RECAP: PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE 2016
So I think we pretty much got out of Hofstra what we thought we were going to get. Hillary Clinton with her polished, well rehearsed answers, and Donald Trump with his off the cuff, off the wall remarks.
I wouldn't say Trump had the upper hand in the beginning of the debate, but he did score some points on Hillary, specifically on the trade agreements. But as the debate wore on, and Hillary took shots at him (his taxes, inheriting his father's money, etc) he started getting defensive, Trump always brags how he has the stamina, strength and libido of a 25 year old, but by the end of the debate, he seemed more like the 70 year old grouch that he is. He was practically answering her jabs with "That's what you think" and "Says you."
He needed to go after her more, because certainly Lester Holt wasn't going to do it. That guy was in way over his head. Not only did he not ask Hillary about any of her controversies (Benghazi, e-mail's the Clinton Foundation) but besides scolding the audience once, he had no control over Trump's constant interruptions, and both of them going over their time limits. I always felt Jim Lehrer was the best debate moderator of all time* He knew when to let 'em keep going and when to cut 'em off.
I'm not saying Holt had to be just like Lehrer, but shoot he wasn't even close.
I concur with Razor Ray McGarvey, the debate probably didn't move the needle, it's hard to imagine anyone who was solidly in Trump's camp suddenly saying "I'm with her" and it's impossible to see anyone who was 'with her" looking to switch over to him. I'm looking forward to the next slugfest October 11 in St. Louis. For his sake, he may want to put in a few practice runs.
BTW: The Vice Presidential debate will be on Tuesday. Put it on your DVR just in case there is a night where you can't get to sleep.
EDITORIAL: STOP PICKING ON JIMMY FALLON
Meant to weigh in on this last week...
On September 16, Donald Trump appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Critics went bananas because Fallon tossed soft questions at Trump, then begged him to play with his hair.
Typical Jimmy Fallon stuff,
But there was quite the backlash. People wondering why Fallon didn't bring up trump's indiscretions, or to grill him on the issues. Some yahoo's on Twitter wondered aloud about the questions Fallon would pose to Adolf Hitler or Charles Manson. All sorts of crap like that.
I addressed the stupidity of comparing a blowhard to a serial killer and a mass murderer in last weeks edition. Now I'm going to address the stupidity of expecting a clown like Jimmy Fallon to turn into Edward R. Murrow all of the sudden.
This all stems from the fact that late night talk shows have turned into pep rallies for the Democratic Party. This is undeniable and indisputable.
John Stewart and the Daily Show? A great show no question. But unquestionably liberal. The Colbert report was a spoof of the O'Reilly Factor, and not a flattering one at that.
Colbert took over for the retirng David Letterman, who would have Al Franken on one night and kiss his a$$, and then Bill O'Reilly on the nest night and grill him mercilessly.
Letterman's case is particularly irksome because the man he has said over and over again was his mentor and hero, the man he was compared to the most, never would be so partisan.
That's not to say that Johnny Carson went easy on politicians. Not even close. But he didn't favor one party over the other. He broke Reagan's shoes as much as he did Carter's. He joked about Micahel Dukakis' height, and George HW Bush's wimpiness, and all others in between. He picked on everybody, therefore he offended nobody.
Fallon is really just following in the tradition of the Tonight Show. Keeping it light. Jay Leno was the same way. (His wife was into liberal causes, but he, like Carson, kept his jokes bi-partisan) If he had messed with Trump's hair, but then grilled Hillary about Benghazi, I could see the uproar. But he provided the candidates with a fun stop on what has been a grueling tour. There's nothing wrong with that. If you can't stand a candidate that much that you hate to see them treated with anything but contempt, don't watch that particular show. As George Carlin once observed, "See how often the simple solution eludes us?
SPORTS: METS MAKE IT TO PLAY IN GAME.
FLASHBACK: From our August 14 Edition...
The Mets are supposed to be contending for the World Series.
Not happening folks. Not this year.
Now, naturally you may want to direct my attention to last year, when the Mets were equally mediocre, and went on that miracle run that carried them to the World Series.
So naturally, a few days later, they began a run that led them to clinch a spot in the playoff game this coming Wednesday. It would appear that once again, a heaping order of crow is on the menu for Wild Bill. I will happily chow down on it.
But not yet. Because I also have a rule about that. Here's another flashback...
I realize that the Yankees officially were considered a playoff team, but I believe that a team that loses the play-in game shouldn't be considered a post season team. (And please before you start killing me on this, please understand I would feel doubly that way if the Mets were in that position.)
Considering where they came from, and how many injuries they have had, getting to this point is certainly an accomplishment. But I'm standing by my rule, You don't make it to the LDS, you're not a playoff team. End of story.
Mets Giants at Citi Field Wednesday night. It's as nerve racking as it gets.
Have a Great Week!
*Actually the greatest debate moderator of all time was Don Imus, who moderated a debate between Senator Al D'Amato and Bob Abrams in 1992. When the two kept talking over each other Imus got up and screamed THAT"S IT! SHUT UP!. Unfortunately, that part is not included in this excerpt.
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/16/nyregion/excerpts-radio-debate-abrams-s-apology-d-amato-s-response.html
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