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You are here: Home / Post Debate Open Thread

Post Debate Open Thread

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2016debate

The happiest man in America right now is Paul Manafort.

I think Hills wiped the floor with him, and I honestly thought he was on blow. But it terrifies me that this man could still be President. He knows literally nothing. He doesn’t even have soundbite knowledge that Rubio or Palin can muster. It’s fucking horrifying.

Reader Interactions

320Comments

  2. 2.

    Hunter Gathers

    The shit that came out of that man’s mouth was so stupid that it killed the part of my brain that contained the admin password for work. Thank Gob it’s in my encrypted phone. ‘Cause I’m good at Cyber.

  6. 6.

    debit

    Chuck Todd: the loser is the American public who watched. All they did was talk about themselves. Jesus fucking christ, Chuckles, that’s what they’re supposed to do!

  7. 7.

    seaboogie

    And he was thirstier than Rubio, if Rubio was in the Sahara….

    Loved that little lady in the red pantsuit. Gonna vote for her.

  8. 8.

    momus

    Summary:

    Hillary — TMI
    Trump — stayed in character, win

    At least that’s the way it will be spun in certain quarters.

  9. 9.

    Paul W.

    Ok, I don’t think he was worse than Palin… that woman was HORRIBLE. At least for the one or two sentences where Trump answers a question it is in a syntax I can understand (and then disagree with).

  10. 10.

    Sly

    Debate Hot Take: I feel like calling my mother and apologizing on behalf of all men for 75 years of bullshit.

  16. 16.

    dmsilev

    Oh for fucks sake, Trump is on TV now. He’s defending his inherited wealth and complaining about being attacked.

  18. 18.

    Soprano2

    Mike Pence said Hillary name-called all throughout the debate. He must have been watching a debate in an alternative universe.

  22. 22.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    All these pundits intoning “all he has to do is avoid sounding like a blithering idiot” were giving him skills far beyond his reach.

  25. 25.

    Skerry

    Donald J. Trump Verified account
    ‏@realDonaldTrump

    Nothing on emails. Nothing on the corrupt Clinton Foundation. And nothing on #Benghazi. #Debates2016 #debatenight

  32. 32.

    Mai.naem.mobile

    What the fuck was Melanoma wearing tonight? It wasn’t a party. It was a debate. I mention this because you know it matters bigly.

  33. 33.

    Kropadope

    I think my favorite part was when he kept saying “no one’s going to Hannity” to confirm his early opposition to the Iraq War. As if people will take the word of your advocate over actual published and broadcast quotes.

  34. 34.

    Mary G

    Donald is spinning the online polls saying he got 80-90%. He’s proud he laid off Bill’s philandering but he might do it at the next debate.

  37. 37.

    Tim F.

    Can anyone get a comprehensive list Trump denying saying something that he said on tape? We gotta add some more after tonight.

    Also, I think the thirty seconds or so he spent complaining about Hillary running mean ads about him could be Trump’s lowest point of the night. Nobody respects a guy whining about a girl beating up on him.

    Also #2 – that was a damn fine sermon about treating women with respect. Trump’s reaction made it seem like he genuinely had no idea people know about the terrible things he said to that woman in his beauty contest. She has a name. Damn.

  38. 38.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I think Steve Schmidt is a poser and a wannabe, Hugh Hewitt is a nut job, Michael Steele is a weasel, Joe Scarborough a mercurial Gingrichite hack, but… Nicole Wallace may simply be the dumbest pundit on MSNBC, left or right.

  40. 40.

    Dexter

    Rudy Giuliani on Twitter admitted that this is not a good debate for Trump. Wonder if he is having a meltdown. On the other hand Podesta is trolling about whether Trump will do the other two debates.

    I feel lot better now.

  41. 41.

    burnspbesq

    I heard not a word of the debate in real time. Listened to the Mets while driving home from San Diego.

    Sounds like Trump may now have a better understanding of the famous Mike Tyson quote.

  43. 43.

    Baud

    I’m not a regular person. Will a regular person be offended by Trump’s “I didn’t pay him because maybe I didn’t like the work he did” remark?

  47. 47.

    ? Martin

    Shame Trump didn’t try his final attack – he suggested after the debate that he was going to attack her for Bill’s infidelity. Do it next time, Donald – please!

  49. 49.

    CZanne

    @dmsilev: He would be complaining about being attacked if the debate had been staged with him alone on a stage, without anyone asking him anything, while lying on a chaise longue and being fed peeled grapes and fanned with palm fronds.

