Jim Geraghty:
What a bizarre debate.
It began with the candidates refusing to shake hands, an indication of the seething hostility between the two campaigns and the two candidates. The growing nastiness must have been cathartic for each of them, finally being able to bring out all of the arguments and opposition research they’ve wanted to bring up, directly to each other’s faces.
Trump probably didn’t mitigate too much of the damage from the “grab her” tape with his excuse that “it was locker-room talk” and “I’m not proud of it.” Lots of Republicans wondered if he would open with a blistering, furious counterattack, but early on, he almost seemed medically subdued. He did briefly rip into Bill Clinton’s record of sexual misconduct, and intriguingly, Hillary Clinton barely addressed those arguments. Hillary did offer her indictment, that Trump’s behavior doesn’t represent the great country full of good people that we want to be… and if everyone had switched over to the football or baseball games after that, she had a good night.
But the debate went on for another hour and fifteen minutes, and Trump seemed to have actually cracked the briefing books this time. He didn’t always explain all his references that he wedged into his two-minute answers – Sid Blumenthal, Jonathan Gruber, 33,000 e-mails – but he seemed to have more to say in all of his opportunities. He also pivoted to the topics he wanted to get to tonight; he barely did this in the other debate. He remembered to hit Obamacare early and enjoyed a whole segment on it. Whether or not viewers came away believing Trump had a detailed plan to fix it, Hillary Clinton had to concede the glaring and worsening problems in the program. If voters head to the polling places thinking about how disappointed and angered they are by Obamacare, that’s a bad sign for Clinton and Democrats in general.
Moderator Martha Raddatz detests Donald Trump, didn’t hide it much at all, and she seemed to want to debate Trump herself. That was an exceptionally unwise approach to the role of moderator, in part because it validated his complaint from earlier in the evening that it would be “three on one.”
Jim and Victor Davis Hansen are two of the non-”Against Trump” signatories over at National Review.
Still I try to read even their essays elsewhere.
No clicks to NRO.
As to the handshake.
I was taught as a young girl that ladies always set the pattern as to whether they will shake hands with someone.
Gentlemen do NOT even offer their hand to a lady, they wait for the lady to either offer hers OR NOT.
So, if they didn’t shake hands it is on Hillary alone.
Jim is probably old enough to also know this fact of etiquette although it would be lost on today’s youth who know nothing of what it means to be either a lady or a gentleman.
Indeed, he did not spontaneously combust and become reduced to ashes, which were then swept up by a janitor.
Trump wanted to put Bill Clinton’s accusers in his family box. Debate officials said no.
I suppose they wanted to pull a nationally televised presidential debate down to the level on which their campaign has been operating, avoiding serious policy issues altogether. Giuliani apparently isn’t smart enough to realize that Frank Fahrenkopf’s refusal most likely saved them from themselves. The public reaction to Trump’s past “locker room comments” should have been enough to warn them they really didn’t want to go there.
There was no point at which Hillary Clinton appeared “rattled” to me. In all probability she was loaded for bear and ready to give Trump both barrels if he pushed her husband’s past marital infidelity into the spotlight.
Hillary seemed to get a little rattled when Special Prosecutor was said, as Obama cannot pardon her unless she is prosecuted first. But it could be a most difficult task with evidence being destroyed and “lost”.
It has never been the habit of the FBI to lose evidence before this investigation and in such a high profile case, seems unthinkable..
@kitt: Unconstitutional and utterly ridiculous Trump down 11%–Repubs bailing to save themselves.
House and Senate lost thanks to him
@Richard Wheeler: Trump wouldnt know the constitution if it bit him, polls meh rigged POS most of them. End game, keep imperialist Hillary out of the office.
I can Play the liberal…Promptly ignore any and all evidence that the candidate is unworthy. I dont know everything that an uncensored ego manic has said or done, I do know much of what Hillary has done. I think he is toast that wont stop me from voting.
Let the rinos and wanna be rinos bail, if they gave a shit about this country they would have flooded Obamas desk with clean bills, they are all alike dems reps I need love more than once every 4 or 6 years.
Hillary who failed the bar after college, thinks she knows better than the supreme court, so is warming up her pen and phone, think of that when you vote.
They are trotting out the “married woman” her line no woman should be objectified,she says with her boob job.
@kitt: On the evening of Nov 8 make sure you take a nice hot shower. I’m voting for Clifton Roberts.
@Richard Wheeler: I already told you my plans I just need to decide red or white. It will be 30 dime wine for 2.99.