her to stuff it."
This.

Jersey Fled said...

I did not have a drivers test today. Yet I plan to drive 180 miles to visit my grand daughter. In doing so I am putting every other driver on the road at risk. I will not be justified in doing so even if I do not cause an accident. The risk is the thing.

BTW did Savanah have a test? How was she feeling?

Birkel said...

What other useless questions would you like answered?
Boxers or briefs?
What is the best thing about being Donald Trump?

Professor, you are letting your unserious side out.
It's a bad look.

Ryan said...

I agree with all the others: it doesn't matter.

CStanley said...

I thought Guthrie’s aggressivenes helped Trump because he looked calm the whole time and she looked a bit unhinged. She was like the coyote reaching for the Acme dynamite every time she raised a question.

ConradBibby said...

Also, I want to point out the absurd premise that is at the core of this silly line of questioning, which is the idea, promoted by the LEFT, that Trump should be seen as a role model for people in terms of masks and social distancing. These are the same people who have outright declared that they WON'T follow Trump's lead on anything covid-related. They won't take the vaccine if he promotes it; and they actively rail against any medications he touts. Yet, they pretend to be longing for Trump's leadership when it comes to masks. Whatever.

BillieBob Thorton said...

I would like to know why we have no test results regarding Sleepy Joe's cognitive acuity. Also, when was the last time he was tested? I think we should all know whether the next president is up to the task.

Nob490 said...

"This is so important." Why? As someone else said, he's quite busy and must get tested all the time. Not too hard to imagine not remembering.

And aren't there other things that are "so important?" Why waste time on this?

I could stand about 5 minutes of the town hall. Trump is his own worst enemy, and frankly difficult for me to watch, though I do support his policies.

And these moderators are like a dog with a bone -- very combative. You get the sense Guthrie went home to get high fives from her friends about how she really let him have it. Oof.

A few hard questions to Joe would be appreciated.

roesch/voltaire said...

After the hall debates, I am hopeful that we can return to decency and end the chaos and lies from Trump..

Adam n Eve said...

Its A amazing Post Thanks For Sharing
www.prime.com/mytv
www.primevideos.com/mytv
www.hulu.com/activate
www.primevideos.com/mytv

rehajm said...

Savanah Guthrie interrupted Trump aggressively and actively battled him throughout last night's town hall...

WOW. On Fox, media reporter @JoeConchaTV went through the transcript of the NBC town hall and counted the number of questions Savannah Guthrie asked the president -- 43.

Then the number of questions from the voters at this so-called town hall: TEN.

chuck said...

Cruel neutrality seems to flow only in one political direction.

Looks like rationalization to me.

Amadeus 48 said...

The best thing about being a Democrat is that you never get asked tough questions and are never called to account for your embarrassments so you never have to upset Althouse by appearing evasive to her. That is the very best thing.

gilbar said...

our Professor (who is, after all; a Super Genius) points out...
But he switches to what he "can tell" us ...
But he says he "first found out" on Thursday evening.
First found out what? It's weaselly, so that I'm thinking he's splitting hairs


You're RIGHT Professor!
ONE THING, that We Can ALL Agree On, is that President Trump ALWAYS picks his words carefully
In the last 4 years, Not Once (NOT ONCE!) has President Trump EVER just burbled out words
The man parses and constructs EVERY sentence he utters.

right? i mean, right?

traditionalguy said...

He has no idea who the Q is. And he is still our President and on our side whether or not he has had a flu bug during the debate. If that bothers you more than living under a Marxist Police State, Party First Dictatorship, than you should vote for the insane and totally corrupt nice old man.

Amadeus 48 said...

Remember when Dr Fauci was asked early on about HCQ and if he would take it, and he said if he were going to take it, he'd get into a study so he could add something to medical knowledge? I thought to myself, "He's taking it via a study."

I still think I was right.

Eagle12 said...

Remember when Biden's big "very fine people" lie was disqualifying? Apparently, not so much any more, even though he repeats the lie incessantly. Now, having a family bribery and graft business doesn't seem to be disqualifying, or even merit a question. But none of that matters--Trump doesn't remember whether he was tested on a particular day!

MacMacConnell said...

Trump played a SEC gridiron debate with MSM Guthie, Biden played 4th grade intramural flag football with a Clinton mouthpiece.

Birkel said...

4.7 million individual donors who claim to be unemployed have sent $2500 to the Biden campaign.

Now we know that's not China laundering foreign money in an attempt to get bought-and-paid-for Biden elected.

Now let's get onto the serious issues of when Trump tested negative.

Althouse is not a serious person when it comes to federal elections.

rehajm said...

Here's this morning's write up on woman sitting behind Trump...

Im seeing this being called a doxxing but she seems like a bit of a local public figure participating in an open forum on Network television...

sterlingblue said...

This week the media has shown that we are truly living in a "Chinese Democracy" -- Axl Rose had it right! Biden and Harris packing the courts, and the media constantly covering for The Party, will ensure that this system remains in place until we all die.

mtrobertslaw said...

The highlight of the the Town Hall was when Trump explained to Savannah that because she said something doesn't make it true. Nobody ever told her that and she was clearly shocked.

(An interesting question that was not asked was where Savannah got that red/pink sack she was wearing.)

rehajm said...

It's already 8:45CDT and Ann STILL hasn't rejected white supremacy today.

Big Mike said...

This is so important.

No it isn’t!

I don't believe he can't remember!

And who cares what you can and can’t believe?

@Althouse, you’ve spent four years trying to find a reason to vote against Trump. Add this “reason” to the way you think Trump is so icky, and there you have it. That totally has to outweigh Biden’s corruption, his lack of energy, senility, and lack of intelligence, yes absolutely. Plus maybe the Democrats will stop encouraging BLM and Antifa riots. Of course they will. No honest person would take such a position, but you be you, Althouse.

gilbar said...

