* Lauer helped Hillary up the podium in the guise of a handshake, all pre planned no doubt.
She forgot her scripted answer to the commander in chief quality question, and answered first with, “Steadiness” then Lauer helped her by suggesting, “judgment” which was the word she forgot to use, as seen when Lauer used that word to frame his next question to her.
I noticed her swallowing hard a few times but only one throat clearing. Her medical team must have worked for hours prepping her for the half hour viewing.
She had a sort of glazed or wild look occasionally and had a slight brain freeze in response when Lauer suggested at the onset that she refrain from attacking Trump and speak about herself.
Lauer acted the part of hard nosed journalist with her with his somber demeanor but especially by what he didn’t ask her, he betrayed his loyalty to Hillary. She seemed ready for the questions, so they were pre known certainly.
Her sitting then standing mode was mostly for her body’s benefit. She couldn’t have her pillow, so she couldn’t get comfy sitting, and standing and moving helped her perhaps in controlling her cough reflex. Something was odd there, in any case. She appeared fake, at times annoyed and nearing shrill and strident, in order words, regular Hillary mode.
Trump was calm, super relaxed and knew he was entering a hostile reception with Lauer’s completely changed demeanor towards him being evident immediately. Trumps answers were fine and he didn’t allow himself to be baited though I wish he would have directly tailored his replies to the questions from the audience instead of using his regular broad brush strokes method or attacking Obama/Hillary. The question about military rapes was meant to spoil Trump and Lauer was ready with an old Trump quote that related, but Trump brushed it off easily.
Trump looked like a president.
Hillary looked like a chemo patient readied for visiting hours.
* Hillary did surprisingly well given her ailments. She seemed collected and had every point memorized ready for delivery, though she didn’t say anything of any substance. I did notice a light bobbing motion in her head that she was trying hard to synchronize with normal nods of the head as in asserting or making a point in order to conceal the involuntary movements. She came across as an elderly recovering alcoholic with a sore voice and empty gaze. She clearly needed a drink.
Trump looked presidential and slightly annoyed with an openly hostile Matt Lauer. He was winging it for the most part, I guess. It was brilliant of him to stress the importance of diplomacy, of getting along with countries different from the USA instead of trying to turn the whole world a mirror image of the US, neocon style.
* I was surprised there was no coughing!
Matt seemed to favor Clinton and allowed her to say her pieces, but with Trump he interjected and disagreed.
Crowd clapped louder when Clinton walked on, so the NBC set up seemed to favor Clinton. Trump surely did not see the questions ahead of time, but I feel Clinton did.
* – Hillary looked pretty healthy. She wasn’t wearing a collar, and her neck looked normal; I didn’t see her cough; and she stood without trouble.
– Hillary might be the Elizabeth Holmes of politics: smart, female, loved by Silicon Valley, good with scripted presentations, good at raising money, but bad with technology and bad at accomplishing anything substantive.
– Hillary has a talent for answering questions. Even when she’s asked about some disaster she caused, she can rattle off a prepared 400 word response. And by the end of it you’re so bored, you forgot what the question was.
* For any Jewish commenter: How does this type of stuff play in the Jewish community? Do Jews seriously believe this stuff especially given Trump’s daughter? Clearly this piece was written for a Jewish audience. And it definitely seems quite desperate and reaches for straws.
Does this mean Trump is actually attracting Jewish voters and mainstream Jews are worried, thus they are trying to scare people and keep them in Hillary’s camp?
* Don’t forget that NBC did the lighting exactly Hillary’s people wanted it. To make her look the best possible. And only head shots and from the waist up! No full body shots showing how portly she has gotten in the last six months!
