I wasn't paying attention at all throughout the day because I remember so clearly how unimportant the early poll results and exit polls were, or at least how much the information seemed like it fluctuated just to keep people glued to the TV. Stepped out to watch the late NBA game with a couple friends and the other TV had CNN on, this was 9/9:30, and I was totally shocked not just that Biden was winning but by how much in so many states.

One of the guys turned to me shaking his head, took a shot of tequila, rested his forearms on the bar and mumbled, "I live in a fuckin' bubble, man." This is a guy who in the past four years I've known him has helped open a family business, got engaged to his boyfriend in a state that only just legalized such things five years ago, bought a house...he's been nothing but a beacon of light and progress for me and he looked like his cat was one of the victims in that Netflix documentary.

From the very first debate, for me, it didn't matter whether I liked Biden in past election cycles or as Vice President or what any of his policies were. That was the very first non-fringe candidate in my thirty years and four Presidential elections that I saw on TV and thought, "that dude sounds mentally ill." I just couldn't understand how anyone would vote for the guy that was standing on that stage in 2020, and every following debate just furthered that.

Biden lived long enough to become the villain for a lot of people last night. I'm thoroughly discouraged. If any debates even happen, it's going to be two old grumps trying to make America great again while their brains melt out of their ears, while everyone so concerned about the moderate vote that flipped for Trump in 2016 coming back for Biden in 2020 are going to continue to miss that Biden is boring and Trump is not. THAT was what made Sanders or Warren the right candidates for the job, because they are different degrees of not boring and more importantly want to talk about the future, not the past.

Oh well. We'll always have Hardball. © Chris Matthews


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"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas
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