The Second Presidential Debate – Some Thoughts

By vinodnarayan on October 10, 2016 • ( 0 )

So the second Presidential debate is also over. As anticipated Trump’s Locker Room talk was a topic of discussion. After the debate I heard some people say Trump did OK after the initial twenty minutes. And my take is NO he did not. Because what did people think? that he was going to take off his shirts and dance? or that he would scream and yell at people and punch someone? No, he will not do any of that but he went on and did lot many things that many presidential candidates will not do on stage. He was Obnoxious, Nasty, Disrespectful, Annoying and sounded extremely hateful towards many people.

May be it was said figuratively, but he said that if he wins he will set the attorneys after Hillary, and he also said she will go to Jail for what she did. Well no one really makes that kind of statements. Yes true we have heard the stories of a village clown becoming the king of a country, but we do not expect that a person could clown and con his way to the highest post in a democracy.

Now Trump was at an all time low when the debate started, there was no lower than that to fall. So when he remains where he was people think he did not do anything that adversely impacts him. Status-quo is the new low for Trump. He has changed the game to a level of rudeness and ignorance and disregard for fair game

Now we can say that none of us are perfect and we all have done things that we are not very proud of and at times even ashamed of. But we also acknowledge that the Character of a person is much defined by what he or she says or does when they think no one is looking or hearing. Be it Hillary or Trump or you or me, thats a fact.

What happened in the Debate is that people did not think Hillary was that effective in getting back at Trump after initial 20 minutes. But then Trump had nothing to lose and if you compare the first and second debate, he was nastier than the first and there is a time when any decent person will stop reacting back in the same dirt. I think that is what happened to Hillary.

Hillary too tried the accusation tactic because that was the kind of stage set yesterday and that I believe was part of Trump’s tactic. Push your opponent to such a low level of decency that they cannot respond back in the same kind of incivility and malice. And if they tried he will still beat them in showering filth. He brought up Bill Clinton out of everything, I never thought he would do that on the stage, but he did it!!

After watching the debate yesterday my take is that his (Trump’s) true self is still locked in that locker Room when he was young 59 year old, no change. What you saw on stage yesterday was the same Nasty guy.

At the end of the debate one cannot stop wondering if they just witnessed one of the most deplorable exchange by two people one of whom will be the next President of United States. Not just Lincoln, every single US president who is not alive today should be turning in their grave. Such was the state of the debate in my opinion, it was a mockery and caricature of responsibility. Sad to say.

I know Hillary has her problems, but in this election America does not have a better choice, and I think America badly needs a woman president, especially when people like Trump who have total disregard for women stand against her.