Thistlerose said...
Its very clear that all the testing we are doing and mask wearing that is required is not stopping the spread of covid. The experts don't know how to stop the spread of this any better then they do the spread of the common cold.


shhhh! Thistlerose, not so loud!
TiFnV will hear you, and start SCREAMING that you are trying to Kill him
There is no place for Facts in the Covid world; take your facts and Get OUT!

Jon Burack said...

1. I think it's most likely Trump did test positive before the debate and lied to keep the debate on. Ironically, he'd have done better to have let it go virtual, as the distance might have calmed him down. His frantic interruptions ruined that debate for him, even though Biden was at least as vindictive in his more toned-down rhetorical style.

2. I think the highly ironic point here about Guthrie is her own vicious partisanship is what kept her from effectively challenging Trump on this and anything else, especially the white supremacy nonsense. It did that because that partisanship so totally contradicted the moderate-journalist role she likely thinks she should be playing that it deranged her and made her even less coherent than Trump was.

3. Those here pointing to the stark contrast with the Biden softballs are right. I do think Ann should comment on this a bit. Especially that there were no questions about the NY Post revelations? If those revelations are bogus disinformation, Biden should know that and be happy to assert it and take Trump to task for letting Giuliani run with it. Also, were there any questions about BLM and Antifa violence? The entire tone of the Biden townhall (at least the little I saw) was soporific, so softball lite that I cannot believe it worked for him, since most people would soon have been bored and likely wanted to see the Trump fireworks they know they would get. Any numbers yet on relative audience sizes?

Todd said...

rehajm said...

I've been tested twice since coffee this morning.

10/16/20, 7:23 AM


I got tested once way back when all this started, boss's request. Never got the results, never been tested since. Still managing to walk and talk and go to work every day...

I must be a friggen demi-god!

Patrick said...

It's important to Althouse because it would be putting women and children at risk. The usual.

This is why the 19th amendment needs reexamination. You can show them all the data showing only 90 year olds are at risk, but data doesn't make them FEEL anything.

Bob Boyd said...

I didn't watch much of either town hall. I watched "Teeth" instead. Have you seen it?

It's a 2007 movie about a girl with vagina dentata. No, I'm serious.
Yesterday an old girl friend I haven't seen for many years emailed me out of the blue to recommend the movie. Yeah....I don't know. It's the thought that counts, they say.

It was actually pretty funny and better than I expected. A lot of dicks hit the dirt. And some fingers.
When the credits rolled, Camille Paglia was thanked as a consultant on the film, and there was a disclaimer, "No men were harmed during the making of this motion picture."

Here's the trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLD9-VvkacM&ab_channel=RB-OfficialTV

Patrick said...

Imagine a virus that only puts one specific subset of the population at risk, let's say gays for the sake of argument. Would it make sense to shut down the country to protect gays?

Essentially this is what we are doing with coronavirus. Destroying our economy and suspending civil liberties to save 90+ year olds who will likely die naturally within the next 24 months anyway.

Gk1 said...

Someone tallied Savannah's ratio of questions and it broke down to Savannah:43 questions to Trump and Town hall participants:10. Good grief, what a disgrace. Can they make their bias any clearer?

Ken B said...

She's voting Biden, folks.

Mark O said...

There is documentary evidence of Joe Biden's corruption and his exposure to blackmail from both Ukraine and China, but this is the topic?

Biden won't answer if he will change the entire shape of Constitutional government by packing the Court, but this is the topic?

Big Tech has suppressed free speech in America, openly and happily, but this is the topic?

No one contracted WuhanFlu at the debate, but this is the topic?>

How much more of this can we take?

Spiros said...

There are very few situations where your fight or flight response actually needs to kick in. For Savannah Guthrie this was it. Her behavior was primitive...

I'm Full of Soup said...

Your blog used to have a nice rhythm to it Althouse. Instacomments, etc - now the conversation is herky jerky - much less interesting and not much fun anymore.

Plus I find it odd when you focus on stupid shit like this topic and the George Floyd porn star tweet by a small time blogger and whether a crack head would leave a computer at a repair shop forever.

Original Mike said...

"This is so important. I don't believe he can't remember!"

If Trump has been tested every other day since last summer, he has been tested over 50 times. It seems entirely plausible he can't remember.

Ken B said...

Tim in Vermont: "So ask the fucking doctor. Yeesh. It should have ended there."

Exactly. Isn't that the principle of best evidence? Of course Althouse understands this, yet on and on she goes, Queeging about the strawberries.

MayBee said...

According to Joe Concha, Savannah Guthrie asked 43 questions, and allowed the voters to ask 10.

So I guess that's why we couldn't have a voter town hall debate. We can't let voters ask the candidates what's important to them. Instead we need to know about QAnon and white supremacy.

Dude1394 said...

This might be the most boring and inconsequential thing I’ve ever read on this blog.

madAsHell said...

I fail to understand the fascination with testing.

Does a negative test mean that he never had it?....or that he doesn't have it now?

We don't know how the test works, and he wasn't going to let her fill in the blanks.

Skippy Tisdale said...

"HE BROUGHT AIDS TO OUR COMPANY PICNIC!"

Iman said...

Does Guthrie often rely on an upper/stimulant to conduct business?

Haggard, smirking, batshit crazed eyes is an unusual look for a network moderator.

hombre said...

The day before, the day after? Who cares? BFD!

Were there consequences we are unaware of? This is nutty shit! Democrats are prepared to destroy the country and this is what we are talking about?

Francisco D said...

Rusty said...
Why is this important to you?

Ann has to justify her vote for Democrats and stay in the good graces of her liberal friends.

Its a tribal thing.

Danno said...

