This is the fundamental message of the modern Democratic Party.
"Yes, you will still be boiled alive, but we will do it more slowly."
And what's extra hair-pullingly-frustrating about it all is that they'll get blamed for the boil anyway... which will result in Republicans winning and turning up the heat.
There's no way out. Its either a crew that will compromise and fritter away what time we have left or a crew that will pedal-to-the-metal straight off the cliff.
The bribery tends to come after - book deals and speaking fees, executive jobs and board positions for family members, assorted Tom DeLay style junkets to resorts flagged as "fact finding" missions.
The access that professional lobbyists provide are gatekeeping mechanisms to make sure the person who will eventually bribe you is legit.
This time with the understanding that 1. Americans are the dumbest people on the planet 2. The undecided voters are even worse
The issues don’t mean anything in these debates because everyone already knows the positions, there is no new information. All that matters are the quips/one liners and Trump had way more of those