Peter Grant: “What did strike me was the contrast between the candidates’ approaches to the rest of the world. Donald Trump was emphatic about protecting American jobs and our national economy, if necessary by renegotiating international trade agreements, restricting immigration, etc. Hillary Clinton was much more globalist in orientation, looking to admit more refugees, work together with other nations (whatever that means), and so on. She basically saw the United States as just one nation among many, whereas Donald Trump saw it as the ‘first among equals’ with the right to put its own interests first.”
Charles Krauthammer: “It was not exactly the knock out fight that we thought. It was a spirited fight. I think in the end it was something like a draw. But I do believe that the draw goes to the challenger in the sense that Trump did not go over the line. And the very fact he could go 90 minutes on the same stage ultimately elevates the challenger, that’s just automatic for any debate of that support.
I think he did allow himself to get very defensive and she exploited that. She kept coming back for things where he wasted a lot of time on taxes, on some of the other issues he felt personally about, and, as a result, he missed a lot of opportunities. She presented herself as she always does. Solid, solid, knows her stuff, not terribly exciting but reliable. I think that is the best she can do. Likable, she couldn’t but that is not something within her reach.
He contained himself in the sense that I don’t think he committed any gaffes but he allowed himself — she could find out something personal about him that would make him down rabbit holes at a time when he had wide openings to go after her on e-mails and other items, and let them go.”
* I swear, my son spent more time prepping this past week for his job interview at Ford this morning (entry level engineering job) than Donald Trump seems to have bothered to spend to become the leader of the free world and perhaps save Western Civilization.
* What did he lose? Did he lose the debate on points? Perhaps. Did he lose because he disqualified himself by fulfilling the MSM narrative that he is temperamentally unfit for office? No, he most certainly did not.
Trump’s main objective was to show the nation that he belongs on this stage and is not the buffoon they say he is. He did that. Do I wish he would have had more debating skills and wiped the floor with Hillary? Heck yes. But he did endure 90 minutes of attacks by Hillary and a moderator that was clearly on her side. And he came through without disqualifying himself with any showstopping gaffes.
All I can say now is let’s see how this plays out with the voters. Hillary supporters think it’s over. Trumpers like me think he pulled through. It’s now up to the 15 to 20 percent of the voters who don’t care too much one way or the other.
* The basics for a change election are obviously in place. Voters overwhelmingly see the country on the wrong track. We’ve had two terms of the Democratic Party in the WH, and the current Democratic candidate is the quintessential status quo candidate. Her opponent is the quintessential change candidate.
Hillary can win only if Trump can be made to look like a wild, risky, out-of-control man. Whether Trump “won” the debate is mostly irrelevant if he managed to come across as a rational character. And in this debate I think he did. FWIW, I watched the debate with two people who, beforehand, regarded Trump as simply a “clown”, but who declared afterwards that he came across as a lot more reasonable than they had expected.
I think that if Trump manages a similar performance in the final two debates, and generally sticks to the knitting, it’s going to be very difficult for Hillary to win.
* Trump could use what Jane Austen called “command of countenance.” Too much smirking, pursuing of lips, head shaking, eye rolling.
Overall, though, I think Trump did fine. Not as well as I might have dreamed, but that would have required someone who is not Trump. He rambled incoherently a few times and failed to make a few strong points when the opportunity arose, but he didn’t shoot himself in the foot.
Thinking about it a few hours later, the point that remains with me is, “Hillary may talk a good game, but she’s not going to deliver. People like her have been running Washington for 30 years, making lot of promises, and nothing ever changes.”
That’s what it really boils down to, not the birther issue or tax forms.
