10-10-2016, 12:54 AM
Well, I don't think Clinton knocked Trump out tonight. He started off terribly, I thought, but really bounced back.
I thought Clinton did okay, but I'd hoped she'd be even stronger than she was in the first debate. I thought she performed weaker than she did in the first debate whereas Trump performed stronger than he did in the first debate.
Trump's response to the groper tape was not what I expected and wasn't effective, in my opinion. He again wrote it off to "locker room talk" and "just words", even though he was 59 and talking about uninvited sexual advances, not consensual conquests. He again said, "nobody has more respect for women than me". It took him being asked three times by Anderson whether he really committed the sexual assaults or not. He finally quickly said, "no I didn't (really do those things)", and then immediately deflected to Bill Clinton, whose accusers Trump had in the audience.
Clinton didn't take the bait when Trump brought up Bill Clinton's past problems with women or put his accusers on display, which I thought was smart. I think Clinton did a good job listing all of the things Trump has said and done which she believes makes him unfit to be president.
I thought Trump again put off African Americans and Latinos when he had opportunities to try to improve his standings there a couple of times.
In my opinion, Clinton was much better than Trump at relating to the audience and outlining clear policy solutions to problems - on clean energy and related job opps, health care reformation, tax code reformation, Muslim American integration, Syria, foreign policy...
But, I was asking myself why the hell wasn't she better at responding effectively to the damn email questions for the millionth time? And why the hell was she not better prepared to answer the question about her comment to Wall Street bankers (from the Wikileak release) regarding having different policy explanations for different audiences? Her Abraham Lincoln movie explanation, true or not, sucked, I thought. Trump surely made big points with his base by calling her a consummate liar who's now blaming Abraham Lincoln.
I also think Clinton could have done better answering about her 'basket of deplorables' remark. She said her problem was with 'him' (Trump) not his supporters and she'd work to represent everyone, even those who didn't vote for her.
Trump threatened to ask his Attorney General to investigate Clinton for prosecution over deleting and bleaching emails if he's elected (which he said in all seriousness) and then later said that she'd be in jail in response to a comment she made about him (which I took as a joke in tone and context, but that's just my impression). He also whined about not getting as much time from the moderators several times (though I think he actually talked more than Clinton).
During the course of the debate, Trump called Clinton the devil, said she had hate in her heart, tried to deflect his birther shit on to her again, and hurled a whole bunch of other personal insults at her. He also lied and denied tweeting that people should check out the Miss Universe "sex tape". I think that kind of rhetoric and easily verified lies alienates voters outside his base.
When Trump was making his scrambled comments about what he would do in Syria, the moderator pointed out that Pence said the opposite in the VP debate. Trump responded that he disagreed with Pence and hadn't talked to him about it.
Clinton did a good job, in my opinion, countering Trump's claim that she hasn't done anything in 35 years of public service and that she's all talk, no action. She effectively detailed accomplishments from her early days, first lady days, senatorial days, and Sec of State tenure, in my opinion.
I found the last audience question interesting; the man asked them each to say one thing they respect about the other. Clinton said she respected Trump's children and Trump by association. Trump said he respected that Clinton never gives up, she fights on (which I think is true and was a smart way for him to end the debate).
At the end of the day, I don't get the sense that this debate made much difference in the status of the election, unfortunately. However, I bet a lot of Republicans who didn't drop Trump are breathing a sigh of relief that he didn't blow chunks.
Did anybody else watch and have a different take?
I thought Clinton did okay, but I'd hoped she'd be even stronger than she was in the first debate. I thought she performed weaker than she did in the first debate whereas Trump performed stronger than he did in the first debate.
Trump's response to the groper tape was not what I expected and wasn't effective, in my opinion. He again wrote it off to "locker room talk" and "just words", even though he was 59 and talking about uninvited sexual advances, not consensual conquests. He again said, "nobody has more respect for women than me". It took him being asked three times by Anderson whether he really committed the sexual assaults or not. He finally quickly said, "no I didn't (really do those things)", and then immediately deflected to Bill Clinton, whose accusers Trump had in the audience.
Clinton didn't take the bait when Trump brought up Bill Clinton's past problems with women or put his accusers on display, which I thought was smart. I think Clinton did a good job listing all of the things Trump has said and done which she believes makes him unfit to be president.
I thought Trump again put off African Americans and Latinos when he had opportunities to try to improve his standings there a couple of times.
In my opinion, Clinton was much better than Trump at relating to the audience and outlining clear policy solutions to problems - on clean energy and related job opps, health care reformation, tax code reformation, Muslim American integration, Syria, foreign policy...
But, I was asking myself why the hell wasn't she better at responding effectively to the damn email questions for the millionth time? And why the hell was she not better prepared to answer the question about her comment to Wall Street bankers (from the Wikileak release) regarding having different policy explanations for different audiences? Her Abraham Lincoln movie explanation, true or not, sucked, I thought. Trump surely made big points with his base by calling her a consummate liar who's now blaming Abraham Lincoln.
I also think Clinton could have done better answering about her 'basket of deplorables' remark. She said her problem was with 'him' (Trump) not his supporters and she'd work to represent everyone, even those who didn't vote for her.
Trump threatened to ask his Attorney General to investigate Clinton for prosecution over deleting and bleaching emails if he's elected (which he said in all seriousness) and then later said that she'd be in jail in response to a comment she made about him (which I took as a joke in tone and context, but that's just my impression). He also whined about not getting as much time from the moderators several times (though I think he actually talked more than Clinton).
During the course of the debate, Trump called Clinton the devil, said she had hate in her heart, tried to deflect his birther shit on to her again, and hurled a whole bunch of other personal insults at her. He also lied and denied tweeting that people should check out the Miss Universe "sex tape". I think that kind of rhetoric and easily verified lies alienates voters outside his base.
When Trump was making his scrambled comments about what he would do in Syria, the moderator pointed out that Pence said the opposite in the VP debate. Trump responded that he disagreed with Pence and hadn't talked to him about it.
Clinton did a good job, in my opinion, countering Trump's claim that she hasn't done anything in 35 years of public service and that she's all talk, no action. She effectively detailed accomplishments from her early days, first lady days, senatorial days, and Sec of State tenure, in my opinion.
I found the last audience question interesting; the man asked them each to say one thing they respect about the other. Clinton said she respected Trump's children and Trump by association. Trump said he respected that Clinton never gives up, she fights on (which I think is true and was a smart way for him to end the debate).
At the end of the day, I don't get the sense that this debate made much difference in the status of the election, unfortunately. However, I bet a lot of Republicans who didn't drop Trump are breathing a sigh of relief that he didn't blow chunks.
Did anybody else watch and have a different take?