Why the Biden-Trump debate matters more than you think

Debates usually move the polls — and a tied race could shift either way.

UNITED STATES (ABC NEWS) — The theme of American politics over the last decade is polarization: Specifically, we’ve seen a lot of it. Some pundits have bemoaned the disappearance of swing voters, for example, and the rule of “negative partisanship” over rationality. As The New York Times asked this February: “Are There Any Persuadable Voters Left?”

Prepare to hear a lot of this discourse again this week, when President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off in the first debate of the presidential general election on Thursday night. I predict much hand-wringing about the effects of this debate — or, to be more precise, how little it could matter. But anyone who thinks debates don’t matter in presidential campaigns isn’t up on their history.

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