The Debates Thread

[Prison Mike]

I think the audience poll will have Trump winning the debate just because he wasn't destroyed like everyone thought he would be. I honestly think it was more of a draw.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

IMO this debate did absolutely nothing, everything stays the same. Which is a victory for Trump considering he should've been drawn and quartered for the leaked comments.

This does not reset to before Friday and Saturday. It resets to the last three days, which means he is losing, badly.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Well neither are going to lose any supporters. So how will the undecided look at this?

If you're still undecided as of yesterday, you'll probably have trouble finding the polling place on election day, give up, and go to Dairy Queen.

 

[C. Lee]

But he tweeted his love?

I heard them say that and posted it before I saw the Pence tweet....so I don't know what the hell is going on....like the rest of the country.

 

[DeadPresident]

While I agree, that applies more to his supporters then other undecideds.

Also Kelly Ann Conway just basically admitted she'd might bail. She let it slip.

If I was a fence sitter I would see tonight's debate as Trump throwing accusations at Hillary and her not doing a very convincing job of refuting them. This just gives him more momentum.

The biggest issue is people thought he'd get annihilated after the leaked comments, they didn't play such a large role and it kind of comes off like he survived the episode.

More people bailing on him may have an effect but I'm not sure.

 

[Raiden]

I don't think she won. It feels like a tie. There were no moments where she really bested Trump. She seemed to be holding back if anything.

If Hillary is too forceful, she'd look like she's trying to match Trump's frantic style of spewing BS and that's not gonna work. So she held back and let his craziness take center stage, and I think that's a better strategy. Trump lies so much, but to some casual viewers he scores points if he looks like he's in command while saying those BS.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

I heard them say that and posted it before I saw the Pence tweet....so I don't know what the hell is going on....like the rest of the country.

I think he is pissed, but can't just drop out. So he has to play it.

 

[DeadPresident]

This does not reset to before Friday and Saturday. It resets to the last three days, which means he is losing, badly.

In polls? Fair enough, we'll have to see.

 

[Sithborg]

Does this stop the bleeding for him, if he is bleeding?

I don't think it was nearly enough to stop the rumored RNC emergency meeting tomorrow. THAT meeting, I think, is far more important to how he will do in the election than the debate.

I am giving the edge to Clinton. The town hall isn't exactly the best format to directly go after your opponent, I think. Clinton did come off as more personable, talking to the audience members who asked the questions. Also, did not come off as a whiny child.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

If I was a fence sitter I would see tonight's debate as Trump throwing accusations at Hillary and her not doing a very convincing job of refuting them. This just gives him more momentum.

The biggest issue is people thought he'd get annihilated after the leaked comments, they didn't play such a large role and it kind of comes off like he survived the episode.

More people bailing on him may have an effect but I'm not sure.

So people who knows he said this, that he didn't have a good answer for that tonight, are going to vote for him because he didn't get killed tonight?

 

[DarthSkywalker]

In polls? Fair enough, we'll have to see.

Trump's biggest problem is he isn't gaining. Tonight isn't going to get more people. Tonight plays to his base like crazy, but not to new voters.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I still think that he'll lose, barring some dramatic new development. He may have done some damage control, but he still took a major hit.

That said, Hillary should have delivered he coup de grace tonight, but she didn't.

 

[DeadPresident]

My biggest take away from this is I can't believe political discourse has deteriorated this much, that those two individuals are competing for the presidency is farcical in the extreme.

 

[samsnee]

I don't think it was nearly enough to stop the rumored RNC emergency meeting tomorrow. THAT meeting, I think, is far more important to how he will do in the election than the debate.

I am giving the edge to Clinton. The town hall isn't exactly the best format to directly go after your opponent, I think. Clinton did come off as more personable, talking to the audience members who asked the questions. Also, did not come off as a whiny child.

This. She chose to connect the audience members which is more important. He told a Muslim woman she needs to rat out other Muslims.

 

[mclay18]

It slows it down. But word on the street is that there's more damning audio coming forward.

