A reminder of why TV’s called an ‘idiot box’ [Video]

Virginia Democrats know a lousy debate performance when they see it. And they don’t need to be reminded when it signals trouble.

President Joseph Biden, in his first broadcast debate of the 2024 campaign with former President Donald Trump, was — to borrow Trump’s piercing description of rival Jeb Bush from the 2016 GOP primary — low energy. And that’s being charitable. His feebleness was only occasionally offset by a familiarity with policy that should be a gimme after more than a half-century in government.

Trump was clearly more animated than his opponent and delighted in playing the aggressor, though he frequently flashed his signature fondness for falsehoods. That included misrepresenting two Virginia-specific events: His seeming alignment with the racists and antisemites who rioted in Charlottesville in 2017 and the debate over a former governor’s position on late-term abortion.

The near-total silence of, or sharply tailored quips by, Democrats and Republicans immediately following the 90-minute debate made clear that both parties recognize …