Top of Mind Thursday – September 12, 2024: The Debate Goes to the Dogs (and Cats!)

On Tuesday, the two major party candidates for President met in Philadelphia for a debate.

The first debate, in June, was the event that killed Joe Biden’s re-election hopes. This time, the Democrat facing Donald Trump was Kamala Harris, and the evening went very differently.

Harris had obviously prepared for the occasion, going on the offensive and baiting Trump with statements that she knew would push his buttons. And they did. Whether it was the size of his rally crowds or how much money he inherited from his father, Trump immediately focused on his take on those details, rather than maintaining the focus on national issues or policies or Harris’ prior record.

Probably the strangest part of the evening was Trump’s fascination with an already-debunked story that Haitian immigrants were eating local residents’ dogs and cats in Springfield, Ohio. Huh?

While most observers noted that Harris easily won the debate, the question is will it move the needle on the election?

Most people entered the evening having already chosen a candidate. Those choices aren’t likely to change. This election will likely come down to a few thousand voters in just a few battleground states. Both candidates are focused on those areas and the race is too close to call.

Perhaps the one action that happened on Tuesday most likely to impact the race was Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Kamala Harris after the debate. Millions of people have already reacted to her social media post. Will they come out to vote? We’ll have to wait and see.

In the meantime, let’s hope there are no more wild stories like Springfield, OH, which brought a whole new meaning to the term “catfishing.”

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