    Anybody who has lived with a narcissist knows that behavior: they cannot ever, ever, ever be wrong, ever be challenged or contradicted. Their egos are like a super-over-inflated innertube without a tire — way too large, and will pop at the slightest touch.

    Be prepared for another “blood coming out of her whatever” comment — he’s going to have to try to hit low to make himself feel better.

  52. 52.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: I think that and “that’s called business” (which I believe was in response to his rooting for the economic collapse) could be worked into an ad for Ohio

  53. 53.

    hilts

    Charlie Rose is live tonight with a confederacy of dunces that includes Maureen Dowd (who declared Hillary the winner), Frank Luntz, Mark Halperin, John Heileman, and Mike Allen.

  55. 55.

    Betty Cracker

    OMFG, Chris Christie is invoking Obama’s bad debate against Romney. Even Christie knows Trump stepped on his dick!

    ETA — he’s all splotchy and covered with stress-zits too, bless his heart!

  57. 57.

    JMG

    Nate Silver, who really has become a caricature of the fretful Democrat, just tweeted that while it’s hard to see how the debate helped Trump, if it somehow did he’d be unstoppable. Why not just say if people thought Trump did well, we are a nation of morons and doomed in any event.

  58. 58.

    Davis X. Machina

    Can’t wait for the next debate.

    I had a regular chess opponent who, if he were up three pawns in the end game, march them to the back rank, and underpromote them all to bishops.

    And then checkmate you. Because with queens, it’s too easy, and less fun.

    Hillz is going to do just that.

  59. 59.

    Suzanne

    Spawn the Younger, who is five years old: “I don’t think he’s saying the words right.”

    Truth, my child.

  60. 60.

    Baud

    Hillary does better when people can see her directly, like at the convention and tonight. She suffers when people hear others in the media talking about her. The media blackout of Hillary events may be more damaging than all the fake scandal stories.

  61. 61.

    MomSense

    Christie doesn’t think we should rely on fact checkers who have an agenda.

    Um yeah to check facts. WTF Chris Christie.

  62. 62.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @John Cole: Ron FournierVerified account
    ‏@ ron_fournier
    Lede may be: “He lost his cool and maybe the race, taking bait coolly served by Hillary Clinton.

  65. 65.

    Jeffro

    Again, the most insightful thing I ever told my RW dad and brother during the primaries was the most obvious: “why don’t they [the deep bench] point out that Trump is a complete fucking moron?”

    Alas, it appears that a significant portion of their base were looking for Just. That.

    L. to the OL

  67. 67.

    lurker dean

    balance must be maintained at all times!!

    Meet the PressVerified account
    ‏@MeetThePress
    .@chucktodd: #debatenight exposed Trump’s lack of preparation, but Clinton seemed over-prepared at times.

  70. 70.

    JGabriel

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    What is this MSM bullshit about Trump’s sounding like a regular person.

    Are they really saying that? Jeepers. They must have really weird conceptions of what ordinary people sound like.

    Donald sounded like an ignorant conservative blow-hard, like a 1980’s right-wing shock jock talking about the 70’s, as if the world today was just like the worst feverish fantasies wingnuts have been pushing since the Bircher’s formed in the late fifties. I’m surprised The Neon Shit-Geyser didn’t scream about how the gov’t is poisoning us with fluoride and blame Hillary.

  71. 71.

    ? Martin

    The GOP pollsters are going to be weighing whether Trump is worse off showing up to the next debate vs being seen as a coward and backing out. I think it’s going to be a coin flip.

  74. 74.

    shinobi42

    who is this old ass dude on PBS telling me how unlikeable Hillary is? Dude, I get it, You don[‘t want to go to the PTA with her. GROSS. No one wants you at the PTA.

    She literally danced with schaudenfreude on stage, i’m not sure how much more likeable you can be.

    I hate pundits.

  79. 79.

    Kropadope

    @CZanne:

    He would be complaining about being attacked if the debate had been staged with him alone on a stage, without anyone asking him anything, while lying on a chaise longue and being fed peeled grapes and fanned with palm fronds.

    He complains about her attack ads, but most of the ads I’ve seen that attacked Trump, rather than highlighting what Hillary has to offer, were mostly if not entirely his own words with people simply watching him on TV.

  82. 82.

    BR

    @burnspbesq:

    You should spread that Tyson quote on twitter — probably a catchy way to summarize the debate. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.”

  83. 83.

    Proportionwheel

    I do hope that someone who has video skills will edit together a compendium of Trump sniffs. Should last several minutes.

  84. 84.

    Steeplejack

    @Steeplejack:

    (Just before the debate:)

    MOOK: Ready?

    HILLARY: Yep. I’m going to make a positive case for my candidacy.

