On Politics: The optimism and anxiety ahead of tonight’s debate
The optimism and anxiety ahead of tonight's debate
The latest, with 56 days to go
For Beth Anne Riches of South Bend, Ind., the presidential debate tonight between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump can't come soon enough. "I want to see the prosecutor come out and get under the former guy's skin," Riches, 62, said. "I think I'll fix myself a nice cocktail (or two) and enjoy watching him lose his cool." In Anacortes, Wash., Shay Schual-Berke, 72, a former Democratic state lawmaker, is so excited about the debate that she and fellow members of a progressive group she's part of decided to turn their regular monthly meeting tonight into a watch party with popcorn and cookies. And in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Patricia Harris was feeling confident that Harris would "eviscerate" Trump — and avenge Hillary Clinton while she's at it. "I know the kinds of hopes that are riding on her because I've heard it expressed over and over," Harris, 76, a former chair of her county's Democratic Party who is part of a Facebook group that has raised money for the vice president, said. "I just hope for the collective psyche of the nation that she really does deliver." Last week, I asked you all how you were feeling about this debate, reprising a question I asked ahead of the fateful meeting between Trump and President Biden in June. Back then, I heard from confident supporters of Trump — and a flood of Biden supporters who were practically hiding under the bed with worry. They have, to put it mildly, been on a roller coaster ever since. Most have morphed into Harris supporters, and, judging from the responses I received, many of them feel like they can already taste a debate victory. But, with the race neck and neck in the polls, it was clear that many supporters of Harris are still feeling deeply anxious — especially when it comes to the burden of great expectations and the folly of overconfidence. "I worry that expectations for Harris may be so high," wrote Elizabeth Egan of Smithville, N.J., "she'll have to make him cry to be considered the winner." A high-stakes nightNo matter whom you're supporting in November — or if you're undecided — you agree on one thing: Tonight really matters. Supporters of Trump were euphoric earlier this summer after his debate with Biden essentially ended the president's re-election campaign. Biden's halting performance stoked doubt about his age and fitness — and pulled the spotlight away from Trump, who could draw fresh scrutiny tonight. "Trump has to prove to the American people that the same old shtick he has will still work," wrote Zakhai Akiba, a supporter of the former president, from Cambridge, Mass. "I believe the pressure is 100 percent on Trump." Charles Ayer, of Vernon, Conn., said he had been "Never Trump" for the last four years but planned to vote for the former president in the fall. He disliked the "basement" campaign Biden ran in 2020, he said, referring to the way Biden limited his campaign events during the Covid pandemic, and he now believes Harris is taking a similarly cautious approach that he cannot "tolerate." Ayer plans to watch the debate tonight, he said, though his expectations are low. "I don't think Trump will win," Ayer said, "but Harris will lose." Lori Nelson, a former Republican who became an independent voter after the 2016 election, said the high stakes of the debate — which has fed punditry suggesting the night could make or break Harris's campaign — led her to feel nothing short of dread. "I think Harris is tough and can be laser-focused but I also know Trump has an instinctive killer M.O.," wrote Nelson. "He could rattle her, get her off her game, and win the night based on some idiocy he pulls out of his hat." A dose of P.T.S.D.Many readers wrote me to say they are sure that Harris — a former prosecutor with a history of going for the kill on the debate stage — has more than enough skill to demolish Trump onstage. But one thing was very clear from the messages I received from Harris supporters: Even if you want to feel confident, you are coming to this debate with some baggage after watching Biden's disastrous debate in June — as well as Trump's domineering performances when he debated Clinton back in 2016. "I am filled with fear. P.T.S.D.," wrote Eve Kramer of Berkeley, Calif., referring to post-traumatic stress disorder. "I remember Trump standing behind Hillary Clinton and stalking her." Still, Kramer was trying to buck up. "Can I watch this again? Yes," she wrote. "Kamala Harris is going to kick ass." Marie Garofalo of Summerland Key, Fla., wrote that the June debate had left her in tears — so she is feeling a mixture of anxiety and excitement tonight. "I am confident that Harris can deliver," she wrote, "as long as the moderators keep the 'beast' in check." Many readers wrote in to express a different concern: that she could face an impossible double standard in debating a candidate who has long made it clear he does not care about norms or rules on the stage. "I certainly believe Kamala Harris will hold her own considerably better than Biden," wrote Robb Stillman of Columbus, Ohio. "Still, I am not sure her point will come across with someone like Trump, who does not follow the rules and relies on bullying, insults and lies in an attempt to overshadow anyone who challenges him." Others fretted that the bar for Harris will simply be higher. "Trump has nothing to lose, and Harris has everything to lose," wrote Anne Tippett, of Birmingham, Ala. "She cannot afford to have even one misstep." Your questions for the candidatesIt's up to the moderators, David Muir and Linsey Davis, to pose the questions tonight and keep the candidates in line. But you, dear readers, know exactly what you'd like to hear about. Here's a sampling:
Here's how to watch the debate tonight
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