Round One of the Clinton/Trump debate goes to...
Round One of the Clinton/Trump debate, aka "Thunderdome," at Hofstra University in New York is finally in the history books. Who won? That's easy, the Media. All of the major television news outlets were represented including ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, CNBC, Fox, Fox News, MSNBC, PBS NewsHour, Telemundo, and Univision. Nielsen's early numbers indicate a large turnout, but we won't know the details until later today, or possibly tomorrow. Nonetheless, the networks undoubtedly earned substantial advertising revenues from the spectacle. Will it beat Super Bowl 50? We should know later today.
As to the debate, we really didn't learn anything new from the contestants. As expected, Donald Trump started on offense as the political outsider. Some people were expecting him to be heavily sedated, but it became apparent he was more than willing to throw counter-blows at Hillary Clinton. Trump pressed Clinton on her record with perhaps the best line of the night, "For 30 years you’ve been doing it, and now you just started thinking of solutions?"
Secretary Clinton appeared aloof. She was obviously well rehearsed, perhaps too much, making her look stiff. Trump was more spontaneous.
One of the biggest issues discussed regarded jobs. Mr. Trump said he was a proponent of decreasing regulations, lowering the corporate tax, and introducing "the biggest tax reduction since Ronald Reagan." He was very much concerned with bringing back jobs from overseas. In contrast, Mrs. Clinton lamented about "trickle down economics" and the need to increase taxes on the rich. She mentioned the need for free college education, but didn't explain how this was to be paid for and how it will contribute to building jobs.
Trump appeared to be stronger on law and order. "She won't even say law and order," he accused Clinton. Instead, she claimed the country's, "Gun epidemic is the biggest cause for black death," thus hinting at more regulations.
The 90 minute debate ended in mud-slinging between the two candidates. Moderator Lester Holt of NBC asked Trump about his tax returns and his position towards women. Remarkably, he didn't ask anything controversial of Mrs. Clinton, such as the Clinton Foundation, Benghazi, and her e-mail server. This gave the appearance that the questions were skewed against Trump.
Except for CNN, all of the other polls claimed Trump won, including: CNBC, Drudge Report, Fortune Magazine, The Hill, Politico, Time Magazine, and many others.
Again, we didn't learn anything new from the candidates, but it was great political theater which will only add to the coffers of the Main street media, and that's what American politics is all about, right?
Note: The next Presidential Debate will be held Sunday, October 9th at Washington University in St. Louis. The Vice Presidential Debate will be held Tuesday, October 4th at Longwood University in Virginia.
Keep the Faith!