Hofstra University POTUS debate at 9pm ET **live commentary thread**

[muon2]

I'm going to make an early dinner this evening. I'm planning some boneless pork chops, sauteed with onions and fresh sage in a beer-based sauce. After dinner I'll chill a while and probably open a bottle of wine for the debate.

[muon2]

I heard a pundit on CNN again say that Clinton is the most qualified candidate in our lifetime. This line always frustrates me. Hillary is clearly very qualified, but GHW Bush served during the pundit's lifetime. You might say HRC and GHWB are equivalent, but I don't see how one makes the case that she's clearly more qualified than Bush 41: congress, ambassador to the UN, envoy to China (before diplomatic ties), head of the CIA, and VP for 8 years.

[muon2]

I heard a pundit on CNN again say that Clinton is the most qualified candidate in our lifetime. This line always frustrates me. Hillary is clearly very qualified, but GHW Bush served during the pundit's lifetime. You might say HRC and GHWB are equivalent, but I don't see how one makes the case that she's clearly more qualified than Bush 41: congress, ambassador to the UN, envoy to China (before diplomatic ties), head of the CIA, and VP for 8 years.

I don't think it's really possible to quantify which one is more qualified; it's not like there's an entrance exam for the Presidency (maybe there should be!)  It would be more realistic to say that they were both highly qualified, and no other recent candidate is/was at the same level. 

That's exactly my point. But I hear too many pundits say that HRC is exclusively in that class. That class clearly has a second member.

[muon2]

They have Atlas colors on for their parties tonight. Woot!

[muon2]

Anyone else notice how Trump won't mention De Blasio by name?

Neither did Clinton in her response.

[muon2]

"I want to assure our allies around the world that we will honor our commitments."

Coup de freaking grace.

I'm not so sure that works with a lot of the people Trump is after. For years I've heard plenty of non-political people in the middle class ask why we pay so much to protect the world. Of course we should live up to our commitments, but the sentiment about the cost of that commitment is real.

[muon2]

Trump was incoherent for the entire 90 minutes, very good contrast for Hillary. The stamima comeback was pure gold.

RIP Trump 2016

I don't think he was incoherent the first half hour. He was making the points on trade in a way I think his campaign wanted. After that however, he lost focus and missed his points over the last 2/3 of the debate. Trump spent too much time reacting to the latest statement and not keeping up a consistent narrative.

[muon2]

Trump was incoherent for the entire 90 minutes, very good contrast for Hillary. The stamima comeback was pure gold.

RIP Trump 2016

I don't think he was incoherent the first half hour. He was making the points on trade in a way I think his campaign wanted. After that however, he lost focus and missed his points over the last 2/3 of the debate. Trump spent too much time reacting to the latest statement and not keeping up a consistent narrative.

I didn't hear it. 'You look at...Mexico, you look at... China. It's a total diaster, and Secreatary Clinton...by the way,  we are getting ripped off so bad. Our companies are going to Mexico. Secretary Clinton...she can't fix the problem'. The best of what he said, but still disjointed, mind numbing nonsense

No question that it was disjointed, but disjointed is not incoherent. It's an effective way of driving soundbites on TV. During that stretch Clinton was way to professorial with a litany of policy prescriptions. I'm a professor so I love that stuff, but I also know it plays poorly on TV.

Incoherent was what happened after the first half hour. Clinton successfully got him into a reactive mode and was in much better shape.

[muon2]

18 of the 20 undecided Florida voters in CNN's focus group say Clinton won the debate.

But it was interesting that some were saying that neither gave them what they wanted to hear. It makes me think that Hillary won, but may not have motivated voters to come out for her when she had this opportunity during a good performance.