Tonight's debate was surprisingly hopeful in some ways, albeit thoroughly depressing in others. I wanted to write a thread on it, and share some of what I'm feeling right now with you.

As far as hope goes, Vice President Biden led in the early polling, and it wasn't even close:

He also did well in the betting markets (the last four hours being the period in which the debate took place):
https://www.electionbettingodds.com/ 

Maybe it's Twitch experience, but I feel that when it comes to debates, it's always better to shout back than to be shouted over - that's just the nature of the beast. But this comment from @TimAlberta on @FrankLuntz's post-debate focus group of independent voters was promising.

President Trump performed so poorly that he and his have immediately resorted to blaming the moderator. Look at this unintentional self-own - Trump spent so much time interrupting both Vice President Biden and Chris Wallace that of course he ended up with the most interruptions.

Turning toward what was depressing, the debate was such a visceral reminder of who President Trump is. The way he repeatedly went after Vice President Biden's sons was disgusting, although now, a few hours later, it's good to know that most Americans would agree with me on this.

The powerlessness of the moderator was thoroughly depressing as well. If you can't cut President Trump's mic, there's really nothing you can do but fight him when he breaks the rules he's already agreed to - which he wants you to do, since it legitimizes him among his supporters.

One of Vice President Biden's most powerful statements was also the most tragic moment of the night, when he said that 1 in every 1,000 black Americans have died of Covid-19, and that we're on track for that figure to climb to 1 in 500. That scale of suffering is terrifying.

Finally, in the wake of the debate, I'm even more frustrated with the ceaseless parade of "both sides need to grow up" arguments, especially when they come from eccentric third parties trying to frame the Democrats and Republicans as being somehow comparable. They're not, at all.

Every debate has interruptions and misstatements but there was a clear difference between the way Vice President Biden and President Trump carried themselves. Biden acted presidential, even if he was imperfect and sometimes too quiet, while Trump acted callously and desperately.

Ultimately, after all of that, I'm more excited than ever to vote Vice President Biden into power. He's not perfect, but he'll stop the bleeding - he's a good man with a solid set of ideas and policy proposals, and he'll restore decency and sanity to the biggest job in the world.