DC Trawler

The Things Trump Got Right During The Debate

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton (Getty Images)

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Jim Treacher Blogger
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I turned on the second presidential debate of the 2016 campaign out of a sense of civic obligation. “This is all happening whether I like it or not,” I told myself. “Ignoring it won’t make it go away.” But I spent most of the 90 years minutes unable to look directly at the screen. A month away from the election, my brain now recoils with revulsion at the sight of either of these two monsters. Seeing both of them at once is just too much. So I mostly relied on the evidence of my sense of hearing, which was similarly tormented. Trump rambled and pouted and sniffled incessantly, and Hillary’s piercing, droning squawk of a voice cut right through my soul. I hate them both so much.

Trump is an imperfect messenger, to say the least, but he got at least a few things right. He called out the “moderators” for interrupting him, and he pointed out their bias. He backed them down. If there’s still a Republican Party left standing after this election, I hope this sets a precedent. Anybody who decides to run for president with an (R) after his or her name is declaring war on the media, and trying to win them over doesn’t work. You have to point out what they’re doing, as they’re doing it. If Trump loses — and I honestly have no idea at this point — it won’t be because he stood up to the people who are loathed by Americans as least as much as he is.

His answer on Obamacare was good. He’s not really a details kinda guy, if you hadn’t noticed, but Obamacare is a disaster and he said so. He said that everybody knows it, which we do. That was good. I’m glad he said it.

Democrats are up in arms that Trump said Hillary Clinton should be in jail. They want to make him out to be a tyrant. Which he may or may not be, but it would be a stronger argument if she wasn’t actually, y’know, a criminal.

Hillary Clinton broke the law and has been trying to cover it up ever since. Either you care about that, or you see it as merely an impediment to getting your way and maintaining your grip on power. You can hate Trump all you want, and I’m right there with you, but he’s correct about this one. She’s too big to jail, and it’s a disgrace.

As for the moment everyone was waiting for: His response to the question about the “Grab ’em by the pussy” tape was… not great. He claimed he wasn’t really talking about sexual assault. Well, when you describe kissing a woman and grabbing her genitals without even waiting, and you insist it’s consensual because you’re famous, I think you might be wandering into the realm of sexual assault. Dismissing it as “locker-room talk” got him through that particular moment, but now he’s left himself wide open (if you’ll excuse the phrase) for any subsequent revelations about his behavior towards women. We already know he’s a cad. I’m just wondering what’s next.

And then, bizarrely, he tried to change the subject to ISIS. He seemed to be saying that although he may have taken a few liberties with his female party guests, at least he’s never cut anybody’s head off. I’m not sure this was very convincing.

But he did well enough to stay in the race. I guess? Hillary certainly didn’t win, by any measure. I don’t know if she was just rattled by being forced to literally face Bill’s accusers — yep, Trump put Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, and Kathleen Willey in the front row, that actually happened — or whether she just really stinks at debating. But after that performance, I don’t think she was swigging champagne and dancing to “Celebration” like Kate McKinnon.

It’s fair game to call out Hillary for enabling Bill’s serial sexual predation, by the way. She tried to destroy those women. If she’s going to go after Trump for his treatment of women, she has to be prepared to answer for her own history. I don’t know if bringing out Bill’s accusers was an Alinsky move (“Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy”), or if Trump is just the only one crazy enough to do it. But I’m glad it happened.

Yes, it’s true that Trump defended Bill against these very same women back in the ’90s. I think he even called them ugly? He didn’t win any votes by bringing out Bill’s accusers to stare daggers at Hillary while she tried to focus on Syria and gun control and whatever else. But I don’t think he lost any votes, either. He really has nothing to lose, does he?

Did the debate change anything? As an increasingly devoted nihilist, I have no idea. I don’t blame the Republicans who are now distancing themselves from Trump’s lunacy, and I don’t blame the people who are cheering him on for pointing out Hillary’s crimes and lies and utter hypocrisy. I just want this to be over. We’re screwed either way.

So to speak.

P.S.

Jim Treacher