Covid-19 is not the same thing as Ebola. The Karens in our great country are misinformed.

Vonnegan said...

I give less than one sh!t about this. I guess that makes me less of a suburban, middle aged white woman, because I refuse to be afraid of Covid, but so be it. I am done with the "testing!" and done with the "be vewy vewy afraid!" and done with just about all of it. The world has always contained viruses, serious and not so serious. It's time to stop focusing on this crap and reclaim normal life - real, actual normal life (not "new" normal).

That's my soapbox for Friday morning. I'm sure everyone enjoyed it.

The Tangerine Tornado said...

Got 20% of the way thru this post but lost interest. I’m much more interested in the fact there was one combative grilling and one powderpuff fireside chat. Even my wife, who lacks interest in most political things said “this doesn’t seem like a Townhall, it’s an interrogation”.

Danno said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bill Owens said...

Work in the WH has inherent risk, especially to your physical & emotional health considering the hours and the extreme demands of the job. But, as someone stated in this thread, the average American never comes within miles of the CiC or anyone else in the WH, to increase the likelihood of contracting anything. Everything Trump or any of his surrogates says or does is parsed to such a fine degree-mostly with bullshit interpretations-that it is in their collective interest to offer only what Trump/WH thinks the American people need to know and they, the WH, legally must tell. Never mind the media. They're just here for the ratio.

Cheryl said...

I agree with Mary Beth--if you are testing all the time, and you are living life at 100 mph like Trump does, it's just not likely you'll remember any one test.

I don't understand why this matters. You are letting this dominate your life.

Joe Smith said...

This is all you care about?

You don't care if Biden is a Chinese tool?

Or if, because of (reported) kiddie porn on Hunter's computer, he is a major security risk?

Or that the FBI sat on the computer for almost a year?

mandrewa said...

Probably Trump was infected at the first debate. Probably he knew it. And probably he was deliberately infected by somebody on the left and in the government.

Now do I know any of this? No, of course not, this is just my estimate of the likelihoods.

Does any of this really matter? Yes, the last guess matters if it's true. If he was infected by his enemies then that matters. Especially if it could be proven that were the case.

But even then I doubt it would have a practical impact. After all the Democrats have done worse things than that in the last four years and that doesn't seem to matter to half the population. So why would knowing this, if it occurred, change anything?

John D said...

What Difference, At This Point, Does It Make?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Hunter Biden profited from his father’s political connections long before he struck questionable deals in countries where Joe Biden was undertaking diplomatic missions as vice president. In fact, virtually all the jobs listed on his resume going back to his first position out of college, which paid a six-figure salary, came courtesy of the former six-term senator’s donors, lobbyists and allies, a RealClearInvestigations examination has found.

Joe Biden's Boosters Wrote His Prodigal Son's Entire Resume

hombre said...

“I want a clear answer to the question whether it's possible that Trump already had the coronavirus during the debate....”

I want a clear answer about how Creepy Joe accumulated a net worth of $9 million (Forbes), whether he supports court packing, whether he will stop fracking, whether he supports Beto’s gun confiscation, etc.

We don’t always get answers when we want them, even on the important stuff.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Is anyone asking how Trump caught it?

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Althouse's inner Karen is showing.

Twitter and FB censorship is far more worrying to me than the corona virus. We have survived far worse pandemics. America can not survive control of the public discourse by a handful of woke Silicon Valley activists.

Instead, Guthrie deliberately wasted time pursuing her piddly little obsessions. When Trump got tested and the beliefs of a small number of Internet cranks are apparently the most important matters facing the country.

I still think Trump will win, but if he doesn't - liberal suburban women will deserve everything they get. What a shallow and self-absorbed lot.

MeatPopscicle1234 said...

I think Ann is still wrestling internally with her decision to abstain from voting. It's probably giving her indigestion.

But she just can't bring herself to vote for Trump. No matter how evil or insane the left has become, no matter how many time she repeats her "cruelly-neutral" mantra, she just can't exorcise the fevered whispers of the hive-mind from her soul.

So to ease her disquiet, she needs to find a way to justify pulling the lever for Biden.

Despite the fact he is a criminally corrupt lecher who is slowly losing his mind, or that he has used his positions in Government for the past 47 years to enrich himself by selling out his own country to foreign interest, she has to find a way to convince herself that none of that matters because ORANGE MAN BAD.

The only way to do this is to repeatedly focus on minutia about Trump and blow it way out of proportion, while actively sticking her fingers in her ears and singing La-la-la over anything negative about Biden.

Self programming is only way out of her current dilemma.

TickTock said...

Ann, do really think the answer to that question is important? Particularly compared to all the other questions that mighthavebeeasked but weren't?

Megaera said...

I suspect you all, and Ann, are missing the tacit point of her posting -- she's on the hunt for the Golden Reason why she should NOT have to vote for Trump, and this is what she's settled on for her rationalization. It's petty and pointless, yes, but this is the hill she'll figuratively die on to justify a vote for Biden or Jorgensen.

TreeJoe said...

I thought it was a townhall. Guthrie was unbelievable and she'll be praised.

Honestly, I WOULD praise her if I saw her doing that both sides in an INTERVIEW - that's a much better way to get at truth than the typical "let me lob an expected question, hear a response, and not follow up" approach.

But in a townhall, no, that was awful.

minnesota farm guy said...

Ah, Althouse is looking for a very thin thread to hang her Joe vote on!

Ask yourself a very simple question: If you were tested every day for Covid , or maybe every other day , even, would you remember whether you were tested on a specific day or not? The damn test is painful ( Althouse, have you had the test?). It is one of those things that you tend to suppress the specifics of.

tim in vermont said...