    MOOK: Good.

    HILLARY: And if I roast a prick along the way? Gravy.

  85. 85.

    Mary G

    @John Cole: Ron Fournier 

    @ron_fournier

    Lede may be: “He lost his cool and maybe the race, taking bait coolly served by Hillary Clinton.”

    7:58 PM – 26 Sep 2016

  86. 86.

    Jeffro

    @Skerry:

    Nothing on emails. Nothing on the corrupt Clinton Foundation. And nothing on #Benghazi. #Debates2016 #debatenight

    Donald, baby, I hate to tell you but she neutered #1 in 10 seconds, was fully prepared on #2, and was clearly ready for #3 when she noted she’d already testified for 11 hours straight? You know, on that thing that has been investigated by Congress 4x more than 9/11 ever was?

    Go for it in debate #2…to borrow from a very orange friend of mine, “What the hell do you have to lose?”

  87. 87.

    Kropadope

    @lurker dean:

    #debatenight exposed Trump’s lack of preparation, but Clinton seemed over-prepared at times.

    Over-prepared as in scripted as in inauthentic as in BOTH SIDES!!!

    Get fucked, MTP.

  88. 88.

    Adam L Silverman

    @hilts: Given he never made it through his bachelors degree in political science its not clear he actually made it through undergraduate stats. Not like he’s actually qualified to crunch numbers any more than what he’s doing now.

  89. 89.

    schrodinger's cat

    Trump is like that kid in class that’s getting good homework grades because he is being helped by his buddies
    (or paid minions in this case) but come exam time he is no match for Hermione.

  95. 95.

    liberal

    Not only is he a fascist Shitstain, he’s a stupid fascist Shitstain. Christ, Hillary wiped the floor with that stupid fuck.

  101. 101.

    CZanne

    @Kropadope: Actually, all of them. All of her attack ads have been nothing except his own words. She doesn’t need to use political theater because he serves this stuff up like a Norovirus buffet on a cruise ship.

  102. 102.

    demz taters

    @Baud: No because saying you didn’t like the work is being a weasel. What a decent, ethical person does is give the contractor the opportunity to make it right for the contracted price if they’re not satisfied with the result.

  103. 103.

    Kay

    A blinking, huffing manifestation of incoherent 21st century white male rage. He is offended by the temerity of his public servant opponent while incredulous that he is clearly in the presence of a sane person who is in possession of facts and reason. Cheap country club vulgarity. The only question is – is America seeing that too?

  104. 104.

    different-church-lady

    @lurker dean:

    TOOD: “…but Clinton seemed over-prepared at times.”

    Oh. Yeah. Someone who’s too prepared is not someone I want leading the country.

  106. 106.

    quakerinabasement

    It was rigged! Very unfair! Very! Everybody says so, believe me!

    Also, too, I was going to say something nasty, but I won’t.

  107. 107.

    Jeffro

    @schrodinger’s cat:

    What was that whole thing about cyber and nuclear. It was clear he had no idea what he was talking about.

    …said the entire officer corps of the US military, the intelligence services, all of our diplomats…

    I know it won’t push too many voters’ buttons, but it really cannot be understated just how terrifying it must feel to think that the Orange Ragegasm might be in charge of the whole operation, when you’ve devoted your whole life to the proper functioning of the US government and an even remotely stable world order.

  110. 110.

    Mary G

    Loll, Jeffrey Lord on CNN is reduced to saying that all the Democrats were birthers in 1881 when trying to allege that Chester A. Arthur was born in Canada.

  118. 118.

    ? Martin

    Another confirmation that Trump wanted to hit Hillary over Bill’s infidelity. Said that he thought it wasn’t out of bounds to say.

  119. 119.

    Jeffro

    @Mary G: What…who is that supposed to appeal to? The 140-year-old “Arthurista” vote?

    What a whack job. That’s not even checkers vs. the Clinton campaign’s chess. That’s like Lord rolling a marble down a bowling alley…a bowling alley where Hillz is somehow launching FIVE 18-POUND BALLS AT ONCE. And THEY’RE ON FIRE and ONE OF THEM IS STUFFED WITH TNT. I’m pretty sure she’s gonna AT LEAST pick up the spare.

  121. 121.

    NotMax

    Can’t keep up with all the threads springing up.

    Trump sons radiating glumness. Even they are starkly aware of what happened tonight.

  122. 122.

    lamh36

    MeetThePress
    .@chucktodd: #debatenight exposed Trump’s lack of preparation, but Clinton seemed over-prepared at times.

    really Todd…really

  123. 123.

