Strategic Underdog Maneuver?
Clearly, I don't post a lot, but I read nearly everything you good folks post, and that includes last night and today.
No judgement from me, and I have nothing to add except merely to raise a point below.
Please note there is a debate scheduled for September 10, a time when the actual campaign will be happening:
A "Strategic Underdog Maneuver" involves intentionally appearing weaker in an early debate to achieve several goals: energizing one's base, causing the opponent to become overconfident, and setting up for a stronger performance in a later, more critical debate closer to election day.
Initial Debate Performance: The candidate deliberately performs below their full capability, appearing less prepared or less aggressive.
Rallying the Base: The underwhelming performance sparks outrage and angst among the candidate's supporters, increasing their engagement.
Opponent Overconfidence: The opponent becomes overconfident, believing they have a significant advantage, which might lead them to be less prepared or complacent in the next debate.
Strong Comeback: In the subsequent debate, closer to election day, the candidate delivers a powerful, well-prepared performance that surprises the opponent and sways undecided voters.
Advantages
Base Activation: The candidate’s supporters become more motivated to support and campaign for them.
Opponent Complacency: The opponent might underestimate the candidate in the next debate, leading to potential mistakes or lackluster preparation.
Media and Voter Surprise: The stark contrast in performance can generate significant media coverage and sway public opinion.
Disadvantages
Risk of Permanent Damage: A poor performance might have lasting negative effects on some voters who do not see the comeback.
Opponent Adaptation: The opponent might realize the strategy and adjust their approach in the following debates.
Credibility Issues: The candidate risks losing credibility if the initial weak performance is perceived as genuine incompetence.
= new reply since forum marked as read
for some of the reasons you cited. It's why we didn't have President Romney after Obama's poor first debate.
Then again, if we did have President Romney, we might never have been stuck with Trump, so 
I think Joe was just sick and tired. We all are — of Trump. So maybe this is the rousing we needed, provided we keep focused on what matters.