"Burisma told Hunter they wanted "to close down any cases/pursuits against” its top official in Ukraine. Watch our report here.” - Tucker Carlson

Obviously this is of zero interest when Democrats were impeaching Trump over this stuff as the pandemic started. It would have been interesting to point this out to Biden when he said this:

Biden is actually looking fairly credible so far, with an effective attack on Trump, saying he didn’t take it seriously enough quickly enough. Cogent, so far. We’ll see how long it holds up.

Trump was kind of busy at the time answering for Biden’s corruption.

Oh, and BTW, China killed George Floyd if indeed he died, as is reported, of a fentanyl overdose. China is paying us back for the “Opium Wars.” Which was actually Britain, but we all look the same to them.

So that’s two pretty good hits by China just this year.

tim in vermont said...

"Burisma told Hunter they wanted "to close down any cases/pursuits against” its top official in Ukraine. Watch our report here.” - Tucker Carlson

Obviously this is of zero interest when Democrats were impeaching Trump over this stuff as the pandemic started. It would have been interesting to point this out to Biden when he said this:

Biden is actually looking fairly credible so far, with an effective attack on Trump, saying he didn’t take it seriously enough quickly enough. Cogent, so far. We’ll see how long it holds up.

Trump was kind of busy at the time answering for Biden’s corruption.

Oh, and BTW, China killed George Floyd if indeed he died, as is reported, of a fentanyl overdose. China is paying us back for the “Opium Wars.” Which was actually Britain, but we all look the same to them.

So that’s two pretty good hits by China just this year.

404 Page Not Found said...

Gee, Ann, I wonder why you think it's such a big deal whether Trump got tested or not.

Are the actual issues of this election not important enough for you? The obvious bias of liberal questioners like Susan Page, Savannah Guthrie, and Chris Wallace? The questions and evidence regarding the Biden family's years of graft, bribery, and extortion not interesting enough?

Annie said...

Trump, like many others on Capital Hill get tested regularly. If you were tested regularly, would you remember the exact days at a townhall where you are there to answer questions to do with the country and policies, at large? Does it even matter? Why does it matter more than a VP buying/selling influence using his son with a drug problem?

Story is, Biden has very few people showing up at his rallies in cars and yet there has been an outbreak of covid traced to his rallies. Masks don't work because highly contagious and the dates of tesing don't matter.

RK said...

I want a clear answer to the question whether it's possible...

It's clear that many things are possible.

Jupiter said...

"This is so important. I don't believe he can't remember!"

This is so unimportant, I have a hard time believing you care. I swear, Althouse, you take this whole brain-dead pageant so seriously. Biden represents a hate-filled, greedy mob that wants to loot and burn the country. They have trashed the city you live in, and left threats near your home. Your husband is worried about how he will protect you if they show up at your door, without ending up dead or imprisoned (a lot of husbands are worrying about that right now). And you want to know what the President had for breakfast last week, to help you make up your mind whether you're going to vote for them. After all, maybe if we just give them four or eight years, they'll have burned and looted and imprisoned and killed all they want to, and they'll be ready to go back to having less than others because they produce nothing. Yeah, let's try that!

Yancey Ward said...

I am guessing Trump only gets tested once a week, or only when he has come into contact with someone who subsequently tests positive, like was the case with Hope Hicks. My sense of the line of questioning was that Trump was toying with Guthrie and deliberately led her to believe he gets tested nearly every day- that seems to be the general belief as evidenced by Althouse's obtuse focus on this issue, like Guthrie was.

Rhhardin above makes the most important point, but it probably got overlooked- if you test someone every single day of the week, that person is likely to end up with at least one false positive- you can't run the White House that way. So the testing likely isn't done on Trump every single day, and probably not more than once a week- it is the people attending the meetings with Trump who get prescreened, not the other way around.

What is striking to me is the idiocy of this line of questioning- the interrogators seem to really believe that Trump infected everyone that tested positive when it is far, far more likely that he was one of the last people in that circle to actually be infected himself.

Ann, ask yourself this- how does the flu, for example, progress in your personal experience? For me, I almost always only notice I am sick the day before the symptoms reach their actual peak intensity- that peak can last a couple to three days, but the onset is never a slow ramp up- it is a very steep one. I take Trump at his word here- he didn't realize he was sick until that Thursday, and even that might have been influenced by the knowledge that Hicks was already sick enough to display obvious symptoms and he had been in close contact for several days in debate prep. I know I will become a bit of hypochondriac if I realize that someone I have been cooped up with suddenly comes down with a respiratory illness- I start suddenly question every single ache and sneeze.

RoseAnne said...

I watched the Biden Town Hall primarily switching over to Trump's only on commercial breaks. When watching Trump's, I did not much involvement from Guthrie beyond what a moderator should do. So this morning I was surprised to read in multiple locations that she aggressively questioned Trump.

Why was she questioning Trump at all? There are many instances where a reporter of Samantha Guthrie's status can ask questions of the President of the United States. Why did she take the time away from voters to impose her agenda?

rcocean said...

you know why Trump is being "evasive"? He knows EXACTLY what the press (and Althouse) are trying to with this "Gotcha" question. The press wants to prove that Trump knew he was CV-19 yet went out and debated anyway. And what proof do they have? Zero.

The problem is (1) no one got infected during the debate and (2) everyone was socially distanced so even if Trump was CV-19 positive it would've made zero difference (3) Trump has gotten tested constantly for CV-19 ever since March, why would he keep tracking the results unless he felt bad? So, WITHOUT EVIDENCE, Althouse and Press press the CONSPIRACY THEORY that Trump knew he had CV-19 on Wednesday and said nothing.

Good for Trump for playing into that Trap. Personally, I think Trump should have said "I'll tell you if I had a negative test on Wednesday, when Joe Biden says whether he'll pack the court or not. Because like Joe, I don't want to make headlines."

alan markus said...