    Kropadope

    Man, that was a stomping of epic proportions. I wonder how much worse it would have been if Hillary weren’t so rattled by the presence of Gennifer Flowers in the first row.

  124. 124.

    scav

    @Baud: She didn’t sniff enough either. Told an inordinate amount of truth which is just not how middle flyover ‘merka rolls, although Donald could have mixed a smidge more verity into his effort for appearance’s sake.

  125. 125.

    Hunter Gathers

    @Baud: Nope. But I’m pretty sure I could hack Trump Enterprises. I’m willing to bet ‘yuuuge’ is the admin password.

  128. 128.

    hilts

    Halperin – Trump took the bait and was more on the defensive

    Heileman – Trump was more on the defensive and his lack of preparation showed

  129. 129.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Baud: Yes, the only time I’ve not paid a contractor for work done is when we had them out for an estimate and never asked them to actually do the work(either verbally or in writing).

    ETA: They also did a shitty job.

  131. 131.

    ? Martin

    @NotMax:

    Trump sons radiating glumness. Even they are starkly aware of what happened tonight.

    No, that’s his normal state. Smarmy has no happy face.

  133. 133.

    different-church-lady

    @Jeffro:

    I’m pretty sure she’s gonna AT LEAST pick up the spare.

    It depends on whether this election is ten-pin or candlepin bowling.

  134. 134.

    lamh36

    @EliStokols
    Trump skipping Suffolk County GOP victory party and heading back to NYC, per pooler @ZekeJMiller.

  135. 135.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Brit Hume, known for his down-to-earth nature and Bobby Sherman-like non-threatening good looks:

    Robert Mackey ‏@ RobertMackey 31m31 minutes ago
    Brit Hume: “the TV audience saw the faces of the two candidates… and she looked composed, smug sometimes, not necessarily attractive”

  138. 138.

    Keith P.

    HIllary didn’t even break out Trump University. She’s probably going to bait him into the weeds with that one at the next debate.

  140. 140.

    Baud

    Josh Barro ‏@jbarro 24s24 seconds ago

    18 out of 20 members of CNN’s undecided Florida voter panel say Clinton won.

  141. 141.

    Kay

    @different-church-lady:

    The question is, are they liking it?

    I can’t imagine liking it. The interrupting alone would drive me crazy. Stop interrupting her. Control yourself.

    Certain men do it all the time. I’ve literally had to get good at staying focused amid constant interruptions. I have had to learn to accommodate them. It’s infuriating.

  142. 142.

    Trentrunner

    David Frum on Twitter:

    Who told Hillary Clinton to keep smiling like she’s at her granddaughter’s birthday party?

    For future reference, if anyone asks you about the “double bind for women.”

  144. 144.

    lamh36

    @AlGiordano 25s26 seconds ago Burlington, VT
    CNN Focus group: 18 of 20 undecided Florida voters say Hillary Clinton won the debate (and seem inclined to vote for her).

  145. 145.

    Ruckus

    @liberal:
    It has always amazed me these last few months when some one stated that Trump was dumb as a stump, people would say, he’s not dumb, look where he’s gotten. If he wasn’t a dumb as a stump, look where he could have gotten. But he is, dumb as a stump.

  147. 147.

    rikyrah

    From Andrew Sullivan’s Liveblog of the debate:

    10:39 p.m. What can one say? I was afraid that Trump’s charisma and stage presence and salesmanship might outshine Hillary Clinton’s usually tepid and wonkish instincts. I feared that the facts wouldn’t matter; that a debate would not take place. And it is to Clinton’s great credit that she prepared, and he didn’t, and that she let him hang himself.

    His utter lack of preparation; his doubling down on transparent lies; his foreign-policy recklessness; his racial animosity; his clear discomfort with the kind of exchange of views that is integral to liberal democracy; his instinctual belligerence — all these suggest someone who has long lived in a deferential bubble that has become filled with his own reality.

    Clinton was not great at times; her language was occasionally stilted; she missed some obvious moments to go in for the kill; but she was solid and reassuring and composed. I started tonight believing she needed a game-changer to alter the trajectory of this race. I may, of course, be wrong, trapped in my own confirmation bias and bubble — but I thought she did just that.

    I’ve been a nervous wreck these past two weeks; my nerves are calmed now.

    10:38 p.m. A reader writes:

    A blinking, huffing manifestation of incoherent 21st century white male rage. He is offended by the temerity of his public servant opponent while incredulous that he is clearly in the presence of a sane person who is in possession of facts and reason. Cheap country club vulgarity. The only question is – is America seeing that too?

