Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
The second debate: The end of Trump?
Donald Trump’s second presidential debate performance was never going to repair the damage done by his first, let alone by the audio of lewd comments in which Trump boasted in 2005 of talk about sexual assaults and discussed his own daughter in base, sexualized terms in 2004. The only question was whether he could stem the tide of GOP defections and restore a smidgen of personal dignity. That went out the window when, contrary to the advice of nearly every Republican, he decided to retaliate against Bill Clinton, parading four past accusers for a Facebook news conference. His staff and any Republicans still on board deserve the blistering loss that awaits them in November and the professional humiliation that goes with enabling a creep.
After that, all Hillary Clinton had to do was remain upright for 90 minutes and she’d have gone the last little way in wrapping up the election. Her campaign put out a brief statement after Trump’s stunt: “We’re not surprised to see Donald Trump continue his destructive race to the bottom. Hillary Clinton understands the opportunity in this town hall is to talk to voters on stage and in the audience about the issues that matter to them, and this stunt doesn’t change that. If Donald Trump doesn’t see that, that’s his loss. As always, she’s prepared to handle whatever Donald Trump throws her way.”
She was and she did, and under the circumstances added a great deal of sympathy for conducting herself with decorum. With Trump standing next to her, she calmly recited his abuse of women, his refusal to apologize to Judge Gonzalo Curiel and the Khan family. “If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation,” Trump threatened. It is a good thing Trump isn’t in charge of the law, she responded. Trump shot back, “Because you’d be in jail.” There it was — Trump underscoring why he should never be given executive power.
....
Trump rambled about the threat of terrorism when asked by a Muslim woman about making her a target for anti-Muslim fervor. Instead of condemning Islamophobia, Trump doubled down, seeming to accuse Muslims of harboring Islamist murderers. Clinton walked up to the woman, calmly recited his incitement and explained why cooperation with the Muslim community is essential for fighting terrorism. Asked about his Muslim ban, Trump fumbled around, finally offering, “The Muslim ban is something that in some form has morphed into . . . . extreme vetting.” Huh? Clinton calmly defended taking in women and children as refugees while insisting she wouldn’t let dangerous people into the country. She reminded the audience that Trump’s words serve as a recruiting tool. And yes, he once again insisted he was against the Iraq War — a claim both Clinton and Martha Raddatz rebuked.
....
WaPo
After that, all Hillary Clinton had to do was remain upright for 90 minutes and she’d have gone the last little way in wrapping up the election. Her campaign put out a brief statement after Trump’s stunt: “We’re not surprised to see Donald Trump continue his destructive race to the bottom. Hillary Clinton understands the opportunity in this town hall is to talk to voters on stage and in the audience about the issues that matter to them, and this stunt doesn’t change that. If Donald Trump doesn’t see that, that’s his loss. As always, she’s prepared to handle whatever Donald Trump throws her way.”
She was and she did, and under the circumstances added a great deal of sympathy for conducting herself with decorum. With Trump standing next to her, she calmly recited his abuse of women, his refusal to apologize to Judge Gonzalo Curiel and the Khan family. “If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation,” Trump threatened. It is a good thing Trump isn’t in charge of the law, she responded. Trump shot back, “Because you’d be in jail.” There it was — Trump underscoring why he should never be given executive power.
....
Trump rambled about the threat of terrorism when asked by a Muslim woman about making her a target for anti-Muslim fervor. Instead of condemning Islamophobia, Trump doubled down, seeming to accuse Muslims of harboring Islamist murderers. Clinton walked up to the woman, calmly recited his incitement and explained why cooperation with the Muslim community is essential for fighting terrorism. Asked about his Muslim ban, Trump fumbled around, finally offering, “The Muslim ban is something that in some form has morphed into . . . . extreme vetting.” Huh? Clinton calmly defended taking in women and children as refugees while insisting she wouldn’t let dangerous people into the country. She reminded the audience that Trump’s words serve as a recruiting tool. And yes, he once again insisted he was against the Iraq War — a claim both Clinton and Martha Raddatz rebuked.
....
WaPo
1 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
= new reply since forum marked as read