@ Che Dolf

"Joe Biden Supports 8 Years Olds Being Able To Change Their Gender. 8 Year Olds!"


Thanks for posting that link - did Joe actually say something about 8 or 10 year olds "deciding to be transgender"? Hard to tell if he was saying they don't decide to be, or not.

DEEBEE said...

Awaiting cruel neutrality on Biden town-hall. Or can you not keep awake reading the transcript

rcocean said...

The "Townhall" was the worst thing I've seen in 4 years of Trump. The NBC News chick was overly-aggressive, stupid, biased, and patronizing. Once again, instead of using this time to inform the American public of Trump's views on Joe Biden and the issues facing this country, we get stupid debate on irrelevant issues which no one cares about.

However, NBC accomplished their mission. They wanted to help Biden by talking only about issues that hurt Trump and prevent Trump as much as possible from attacking Biden. ABC meanwhile was doing the same thing only with a positive, softball interview from Georgie Step.

BTW, Biden hilariously said he wasn't following the Barrett Hearings because "I've been on the road, all over the country" LOL! Of course, he's made a few trips here and there, but mostly spent time at home "with the lid on".

MayBee said...

Our whole conversation around COVID is so stupid. It's like a witch hunt. We want to blame people who get it for not following some rule, as if that will make us safe. It's like a moral failing if you get sick. I've known three college students who were exposed because their roommate was afraid to say they tested positive. That's what happens when society turns into scoldy scolds about - gasp!- getting a virus. (everyone is fine now. everyone who got it has recovered)

I work in an industry that is struggling right now because it isn't allowed to operate at full capacity. If I started to feel sick, it would be really scary to go get tested, because I'd have to tell my boss and he'd have to tell everyone and it would be ALL MY FAULT if the business struggled even more. My self-preservation instinct would be to just seclude myself and hope I feel better and not get tested until I absolutely had to.

Now, I'm a really really responsible person so that probably isn't what I would do. But we are operating under some kind of perverse incentives right now. It would be nice to have a conversation about COVID and realities of human behavior.

LA_Bob said...

I suspect Althouse is right and Trump was "weaseling" and mostly got away with it. C'mon, man! Trump can weasel with the best of them. It's also plausible he doesn't recall the exact sequence of events given no end of busy days of presidenting, politicking, and testing for the 'rona.

The pattern of this pandemic is that many government officials talk a good line but don't really take it seriously. Pelosi, Schumer, Nadler, and Newsom, at a minimum, are proof of that with their poor masking habits. I doubt Trump is any different. I'm not sure Fauci is, either.

Doesn't make me rethink my vote. With Trump, I take the bad with the good, because I think he's better than the opposition overall. I know he's no saint.

DarkHelmet said...

Why does Trump agree to hostile questioning when his opponent gets nothing but softballs? Why do Republicans always go along with this 'badger in a bag' game the media likes to play? It is a perpetual mystery to me. The old media can be circumvented. They can also be counterattacked. You need gumption and cleverness. Trump's got the gumption part . . .

When we lose this republic it will be due in part to the GOP's complete inability to break out of the media's narrative. Guys and gals -- DON'T play their game on their terms. Why is it so difficult to understand?

wild chicken said...

Ya know, it really was exclusionary to put Trump over on cable, when so many low income can't afford cable anymore. Plus all the wealthier cord-cutters who use cable broadband only.

Plenty people here in Missoula watch OTA only.





Black Bellamy said...

If you time it right and intentionally expose yourself to Covid you can probably arrive at the debate stage nearly asymptomatic and yet carrying the payload that delivers. Like for example you find out your wife, who you only see occasionally, is not feeling well. Then the both of you and the debate could schedule a visit so you can check on her welfare and kiss her on the uvula.

Considering the level of medical care available to the incumbent, and also considering that a very positive self-assessment of one's health actually delivers some benefits, it's in his best interest to go in there right after the infection when he's most contagious and most able to take out his opponent, get him sick and watch him drop out while they themselves beat it. A test would spoil that.

So anyway, that's what happened. He missed though. Still was worth a shot imo.








Curious George said...

"The contrast with Guthrie and Althouse going all Perry Mason on whether or not Trump had the test on such and such a day versus the total absence of curiosity on George's part re the dead elephant in the room and the smoking elephant gun in Joe Biden's hands is indeed stark and instructive."

Look, Althouse doesn't care about Democrat corruption or graft. Well, at least not enough to effect her vote. Let me remind all she voted for Hillary.

J. D. Canals said...

Seriously?!
This is what you post after last night?

Lurker21 said...


Seems like a tempest in a neti pot.

If the media establishes that the Trump administration is chaotic, why look to deception for an answer? He didn't get tested everyday, or he doesn't remember when he got tested.

If this question is worth that much TV time, Trump must not be doing such a terrible job.
Guthrie has a law degree from Georgetown and it looks a lot like she was trying to show off.

wildswan said...

Now I lay me down to sleep;
My little bong lies on the sheet.
If I should die before I wake,
God forgive a soul on the take.

Howard said...

Trump willfully infected wife and young son. Where do enemies and strangers fall on that pecking order?

Howard said...

Btw, I didn't watch the town hall tv specials. The elites win if you pay too much attention to the main event.

tim maguire said...

Waste of time. There's no reason why we have to rely on Trump's memory in the middle of a gotcha session, unless the point was to trip him up. Quit the game playing and ask the White House for Trump's test results.

Michael said...

Our hostess has flirted with this Covid porn long enough. She is now all in on whether there is a conspiracy and coverup on when exactly, exactly, was Trump tested. But has Trump, or Guthrie for that matter, ever washed their shoes to stave off the deadly virus? And if they have when did they stop. And why.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

How many people at the debate caught Covid-19 potentially because of Trump?

