The Winner of the First Presidential Debate and the Tragedy of Democracy

First, it’s important to define victory. The winner of a presidential debate isn’t necessarily the person who debated better, or who was…

2020 First Presidential Debate CSPAN | Photoshopped by Author

First, it’s important to define victory. The winner of a presidential debate isn’t necessarily the person who debated better, or who was more likable, or who made better points. The winner isn’t even who the viewers think won.

The winner of a debate is whoever sees a bump in their poll/odds num…