I did not expect to so thoroughly enjoy the debate between Ron DeSantis and Charlie Crist. Because DeSantis surrounds himself with yes men and his bully boy tactics are so rarely confronted directly, it was great to see that Charlie Crist was not having any of his crap. He kicked DeathSantis's ass, while Ron looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Look how he just twitches, moving his head back and forth like a snake.

This was a great moment, as Crist goaded him about his fixation on Joe Biden and asked him point-blank about whether he would pledge to serve a full four-year term:

This is a major issue in Florida:

This was particularly satisfying, to watch an actual grownup confront Little Ron about his bully tactics:

He brought up abortion at every opportunity:

And then, of course, the pandemic. A close friend who lives in West Palm Beach told me over 500 people died of covid last week -- it's still happening:

Ron DeSantis, who IIRC was a history major at Yale, said this:

Charlie Crist really let him have it over his disgusting Martha's Vineyard stunt:

Look, I wouldn't normally make contributions to someone who's so far down in the polls this close to the election, but as soon as it was over, I sent Crist some of my hard-earned money. Because this was one of those rare debates that felt like it might actually change the momentum of this race.

At this late stage, Crist isn't trying to convert Republicans. (We all know who they're voting for.) He's going for the independents and undecided voters, who tend to like grownup competence. He may have pulled it off. Not only that, he made Ron DeSantis look distinctly non-presidential, and for that alone, I'd reward him.