    ……………………

    10:31 p.m. Clinton became the grown-up and the president in this last statement reassuring our allies. If Americans cannot see that at this point, there is, sadly, no real choice in this election. I say that as someone who is no fan of Hillary Clinton. There is simply no choice.

  150. 150.

    Suzanne

    @demz taters:

    What a decent, ethical person does is give the contractor the opportunity to make it right for the contracted price if they’re not satisfied with the result.

    There are long-established legal procedures for payment for his contractors and architects, and if he isn’t happy with their work, then he has no one to blame but himself. The specifications and general conditions of the contracts used in the jndustry describe the quality of work to be done, and the Owner’s responsibilities. You never, NEVER get to the end of a job and don’t pay. Concerns about quality need to be documented early and often.

  153. 153.

    Kropadope

    @Ruckus:

    It has always amazed me these last few months when some one stated that Trump was dumb as a stump, people would say, he’s not dumb, look where he’s gotten.

    I read somewhere that if Trump simply put the money he inherited into a conservative investment portfolio, he would have more money now than he purports to have.

  155. 155.

    quakerinabasement

    Trump admitted he paid no federal taxes for at least a couple of years–and boasted about it. Trump admitted to ripping off contractors–and blamed them for it. And then to top it off, he whined about how mean and unfair Hillary’s ads are.

    Loser.

  161. 161.

    Eric S.

    Bringing this upstairs … Flipped on CNN just out of curiosity. The pundit desk is set up outside on a raised platform. There were a few people behind it holding up home made signs. Looked like a football pregame show. They aren’t even pretending to cover it as anything other than a sporting event.

  162. 162.

    Suzanne

    @Trentrunner: JESUS FUCK. She gets criticized for not smiling enough, then she gets it for smiling too much. FUCK. We cannot win.

    I take this personally, because I got an employee performance review in which I was told that I got a great job but that I didn’t smile enough and people didn’t like me because of it.

  163. 163.

    scav

    @Baud: Ex-act-lee. You have a brilliant career ahead of you if you can manage to do that with something approximating a seriousl face, even if your campaign didn’t go quite as well as expected this once. Rack up four years of at least weekly Sunday exposure on the tee-vee-box and you’ll be well-placed for next time.

  164. 164.

    Kropadope

    @schrodinger’s cat: Trump’s charisma and stage presence, what is Sully smoking?

    In fairness, the entire rest of the paragraph can be summed up as “I was wrong.”

    ETA: And in the minds of some people, Trump does have charisma.

  166. 166.

    Jeffro

    @Felonius Monk:

    Christ, Sarah Palin looks presidential compared to Trump.

    Many, myself included, have long said that Trump is Palin in a suit. He’s actually worse and I think this is the best way to put it: he thinks he knows what he doesn’t know, and he refuses to admit that there is anything that he doesn’t know.

    Poor Sarah would no doubt make an incredible mess, but in the end she could probably be swayed by advisers, Beltway GOP vets, and the prospect of re-election. Donald? Not so much. He “consults with himself”, after all, and “has the best words”.

    Tonight’s performance showed us what we’d get with a President Trump who not only doesn’t prepare for anything, but can be baited by everything.

  169. 169.

    Adam L Silverman

    @lamh36: They know he’s upset and in trouble and they don’t want him in a group of people where they can’t control him not spouting off and someone taping it. They’re putting him in lockdown. My guess is that all the tweets will be from the iPhone, which is his staff, not the Droid, which is his own phone.

  171. 171.

    lamh36

    @hilts: Um…I beg to differ…they are both equally idiotic

    @davidgregory 1h1 hour ago
    One hour in… DT exceeding expectations. He’s prepared, disciplined and serious. She is well prepared commanding as expected.

  174. 174.

    quakerinabasement

    @Keith P.:

    She’s probably going to bait him into the weeds with that one at the next debate.

    Next debate? My money is on Trump laying out a buttload of new demands and then refusing to participate.

  176. 176.

    Jeffro

    @lamh36: That’s amazing. Between he and Cruz, I don’t know who to credit more for the last days of the GOP and the official assumption of power by the Trumpkins.

    Hey Kasich, you sure you even want to bother trying to turn this ‘unsinkable’ ocean liner around?

  179. 179.

    jonas

    @? Martin:

    Wait, but I thought Trump knew how to win, and Clinton doesn’t know how to win? My worldview is all mixed up!

    Trump tomorrow: “I could’ve won. Absolutely could’ve. If I had wanted to, I definitely would have won. Simple as that.”

  180. 180.

    lurker dean

    wtf.