Looks like that number is 0 (the people at the debate who did catch it were apparently all involved with setup, not tear down, so they were gone before Trump got there).

So, other than an obsessive desire to come up with some excuse to vote against Trump, what's the point of this question?

Are you upset that no one at the Joe Biden Town Hall last night asked him if Hunter Biden paid any of his, his wife's or his other kids' expenses?

I mean, shouldn't we wonder if Senator and VP Biden was running a criminal enterprise where he did political favors for his son's clients, the clients paid off his son, and then his son slipped some of the payoffs back to Senator / VP Biden, in violation of all sorts of laws about reporting requirements?

The money doesn't get any "darker" than that

Unknown said...

Ms. A: Why in heavens name would Trump think he has the virus before any symptoms show up? (Unless, of course, he had a positive test - then he might think so)

Paul J said...

Covid looms large in the minds of women and womanly men.

Daniel Jackson said...

Like many of the regular commentators here I have to ask, "why does this matter?"

"Did you get tested today?" What a bullshit question was that? Was Biden infected by Trump? That would be an interesting story if it had been the case.

More to the point, the question itself was highly impertinent. Seriously, have we reached the point where a person's internal secretions need to be discussed in public as is common in South Asian? Do we ask if a fertile biological woman is secreting fluids into her knickers? No We Do Not.

Come on. And to press Trump with such impertinence makes this person a hero? How does that work? Do we demand the same of the other person seeking office? Is this a question asked of the other three people campaigning in the National Election?

Like The Red Death, corona madness has seeped into even this safe space.

rehajm said...

That's my soapbox for Friday morning. I'm sure everyone enjoyed it.

SNAPING FINGERS> SNAPING FINGERS> SNAPING FINGERS>

roesch/voltaire said...

I think the Trump folks are upset because he couldn't walk away when questioned and revealed just how shallow he is. This from Political :
She challenged him on his factual assertions. No, it’s not true that 85 percent of mask wearers caught the virus. No, you have no health care plan to replace the Obamacare you’re trying to kill in court. And she became close to indignant when Trump explained that he simply retweeted a bonkers conspiracy theory that Barack Obama had ordered the killing of SEAL Team 6 to cover up for not actually killing Osama Bin Laden. People could make up their own minds, Trump said. “I do a lot of retweets.”

“You’re the President,” she said, “you’re not some crazy uncle.”
Unfortunately he is someone's crazy uncle and she is taking him to court.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

MayBee said...
Our whole conversation around COVID is so stupid. It's like a witch hunt. We want to blame people who get it for not following some rule, as if that will make us safe. It's like a moral failing if you get sick"

Only conservatives. Is anybody blaming Harris staffers for testing positive?

When Republicans get covid, leftists gloat and hope they die.

When Dems get covid, it's a tragedy. They got sick because other people - bad deplorable people - aren't following the rules.

Darrell said...

Althouse officially becomes a Branch Covidian.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, whose “expert” advice to President Trump has resulted in the complete shutdown of the greatest economic engine in world history, has known since 2005 that chloroquine is an effective inhibitor of coronaviruses.

How did he know this? Because of research done by the National Institutes of Health, of which he is the director. In connection with the SARS outbreak – caused by a coronavirus dubbed SARS- CoV – the NIH researched chloroquine and concluded that it was effective at stopping the SARS coronavirus in its tracks.

The COVID-19 bug is likewise a coronavirus, labeled SARS-CoV-2. While not exactly the same virus as SARS-CoV-1, it is genetically related to it, and shares 79{154653b9ea5f83bbbf00f55de12e21cba2da5b4b158a426ee0e27ae0c1b44117} of its genome, as the name SARS-CoV-2 implies. They both use the same host cell receptor, which is what viruses use to gain entry to the cell and infect the victim.

The Virology Journal – the official publication of Dr. Fauci’s National Institutes of Health – published what is now a blockbuster article on August 22, 2005, under the heading – get ready for this – “Chloroquine is a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus infection and spread.” (Emphasis mine throughout.) Write the researchers, “We report…that chloroquine has strong antiviral effects on SARS-CoV infection of primate cells. These inhibitory effects are observed when the cells are treated with the drug either before or after exposure to the virus, suggesting both prophylactic and therapeutic advantage.”

Dr. Anthony FauciThis means, of course, that Dr. Fauci (pictured at right) has known for 15 years that chloroquine and it’s even milder derivative hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) will not only treat a current case of coronavirus (“therapeutic”) but prevent future cases (“prophylactic”). So HCQ functions as both a cure and a vaccine. In other words, it’s a wonder drug for coronavirus. o-die/

Ken B said...

Althouse is looking for an out: a “neutral” reason to vote for Biden.

WK said...

Son is away at college. Earlier in semester they provided random invitations for COVID testing. He opted out on one invite as false positive sends you into isolation. Email from university this week is if you are randomly selected you must test or be added to the “red list” and lose access to all campus facilities. You will be made to comply.

Iman said...

Cruel Cheeseality?

NYC JournoList said...

Althouse is spending her time wondering about when Trump first tested positive. At this point that is the most trivial thing to worry about. Trump had it, he is likely immune until the virus mutates; Biden remains vulnerable. The election is about the future, not the past.

Meanwhile, Biden repeated the Charlottesville hoax, made the arm bleach injection gesture just last night, refused to name his Supremes list, or even say whether he is limited to nine. He is playing to emotion and lying every time he opens his mouth.

Did Biden arm-twist Hunter to pay his expenses and spend half his income on “Pops”? Is he in China’s pocket? Ukraine’s? Did his brother James compromise himself with the Iraq contract in a way that could lead to extortion?

Will Joe pledge to appoint a special investigator into Brennan/Comey/Strok and the abuse of FISA and the NSA databased? What was Bill discussing with Loretta Lynch? Why did Hilary promise Lynch the AG job as the NY Times reported the weekend of the Tarmac Meeting.