Good. Hopefully it comes before the third debate.

 

[samsnee]

Trump says for months she has no stamina. Then says he admires her ability to never quit.

 

[DeadPresident]

I still think that he'll lose, barring some dramatic new development. He may have done some damage control, but he still took a major hit.

That said, Hillary should have delivered he coup de grace tonight, but she didn't.

Yeah, she was handed the axe and just needed to swing it and it didn't materialize.

 

[Boom]

- Still defended rape culture as "locker room talk."
- Said Mr. Khan would still be alive if he was president.
- Showed a complete lack of understanding of how checks-and-balances and executive vetoes work.
- Blamed Muslims for Islamophobia.
- Wants to keep out suffering refugees because "we don't know them."
- Called Clinton a "devil" and threatened her with legal action on live television.
- Constant pacing around the room, heavy breathing, and all around just poor composure.
- Constantly interrupting Clinton and arguing with the moderators.
- Would not answer questions and continued to attack Obama/Hillary instead of discussing his own policies (the moderator flat-out asks him "What is your strategy?" after two minutes of him dodging the question).
- Defended Russia and would not take a stance on denouncing them for war crimes.
- Admitted that he and his running mate have not discussed, and disagree on, the Syria situation.

I don't know. It wasn't a decisive win by Clinton, but Trump continued to make himself look pretty bad.

 

[Legendver2]

I doubt Pence would be that pissed if he is indeed using this to position himself for a possible 2020 run. But all in all, I'd say the moderators won this one.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

This. She chose to connect the audience members which is more important. He told a Muslim woman she needs to rat out other Muslims.

Muslims are responsible for Islamophobia.

This is before we get into his love affair with Russia and avoiding Syria.

 

[DeadPresident]

Trump's biggest problem is he isn't gaining. Tonight isn't going to get more people. Tonight plays to his base like crazy, but not to new voters.

That's true, I still don't think this will somehow achieve anything other than a Hillary victory but after the scandal she should've managed to bury him tonight and instead he'll live to fight another day, that's the problem for me.

I don't think this changes any outcome, it's just morbidly impressive that Trump managed to not get smashed after a week that would've seen most politicians move to a cave in Iceland for the rest of their days.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

- Still defended rape culture as "locker room talk."
- Said Mr. Khan would still be alive if he was president.
- Showed a complete lack of understanding of how checks-and-balances and executive vetoes work.
- Blamed Muslims for Islamophobia.
- Wants to keep out suffering refugees because "we don't know them."
- Called Clinton a "devil" and threatened her with legal action on live television.
- Constant pacing around the room, heavy breathing, and all around just poor composure.
- Constantly interrupting Clinton and arguing with the moderators.
- Would not answer questions and continued to attack Obama/Hillary instead of discussing his own policies (the moderator flat-out asks him "What is your strategy?" after two minutes of him dodging the question).
- Defended Russia.
- Admitted that he and his running mate have not discussed, and disagree on, the Syria situation.

I don't know. It wasn't a decisive win by Clinton, but Trump continued to make himself look pretty bad.

Pretty much how I see it. It was NEVER going to be some kind of blow out debate given it's nature as a town hall meeting. Even with that Trump did not look good, he came off far worse than Clinton and did nothing, as always, to move beyond the Breitbart constituency he already has in the bag.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Muslims are responsible for Islamophobia.

This is before we get into his love affair with Russia and avoiding Syria.

All muslims know all other muslims. Obviously.

Even if one is from Bangladesh, the other from Lebanon. And neither know what the **** the other is saying.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Everyone knows that all the Muslims live on one street.

 

[Sithborg]

I doubt Pence would be that pissed if he is indeed using this to position himself for a possible 2020 run. But all in all, I'd say the moderators won this one.

I think he is pretty worried. Trump is quickly approaching "poisoned well" territory. Prominent Republicans, still in office, are starting to run away from him. There is an emergency meeting for the RNC tomorrow. Trump could be dealing the GOP a deadly blow.