―op ed by thisdonald
I have had almost 24 hours to process the debate between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Rodham Clinton at Hofstra University last evening. It was the first of three scheduled debates. I pride myself in predicting the way these things go down and I must admit, it did not quite evolve the way I envisioned. I winced each time Trump missed an opportunity to call Hillary out on her numerous failures. I sighed when he failed to confront her with more empirical evidence on the deplorable (there’s a word she understands) state of the economy. And I cried foul when Lester Holt got away with disseminating erroneous facts to supplant the actual ones presented by Trump. The debate ended and left me disappointed and depressed that Trump had not caused her to combust and dissipate into the atmosphere as one more carbon emission from the compost heap that is the Washington establishment.
Then I awakened today and had my coffee and began to put things in perspective. When not working at my business, I listened to the talk show hosts analyze the debate performance from both sides of the aisle. More importantly, I listened to the average American call in and express his or her opinion of the debate. Almost without exception, all who had been a Trump supporter before the debate were not the least deterred in their intent to vote for him. All acknowledged his may not have been a performance one would have anticipated had Trump been a career politician. And most certainly, it was not worthy of a debate or moot court champion. But it was a brave and worthy challenge to an arrogant, elitist politician who represents all that is wrong in Washington. He did call her for what she is ― a person who cannot count one tremendous accomplishment to her credit after 30 years in politics. And all agreed, he accomplished his main objective, which was to show he could maintain poise in the face of confrontation and project a presidential demeanor. Too much so, for my taste but, then again, I have a reputation for being overly aggressive in an argument. I can afford to be. I’m not running for office.
Yes, all in all, it was much more lackluster than I think anyone imagined it would be. But the good news for Trump supporters is that Hillary came off as the automaton mouthpiece spewing the same old rhetoric we hear from democrats when they run for office contrasted against Trump who came across as the fellow you work with who has your back. And that’s what people want. That’s what will get Trump elected. The big cities, especially on both coasts, are full of people who identify with gentrified elitists. But middle America―the people of the fly-over states―share a common sense that sees right through the distain those in government have for those of us Hillary describes as “deplorables”. I believe Trump will continue to climb in the polls right up to election day. Hillary offers us a chance to choose our poison: “Terrorism Or Obamacare”. Get a blender and throw in the effect of skyrocketing health insurance premiums and the loss of health care providers (about to be announced in the Obamacare market just before the election) then add another terrorist attack or two from some religious fanatic Hillary wants to let in and give the vote to―and you have a recipe for Trump to win going away.
There are two more debates to come. Be certain Trump will be on the attack the next time. He’s not going to treat her with kid gloves the way Romney treated Obama in their third debate in 2012. I predict he will go on the offense and it will be she who is on the defense. But Trump’s winning or losing last night’s, or the next two debates for that matter―and it won’t change the outcome. Americans want real change in Washington and Hillary simply offers more of the same failed policies. Come November 8th, the silent majority, and an army of deplorables, are going show up at the polls and dethrone the beltway aristocracy. Mark my word.
―thisdonald
thisdonald 