Was Joe indeed a participant in the Jan 5 meeting with Brennan, Comey, Rice, Obama and Yates? Was Trump discussed at the meeting or just Flynn?

How is Joe’s health? Why is he not traveling more than 1-2 times per week? Why is he not holding evening rallies? Can he handle the rigors of the office? What would it mean if Harris succedeed to the Presidency when she was not even popular in her own party?

The list is never ending. At least we know who Trump is and that his feet will be held to the fire. And if something happens to him Pence will be boring; just what a lot of people want.

Bay Area Guy said...

AA proclaims: "I want a clear answer to the question whether it's possible that Trump already had the coronavirus during the debate and whether, suspecting that he was becoming ill, he avoided getting tested on the day of the debate. "

Really? Why is that? You've already said you're not voting for Biden or Trump, so what difference does it make?

Althouse is and remains a national treasure! But like a speck of dust on the Mona Lisa, she has a few political imperfections. The Holy Democrat political trinity (abortion, feminism, gay rights) continues to vex her. DJT continues to vex her -- when it comes down to crunch time to pull the voting lever.

DJT is healthy and back on the campaign trail -- without symptoms, is not infectious, and has tested negative, according to his physician, Dr. Sean Conley.

Jupiter said...

Here, let Andy McCarthy explain it to you;
It is not a matter of liking or despising Trump. It is a choice between Trump and what the Biden-Harris Democrats would do to the country. That being a catastrophe that he describes in horrifying detail. Buwaya may have had the right idea.

NYC JournoList said...

Yes, I cannot ignore the fact that the NSA has created the ability to eavesdrop on and record every electronic communication we make and has demonstrated a willingness to abuse that power to influence innocent American citizens for their own benefit and the benefit of politicians who hold the reins of power. Until Comey, Brennan, and Obama come clean and open the books there is no way I can ever again cast a vote for a Democrat. They cannot be trusted to do anything other than is in their personal interest.

Ken B said...

Tim maguire is right too. If it’s important, get the test results. I think it’s perfectly fair to ask to hear from the doctors.

tim maguire said...

MayBee said...Our whole conversation around COVID is so stupid. It's like a witch hunt. We want to blame people who get it for not following some rule, as if that will make us safe.

Once politicized, it's really hard to keep your focus on what matters. The US is doing a million tests a day, so they are finding more cases than they used to, which means the case numbers are going up, which means Trump gets bashed for not being enough of a totalitarian dictator simply mandating the left's wish list. (Which will surely work if only those idiot Republicans would listen to them!).

Meanwhile, scientists are busting their asses trying to find a cure as fast as they can to save lives, but if they find the cure too soon, they will be attacked for compromising safety and lots of people won't take it because they don't trust Trump. And god forbid Trump say something positive about a promising treatment--that treatment and everyone working on it becomes suspect and the left will celebrate its every setback. And why not when every death is Trump's fault?

And so it goes when politics gets involved.

Gilbert Pinfold said...

Fauci is an internist, and not a virologist. He is Head of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) because he is a career public health bureaucrat. He's one of the authors of Harrison's Principle of Internal Medicine for chrissake. Virologists like myself consider him a joke, or at best, a dispenser of patronage grant $$ through NIAID.

Rosalyn C. said...

If Trump lacked empathy he would not be able to connect with stadiums full of people and they would not respond with so much love and excitement. He totally gets people on the most fundamental human level, he communicates that, and the people know it. That connection comes from the heart and his openness. The connection is visceral. The accusation that he does not care about people is frankly bizarre and malicious imo.

Meanwhile where were the questions about Biden's health factors and his mental decline? No one is even allowed to ask directly if he's been tested on cognitive decline, and meanwhile he's running for US President. Strange situation. What does that say about his personality? What a shock it would be to go from having a president who is attacked and questioned constantly to a president who can never be questioned at all. Very peaceful if that's what you want.

I respect Althouse's ability to drill down on minutia but the choice of target here seems irrelevant and immaterial. Was Trump experiencing symptoms, fever, loss of smell, etc.? Ask him the kind of questions I get asked when I visit the dentist or doctor would seem more relevant. It's very hard to definitively determine exactly when the virus load becomes significant to testing. I suspect we have all been exposed to some amount of covid virus but in most cases the load is too small and for too small a duration to affect most of us.

Hammering Trump about which date he was tested doesn't seem as important to me as the issue of Biden's cognitive decline and his prognosis going forward. About that there is total lack of interest in the media. Insane level of dereliction of duty.

Birkel said...

Ann got all wee-wee'd up.

wendybar said...

Mark said...
Once again, the sycophants complain about how big mean Savanah Guthrie was too mean.

Meanwhile they ask us to believe that Trump mopped the floor with Xi.

It's one or the other.

10/16/20, 7:51 AM

PLEASE. Trump also mopped the floor with Joe Bidens Press Secretary Savannah.It's not that we are complaining she is mean, it's that we would like to see Joe Biden get the same treatment. Why the softballs. Afraid of the truth???

Butkus51 said...

You MUST wear the ribbon.

tim in vermont said...

shhhh! Thistlerose, not so loud!
TiFnV will hear you, and start SCREAMING that you are trying to Kill him
There is no place for Facts in the Covid world; take your facts and Get OUT!


LOL. Anybody tempted to listen to gilbar ought to read that carefully and decide if this displays the level of thinking that they should heed. I know it probably *seems* like screaming, gilbar, when you have your facts demolished time after time, but you are the one using all caps, not me.

