2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumSo why did Trump "hold back" on attacking Hillary about Bill?
http://time.com/4511049/presidential-debate-donald-trump-rally/I was also holding back, Trump said, in the familiar wording of a vanquished schoolyard bully. I didnt want to do anything to embarrass her.
So we know this is not the reason. I am thinking two possibilities:
1) He knows she has a comeback ready which will squash him like the toad he is.
2) The bully in him doesn't quite know how to directly attack a strong woman and his self esteem would suffer greatly when he makes a hash of it.
PearliePoo2
(7,768 posts)She may have asked him not to go there.
Arkansas Granny
(31,518 posts)foolish, at best. He should think carefully before he opens that can of worms.
Moostache
(9,895 posts)The McCain-Palin ticket was widely slammed for "not taking off the gloves" and getting MORE negative, sooner with Obama. Romney faced the same criticism, although he was often too busy defending HIMSELF (47%, Corporations are people my friend, Binders of women, etc.)...
Trump is just a combination of the two and his supporters EXPECT nonsensical, 'trumped' up allegations and attacks. He was assuring them as much as anyone that he is going to go "full-retard" in the next debate...again borrowing from President Obama "Proceed Donald, proceed..."
alcibiades_mystery
(36,437 posts)Rocknrule
(5,697 posts)and wants to sleep with her daughter
Bernardo de La Paz
(49,002 posts)DLevine
(1,788 posts)Tommy_Carcetti
(43,182 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,002 posts)LexVegas
(6,067 posts)demmiblue
(36,864 posts)1) Having some semblance of a talking point for him/his campaign team post-debate to deflect talk about his poor performance, and
2) Actually attacking her by planting the seed in the viewer's minds. Let's face it, it actually was an attack... a passive-agressive one, at that.
yellowcanine
(35,699 posts)Because only someone who has been living under a rock for the past 25 years would not know what he was talking about.
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)same as when they begged him to rescind his invitation to Gennifer Flowers. It's a losing strategy, extremely, extremely low and unpresidential and pleasing no one but his hard-core supporters.
I don't normally quote Republican operatives, but Rick Wilson on last night's O'Donnell said, "There is no "better" Donald Trump to bring out." (By debate prep.) "He had 20 minutes of prep for 90 minutes of debate," and once he used it up...
And on Trump's attempt at damage control the next morning, "...he set the dumpster on fire and then he poured tires on top. ... I can't imagine Kellyanne Conway ... wasn't like lying on her hotel room floor in a fetal position surrounded by mini-bar bottles."
I hope so. And I hope she ran out before passing out. No excuses for these beyond-deplorables.
randr
(12,412 posts)I would feel bad not to hear her retort.
beachbumbob
(9,263 posts)He does in next debate. Another crushing defeat for him...
pnwmom
(108,980 posts)She's smart enough to know it would backfire on him, but she probably said it would be kinder to Chelsea.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)He always promises, and always fails to deliver.
Cerridwen
(13,258 posts)Because this way, he leaves it hanging out there; hanging over her head, hanging over the campaign's head, and leaving it with the audience waiting for it.
By not saying it at the time and making a point of saying he didn't say it at the time, it's a tactic guaranteed to keep it in the back of everyone's mind. "When will he say it?" "Is he going to say it this time?" "How will she respond?" "How should she respond?" "Why hasn't he said it yet?"
It's standard showmanship; create the tension, drag it out as long as possible.
Operation mind fuck.
If I hold this opinion, Hillary's campaign sure as hell is aware of this aspect as well.
matt819
(10,749 posts)He didn't hold back.
He took his typical bully approach and said he wasn't going to insult, as in some people are saying, or I'm not saying what some people are saying. He made his point, as childish and bullying as it was. So, no credit to Trump for "holding back." He's a douche. Hey, I'm not saying that. Some people are. Many people. Good people. The best people, believe me. But not me. I'm not saying he's a douche. And give me your lunch money, or else.
meow2u3
(24,764 posts)In other words, he wasn't gracious at all. He was too chickenshit to mention Bill's affair to HRC's face because she would have handed him his keister on a silver platter.
mackdaddy
(1,527 posts)Could be this has something to do with it:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512450945