    The New York TimesVerified account
    ‏@nytimes
    “Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump fell into a rut that reinforced both of their stereotypes” via @nytopinion

  184. 184.

    lamh36

    ‏@AlGiordano 30s30 seconds ago Burlington, VT
    CNN ORC poll: 62 percent say Clinton won debate. 100 million plus watched this debate. MOE 4 points. Now knock on doors and take Congress.

  188. 188.

    lamh36

    @speechboy71 now
    It’s easy to talk about how bad Trump was tonight; but worth keeping in mind that Clinton was legitimately great

  193. 193.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @hilts: Mike Allen – Good luck to Trump’s advisers trying to tell him that he had an off night.

    His next rally should be some hard core crazy as he tries to prove he’s still got his balls

  194. 194.

    lamh36

    @elonjames
    TOM BROKAW JUST BROUGHT UP BLACK ON BLACK CRIME IN CRITIQUING HILLARY FOR NOT BRINGING IT UP.

    Fuck You Tom. #TWIBdebate

  196. 196.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Teh Donald’s “Mussolini face” did hot help him. Hillary’s “Trey Gowdy smirk”, however, was devastating.

  197. 197.

    dmsilev

    @patroclus: Those snap polls do a lot to shape the media bloviations over the days following the debate, so a 2:1 advantage is pretty meaningful. It’ll help jell the conventional wisdom of the pundits etc.

  198. 198.

    SteveinSC

    After fournier, it goes Mark Hassperin, Chuck Snod and then the dry-drunk, brained-damaged, spiittng fool Matthews in the pack of weasels on MSNBC. Fuck these corporate repuke shills. And as a Bernster, I also think Hillary wiped the floor. (Shit, I forgot. Scarface’s jizz-mopper, Villey Geist, belongs in there somewhere.)

  204. 204.

    jonas

    @Adam L Silverman: I bet he’s going ballistic at his staff right now, raging about how they should have let him go after Bill’s affairs, the emails, Benghazi, etc., and that in the next debate, he’s not going to hold back and be all “reserved” and “milquetoast” like he was tonight, but lay down some real truth!

    As they say: please proceed, governor.

  205. 205.

    ? Martin

    @Suzanne: Hang in there. I have a staffer that gets that treatment from my bosses. ‘She’s too blunt, people don’t like her. You shouldn’t give her such good reviews.’

    Um, excuse me, have you fucking met me? I go through meetings like a train. I once had a woman break down sobbing during a job interview. My bosses send me into meetings with people ranked me to put the hammer down because they don’t want to do it. I walk into meetings and you can hear a collective sigh break out. I get glowing reviews because I fucking get shit done. She’s much less blunt than I am – more blunt than other women at her level – but less than me, and guess what – she fucking gets shit done too. I have to fight that battle every fucking year. Pisses me off. Admittedly I could probably be more diplomatic in how I tell them that…

    But keep at it. It’s slowly getting better. You have allies.

  209. 209.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @lamh36: I said earlier that Nicole Wallace was the dumbest pundit on TV, left or right. I briefly forgot about Tom Brokaw, an aging Ted Baxter who thinks he’s David Brinkley or Walter Cronkite because he’s old now, too.

  210. 210.

    Baud

    PublicPolicyPolling ‏@ppppolls 3m3 minutes ago Raleigh, NC

    47/10 young voters say they’re more likely to vote Clinton after tonight. 23/39 say less likely to vote for Trump:
    67 retweets 47 likes

    PublicPolicyPolling ‏@ppppolls 4m4 minutes ago Raleigh, NC

    Clinton made big strides with young voters tonight- they think she won the debate 63/24:

  213. 213.

    AnotherBruce

    Questions for the Juicers. I didn’t watch all of the debate, But I did watch the part where Hillary was calling out Trump for stiffing contractors. Did Donald ever explicitly deny that he did this?

    If not that should be wrapped around his neck.

  216. 216.

    Adam L Silverman

    @scav: MSNBC had the deliberations on air. They had the cameras following him to his motorcade. They stalled out by the van as there were several minutes of family consultation before they could get him in the vehicle.

  218. 218.

    hovercraft

    11.32pm
    23:32
    Clinton has popped up at a student watch event at Hofstra. She’s thanking the student organizers for everything they’ve done. “We need to turn out a big vote here in New York,” she says. And in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Hampshire.

    “You saw tonight how high the stakes are, didn’t you?” she says.

  223. 223.

    NR

    @Baud:

    Clinton made big strides with young voters tonight- they think she won the debate 63/24:

    That’s almost identical to CNN’s overall number. Interesting.