Anyway. Right now remdesivir is the best that we have, and there is not enough of it to go around should the cases skyrocket again. Right now the cases are not skyrocketing, so maybe we should do our best to not tempt the beast and leave ourselves in the situation where we are going to have to ration effective care. That treatment that Trump had is in large scale trials right now, and has been held up because out of the thousands of participants, one has developed a rare condition. The trial will resume soon, and when that magical shit that they replicated out of a guy who had recovered who had very effective antibodies is approved, it will scale up quickly and this thing will be mostly over. We will all have access to the treatments that Trump enjoyed. Until then, a little thing like wearing a mask seems not too much to ask even if it only slows things down for a while. Unless you are kind of primitive and they scare you for some reason or it bothers you that knuckle draggers think mocking thoughts about you when they see you.

Sorry I have a hard time communicating on the same level as gilbar.

Narr said...

I could have wasted last night trying to watch The Unwatchables, but opted instead to waste my morning reading the critique here.

Just kidding--this is far more informative and rewarding than that would have been, even if the ostensible topic--What did the president know, and when did he know it?--is trivial in the context. As I'm the last to point out.

FWIW none of the C-19 tests I've been required to take in the last few months were positive, or painful.

Narr
But tomorrow is another day

Readering said...

OMG looks like POTUS got lower ratings than veep.

tim in vermont said...

"He opted out on one invite as false positive sends you into isolation.”

He’s right, the college is wrong. If the incidence of COVID is low on the campus, the odds that you have it just because you tested positive, without any symptoms, is very low. They should have a statistics professor review their policies. Everybody should take precautions, because testing is almost useless for what they seem to be trying to accomplish.

Yancey Ward said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Yancey Ward said...

"No, it’s not true that 85 percent of mask wearers caught the virus."

Trump misspoke- he meant to say that 85% of the people who test positive for COVID report wearning a mask all or most of the time- this comes directly from the CDC. Masks don't work.

rehajm said...

Okay, Savannah...

Bilwick said...

I notice a lot of attacks on Trump seem to stem from him not being "my kind of person" or variations on that theme. I don't really care if a president is my kind of person. I don't want him for a buddy. Being one of those weirdoes who still value liberty, the main thing I want from a president is that he fights off bad guys (terrorists, foreign invaders, "liberals") and otherwise leaves me alone.

wendybar said...

I still think Trump will win, but if he doesn't - liberal suburban women will deserve everything they get. What a shallow and self-absorbed lot.

10/16/20, 9:45 AM

I'm almost hoping Biden wins, let them wallow in their new Socialist Utopia with no cars, no flying, no food...unless you are one of the elite. ALMOST.

Patrick said...

Althouse has one of the sharpest minds I've ever come across. And yet even she cannot escape the black hole grasp of her own DNA, pulling her into the abyss of FEELINGS.

wildswan said...

The two townhalls showed very clearly the difference in the way the press treats Trump versus the way it treats Biden.
No one even asked Biden how he wanted to explain why Hunter's e-mails show Hunter on the take and Biden in the know. Then, Biden became a rambling old man an hour into his town hall. He couldn't keep his wits about him. Whether it was that he couldn't even remember the answers he had been given to the questions he knew in advance or whether it was that he was worn out, doesn't really matter. The point is that in a critical period for the nation this man is running for President though he can't focus for long. ABC covered for him with increasingly frequent ad breaks. But will China do the same? or will they force him into situations where he has to focus for more than an hour and take advantage of the resulting confusion?
Meanwhile at Trump's "townhall" the moderator, a member of the press, insisted on coming between the people and Trump with prolonged, hostile lines of questioning which took up the people's allotted time. Business as usual, pointless as usual. If Trump did it, it won't happen again and in any case, he did us a favor in showing that even older people can recover from covid and become well, strong and combative.
I've always seen Biden as a Hindenburg figure in the mold of the senile German President who enabled the German national socialists. But by last night Biden began to seem like a large gas bag drifting through the air with the Democratic party and the media comfortably couched in a fashionable lounge and quietly chatting while slung below the gas bag's tons of inflammable material. Oh, the ....

buwaya said...

" he simply retweeted a bonkers conspiracy theory "

The entire zone of special operations is secret, so there are no bonkers conspiracy theories. Things are secret because either they have to be, or because the facts are inconvenient; we have no way to evaluate without knowing the facts. Experience with declassified information, notably the recent Trump cases, all those secret and heavily redacted documents, has shown that ALL the "secrets" in that were ass-covering. So there is no reason not to imagine ones own frame for limited facts.

There is no reason to trust those persons or institutions from which one is receiving explanations.

wendybar said...

DarkHelmet said...
Why does Trump agree to hostile questioning when his opponent gets nothing but softballs? Why do Republicans always go along with this 'badger in a bag' game the media likes to play? It is a perpetual mystery to me. The old media can be circumvented. They can also be counterattacked. You need gumption and cleverness. Trump's got the gumption part . . .


Because Trump can handle anything that is thrown at him...Biden, not so much. Who would make the better leader?? The man who hides in the basement every other day, or the man who stands, and makes his case.??

narciso said...

yes mayra is a firecracker, she's more maga then most in south florida,

pacwest said...

Wow, just wow. But this is a stark reminder of why no Democrat should ever be elected to any position higher than dog catcher. These are not serious people. I want to know what his healthcare policies are. Has the policy regarding China changed. Are we willing to go to war in the South China Sea or Taiwan. Are we helping build a nuclear reactor for Saudi Arabia. Is anything going to be done about deficit spending other than lip service. Education. Corruption and law and order. How are we going to handle the upcoming bankruptcies of several states.
The list of complex things foreign and domestic goes on and on. But nooo. Evidently the more pressing issues are if the KKK is running rampant. Did the President wash his tennis shoes. JHC on a stick. I guess we're in the Bread and Circuses phase of the downfall, so who cares.

«Oldest ‹Older   1 – 200 of 283   Newer› Newest»