♪ ♪>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WE ARE BACK WITH JOHN DICKERSON
FROM CBS NEWS. QUICKLY BEFORE WE GO ONTO THE
DEBATE ITSELF, PRESIDENT TRUMP IN A PODCAST THE OTHER DAY SAID
THAT HE WAS BEATEN BY A WHISKER IN THE 2020 --
HE ADMITTED DEFEAT BY A WHISKER AND SAID IT A COUPLE TIMES.
THEN TONIGHT DAVID MUIR ASKED HIM, YOU SAID YOU WERE DEFEATED
AND THEN YOU BACKTRACKED. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF HIS
ADMITTING IT AT ONE POINT AND BACKTRACKING AGAIN?
WHICH DID EACH ONE OF THOSE SERVE FOR HIM?
>> John: BACKING UP, YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO MESS WITH THIS
STUFF. A FREE AND FAIR ELECTION IS THE
THING YOU RAISE YOUR RIGHT HAND ON THE FRONT OF THE CAPITOL AND
SAM GOING TO PROTECT THE CONSTITUTION WHICH INCLUDES FREE
AND FAIR ELECTIONS TO PEACEFULLY EXCHANGE POWER.
YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO MESS WITH THIS.
HE IS STILL TINKERING WITH A DEFINED ADVANTAGE SO IN THE ONE
MOMENT HE FEELS LIKE YOU CAN SAY THE ELECTION WAS REAL AND THEN
WHEN HE GETS BLOWBACK FROM SUPPORTERS HE GOES BACK TO THE
DELUSION IT WAS STOLEN. >> Stephen: I IMAGINE HE WOULD
GET SOME BLOWBACK FROM THE PEOPLE WHO WENT TO JAIL FOR HIM.
REALLY, HONESTLY. >> John: THAT IS A CRUCIAL AND
IMPORTANT PART OF THIS CAMPAIGN, SOMEBODY'S ASKING TO BE
REELECED WHO PLAYED WITH THIS THING THAT'S SENSITIVE AND IS
ABOUT THE MOST SENSITIVE THING IN A CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT.
USED 2B THAT THE GREAT GLORY OF THE AMERICAN SYSTEM THAT THEY
HAD PEACEFUL TRANSFERS OF POWER. >> Stephen: SOMEONE WHO HAS
HOSTED A DEBATE BEFORE, MODERATED A DEBATE, WHAT DO YOU
THINK NOT HAVING AN AUDIENCE DOES TO A DEBATE LIKE THIS?
>> John: I THINK FOR DONALD TRUMP, MANY OF WHOSE
AIDES HAD TOLD ME THAT THE AUDIENCE IS OXYGEN FOR HIM.
HE FEEDS AND READS THE ROOM. YOU CAN SEE HIM DO IT WITH THEM
MODERATORS WHEN THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE IN HIS AUDIENCE.
THE NUMBER OF TIMES HE MENTIONED DAVID MUIR'S NAME, HE'S
CONSTANTLY TRYING TO BUILD A RAPPORT.
WITHOUT AN AUDIENCE TO FEEDBACK, YOU KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE WITHOUT
AN AUDIENCE. YOU GET STRONG FEEDBACK FROM AN
AUDIENCE. ú>> Stephen: COVID WAS A DARK
TIME FOR MANY REASONS. NOT HEARING LAUGHTER WAS A BIG
PART OF IT. FINALLY, THIS IS THE SECOND
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS.
OBVIOUSLY THIS IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN THE ONE THAT BIDEN HAD WITH
TRUMP IN JUNE. BUT THAT DEBATE IN JUNE AND THIS
DEBATE, DO YOU THINK IT HAS HAMMERED HOME THE IDEA ONCE
AGAIN THAT DEBATES MATTER? >> John: YES.
THESE MIGHT HAVE BEEN IDIOSYNCRATIC MOMENTS WE HAVE A
CANDIDATE WHO HAS TROUBLES AND HIS OWN PARTY AND THEN YOU HAVE
A CANDIDATE WHO IS NOT SO WELL-KNOWN AND CAN CHANGE WHAT
PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THEM IN THE DEBATE.
IN GENERAL, IT STILL PROBABLY TRUE THAT DEBATES DON'T MATTER
SO MUCH BUT IN THIS WHEN YOU'VE GOT TO THE DID MATTER SO FOR THE
MOMENT, IT MATTERS A LOT. I'M GOING TO REVISE THAT THE
NEXT DEBATE IF I NEED A NEW OPINION I'LL COME UP WITH ONE.
>> Stephen: WHILE IT MATTERS, IT MATTERS UNTIL IT DOESN'T
MATTER ANYMORE. >> John: EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: THAT IS THE JOHN DICKERSON ANALYSIS.
JOHN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
YOU CAN CATCH MORE JOHN DICKERSON DEBATE ANALYSIS
TOMORROW ON "CBS MORNINGS." JOHN DICKERSON.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH A PERFORMANCE BY TEMS.