  225. 225.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @AnotherBruce: Did Donald ever explicitly deny that he did this?
    If not that should be wrapped around his neck.

    as I recall, he said maybe the guy’s work was no good. I think there’s plenty of stuff to make a good “he’s not on your side” ad from tonight

  227. 227.

    burnspbesq

    Clinton mopped the floor with Trump. Is the floor salvageable, or does it have to be ripped up and replaced?

  229. 229.

    Anoniminous

    @Baud:

    YES! (shoves fist in the air)

    Now if we can get the little sods off their asses and into the voting booth we’ll be in great shape.

  233. 233.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @AnotherBruce:

    But I did watch the part where Hillary was calling out Trump for stiffing contractors. Did Donald ever explicitly deny that he did this?

    No, he said something on the order of “Maybe they did a bad job.”

  239. 239.

    Bill E Pilgrim

    @jonas:

    I bet he’s going ballistic at his staff right now

    There’s video

    Oh sorry, my previous one went into moderation and in my experience they never come out of that. Sort of like the phantom zone. But this time it did.

  240. 240.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @? Martin: It’s the same look she gave when she was taking the Benghazi Committee to the cleaners.

    She’s cooler than the coolest cucumber.

  241. 241.

    NotMax

    So, Trump ditched attending a planned gathering in Suffolk County further out on Long Island.

    And Hillary’s the one lacking stamina?

  242. 242.

    lamh36

    @ppppolls 9s9 seconds ago Raleigh, NC
    Only 38% of women think Donald Trump has the temperament to be President, 55% say he does not

  246. 246.

    piratedan

    @lurker dean: yeah, that’s the LAST fucking thing I want in a presidential candidate before a national debate…. overpreparedness

    I’m not sure if Chuck Todd would be the smartest person in a room that only contained himself.

  249. 249.

    jonas

    @different-church-lady:

    Someone who’s too prepared is not someone I want leading the country.

    Exactly! I think it’s kind of fun thinking how there could be some major crisis at home or abroad and the President is woken up and told about it and goes “Shit! I never prepared for that!” Makes things a little more interesting and as an average American, I like that. I also like doctors who only completed 3 of 4 years of medical school.

  252. 252.

    hellslittlestangel

    I couldn’t help watching the debate, even though I’ve grown to find the sound of Trump’s voice and the stupid look on his face nauseating.

    You know what? Is was totally worth it. He might as well have shat in his pants.

  254. 254.

    Lyrebird

    @Jeffro: Yeah, I’m not sure how other states will go, but between hating on the Khans, questioning NATO, and the loose-lipped remarks about his national security briefing, I think the Orange Menace has lost Virginia fer sher. I haven’t lived there since it went a little more purple, so I’m just basing this on the Republicans I knew.

  255. 255.

    Mnemosyne

    @debit:

    Chuck Toddler is lucky I couldn’t reach through the screen and slap that stupid goatee off his face.

    On the plus side, this epic squashing of The Donald definitely has me #FiredUpReadyToGo for canvassing next weekend.

  257. 257.

    scav

    @Adam L Silverman: Oh brillant and thank you for that detail. I went mostly text-based for what little remaining sanity I cling to. I’m now going to profoundly hope the limo comes with one of those little slider windows, only re-enforced with that metal mesh from police cars or dog car barriers.

  258. 258.

    Kropadope

    @Another Scott:

    He bragged about declaring bankruptcy multiple times, also too.

    Gotta work the system to turn a quick buck at the expense of others. Your a loser if you don’t do it.

  262. 262.

    hilts

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    I hope Hillary can pitch 2 more shutouts against Trump. I’d also like to see some conservative Republican newspapers step up to the plate and endorse Hillary, but that’s probably too much to hope for.

  263. 263.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Villago Delenda Est: She broke out an Obama grin, right before the shoulder shimmy and the “Woo! Okay!” That was when she signaled that, not only had she slayed, she was now sacrilegiously dancing the corpse because she could.

  264. 264.

    Karen

    I couldn’t bear to watch it and it looks like I had good reason for my trepidation. All I care about is if HRC wins the debate will that move her poll numbers. Poll numbers reflects votes.

  275. 275.

    Another Scott

    @AnotherBruce: He bragged about it. Just like he bragged tonight about wanting to buy up foreclosed properties, not paying federal taxes, and declaring bankruptcy multiple times.

    Remember, he (without prompting) bragged: “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters.”

    He thinks that none of society’s conventions apply to him.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  276. 276.

    Mike J

    @Davis X. Machina:

    I had a regular chess opponent who, if he were up three pawns in the end game, march them to the back rank, and underpromote them all to bishops.

    And then checkmate you. Because with queens, it’s too easy, and less fun.

    Only a challenge if the bishops were all the same color. Easy peasy with opposite color bishops.

