Presidential Debates Discussion Thread

[zoogs]

That was a funny, harmless question, but there was no easy way for Hillary to answer without normalizing Trump and his outrageous transgressions -- which is a dangerous thing to do. Trump, on the other hand, gets to say something decent-sounding and normalize himself.

The reason I'm making this musing is, look at how our political process is almost catered to reward setting the lowest possible of expectations, and then trying to beat that. In theory, it's a rigorous process that demands competency. In practice, it is made for bombast.

I liked how Ezra Klein put it, although I think he wrote this before the debate. The one compliment Trump should be paid is that he doesn't run from who he is. He puts it out there, and we can all see it. But that's a backhanded, bitchy compliment and an enormously dangerous one for a woman to make. And the alternative, actually praising the guy? Especially in the context of the prior 48 hours? Unacceptable.

 

[HuskerNation1]

I thought bnilhome had been banned. Huh.

I guess not, just conspicuously absent.

Lol...If you read my post yesterday, I was at a son's swim meet Friday night and all weekend and was not able to get on here. But there you go with conspiracy theories. I guess the groupthink was allowed to continue for a few days in my absence.

 

[HuskerNation1]

With health care, I don't believe Trump has a concrete plan. I think he has great ideas and once elected will assemble a group of experts (hopefully led by Dr Ben Carson as surgeon general) who will put together a comprehensive health care plan.

In terms of health care, it was extremely telling when Hillary said if we were to start over the ACA would not be the way to go. No duh...

You are right Aloha. Hillary is more of the same. She is on record of praising Obamacare over and over, and this was before the trainwreck that it's become today. Premiums and deductibles are rising nationwide, and Obamacare has done nothing to actually bring down health costs.

 

[HuskerNation1]

It looks like Donna Brazille was the DNC member that leaked Sanders information to the Clinton campaign. Also, specific details on how Hillary's campaign was in cahoots with the media, including thanking Univision for putting Hillary in a favorable light in their debate.

http://observer.com/2016/10/breaking-dnc-chief-donna-brazile-leaked-sanders-info-to-clinton-campaign/

 

[zoogs]

I knew there had to be people this talented in the world. Well done.

 

[Landlord]

You are right Aloha. Hillary is more of the same. She is on record of praising Obamacare over and over, and this was before the trainwreck that it's become today. Premiums and deductibles are rising nationwide, and Obamacare has done nothing to actually bring down health costs.

Weird that you avoid the part where she was "critical" of how it stands at present and talking about how it needs to improve in the debate on Sunday.

 

[MLB 51]

You are right Aloha. Hillary is more of the same. She is on record of praising Obamacare over and over, and this was before the trainwreck that it's become today. Premiums and deductibles are rising nationwide, and Obamacare has done nothing to actually bring down health costs.

Weird that you avoid the part where she was "critical" of how it stands at present and talking about how it needs to improve in the debate on Sunday.

AlohaHuskers, on 09 Oct 2016 - 11:22 PM, said:

With health care, I don't believe Trump has a concrete plan. I think he has great ideas and once elected will assemble a group of experts (hopefully led by Dr Ben Carson as surgeon general) who will put together a comprehensive health care plan.

In terms of health care, it was extremely telling when Hillary said if we were to start over the ACA would not be the way to go. No duh...

Think this is why he left that part out.

 

[BigRedBuster]

That's awesome.

 

[BigRedBuster]

That was a funny, harmless question, but there was no easy way for Hillary to answer without normalizing Trump and his outrageous transgressions -- which is a dangerous thing to do. Trump, on the other hand, gets to say something decent-sounding and normalize himself.

The reason I'm making this musing is, look at how our political process is almost catered to reward setting the lowest possible of expectations, and then trying to beat that. In theory, it's a rigorous process that demands competency. In practice, it is made for bombast.

I liked how Ezra Klein put it, although I think he wrote this before the debate. The one compliment Trump should be paid is that he doesn't run from who he is. He puts it out there, and we can all see it. But that's a backhanded, bitchy compliment and an enormously dangerous one for a woman to make. And the alternative, actually praising the guy? Especially in the context of the prior 48 hours? Unacceptable.

I'm not sure how you can say it's harder for Hillary to answer that question than Trump. The only thing that made it harder for her was that she had to go first.

 

[zoogs]

The simple reason is that Hillary has two choices:

1 - Say something genuinely nice, and validate the man. For so many reasons, normalizing Donald would not have been acceptable. It's actually precisely what he wants -- that no matter what he says, or does, or how many times he calls sexual assault "locker talk", he wants to be seen as basically a normal, respectable guy. He's not, and his campaign explicitly is not.

2 - Say something backhanded, which she did, and come off as a b!^@h. Which she undoubtedly did to many of the people she was trying to reach.

This is the kind of question that is fitting for two normal, respectable - if intensely disagreeing - politicians, so that they can put down their swords for a moment and hug it out. To accept that question at all, and I understand why they did it, is to place a man in that context who does not deserve to be anywhere near it.

 

[Danny Bateman]

When you examine the end result of that question, after the fact, Hillary wound up hitting him with a backhanded complement and Trump basically filmed a campaign ad for her. I wonder if we'll see that one at all before the election... he certainly handed it to her.

 

[HuskerNation1]

You are right Aloha. Hillary is more of the same. She is on record of praising Obamacare over and over, and this was before the trainwreck that it's become today. Premiums and deductibles are rising nationwide, and Obamacare has done nothing to actually bring down health costs.

Weird that you avoid the part where she was "critical" of how it stands at present and talking about how it needs to improve in the debate on Sunday.

Well as Hillary would say, she and her Progressive cronies are what got us into this mess in the first place.

 

[HuskerNation1]

When you examine the end result of that question, after the fact, Hillary wound up hitting him with a backhanded complement and Trump basically filmed a campaign ad for her. I wonder if we'll see that one at all before the election... he certainly handed it to her.

It's because Trump is a more genuine person and it came through in his answer. Hillary's compliment was not really much of one...supporting the other person's family is lame compared to what he said about her, and how he said it.

 

[Landlord]

It's because Trump is a more genuine person and it came through in his answer.

So does Hillary have the stamina or not?

 

[mrandyk]

When you examine the end result of that question, after the fact, Hillary wound up hitting him with a backhanded complement and Trump basically filmed a campaign ad for her. I wonder if we'll see that one at all before the election... he certainly handed it to her.

It's because Trump is a more genuine person and it came through in his answer. Hillary's compliment was not really much of one...supporting the other person's family is lame compared to what he said about her, and how he said it.

Trump exhibits none of the traits that characterize a genuine person.