  277. 277.

    PPCLI

    @Mai.naem.mobile: My favorite Luntz focus group of all time was after one of the debates in which Obama just massacred his opponent. I can’t remember if it was Romney or McCain. So Luntz, with the cameras rolling is talking to the Fox talking heads and asks his group to raise hands to indicate who won. The whole room, with one or two exceptions went for Obama. Then Luntz looks at the camera, all the hands up behind him, and says “so you can see it was split pretty even here”…

  279. 279.

    nonynony

    Has anyone ventured into the fever swamps on the right to see how they’re reacting? I’d go myself except fuck no I’m not doing that.

  281. 281.

    Larrb

    My favorite part was the ironic little shoulder strut she did while Don was off on his 10th or 12th interruption. Priceless.

  283. 283.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @NR: And yet she is a shitty candidate?

    BTW, I commend you for showing up tonight. Normally, you just show up to gloat about bad polls and to say that Obama should be primaried and that the ACA sucks.

  285. 285.

    mike in dc

    6 weeks to go, and Trump blew his biggest opportunity to take the lead over her. He’s probably going to lose a few points and she will gain a few.

  287. 287.

    jonas

    Gotta love the headline for Healy’s article on the front page of nytimes.com: “Candidates Paint Starkly Different Visions for U.S.”

    Really? That sums up what happened during the debate? Using the same metaphor, I think the following lede is more accurate: Clinton used a diverse palate of oils and pastels on canvas to paint her picture, which included a mixed-race family standing in front of a cheery home. Trump dropped his trousers, took a huge dump on the stage, rolled around in it, threw some bits of shit at Lester Holt, flipped off the audience, and stomped off screaming “I am the king!!!”

  289. 289.

    NR

    @Omnes Omnibus: We’ll see after tonight. As 2000 showed, the debate isn’t what matters, the post-debate spin is what matters.Trump’s media allies could still fight this to a draw. The wild card, of course, is Trump himself. We’ll see if they can keep him on his leash.

  292. 292.

    NR

    @Omnes Omnibus: I’m dead serious. After the first debate in 2000, people who watched it said 60-40 Gore won, but people who didn’t watch the debate and only heard the media spin said 60-40 Bush won.

  295. 295.

    Captain C

    @JGabriel:

    I’m surprised The Neon Shit-Geyser didn’t scream about how the gov’t is poisoning us with fluoride and blame Hillary.

    Just give him a little more time…

    ETA: …and maybe some more blow.

  301. 301.

    Captain C

    @quakerinabasement:

    Trump admitted he paid no federal taxes for at least a couple of years–and boasted about it. Trump admitted to ripping off contractors–and blamed them for it. And then to top it off, he whined about how mean and unfair Hillary’s ads are.

    That’s 3 campaign ads right there; the last one interspersed with some of his ugly histrionics and insults.

  303. 303.

    TriassicSands

    @Soprano2:

    Clinton did call Trump names throughout the debate — Donald. She should have been calling him moronic racist pig for more accuracy. But she’s a lady.

    The contrast is stark, but the people supporting Trump aren’t looking for anything that resembles Clinton, so they probably think he crushed her. After all, he interrupted constantly, talked over her, was incredibly rude, and generally showed that he has no respect or manners. That means he’s not “PC,” which seems to be the main selling point he has for millions of idiots.

    I have nothing to negative to say about Clinton’s performance. I feel sorry for anyone who has to share a stage with a colossal POS like Trump. But, an observation. One attribute Hillary doesn’t seem to have (at least not in abundance and not in public) is wit. She doesn’t need it to be president and it never enters into my considerations of candidates (though mental and verbal agility are nice). However, I think she had a number of opportunities tonight to hit Trump with one of those zingers that gets all the press the day after a debate and she never came close to offering one. On one level it’s a trivial thing, but it would show a different side of Clinton (one that probably doesn’t exist, at least not in a public setting) and it could have really rocked Trump. I didn’t expect anything like that from her, and it is hard to script something like that, but I would have loved to have heard her say something that actually shut him up for a second or two and had the talking heads all abuzz.

    The idea of Clinton as president is neither exciting, nor alarming. She will be hampered by an obstructionist opposition party, but many of her proposals are admirable.

    The idea of Trump as president is horrifying. Period.

  306. 306.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Hillary had a chance to slam dunk Donald in the face and groin on Daesh: they’re losing right now, and are in retreat. They are not winning by any means.

  309. 309.

    Captain C

    @jonas:

    Trump dropped his trousers, took a huge dump on the stage, rolled around in it, threw some bits of shit at Lester Holt, flipped off the audience, and stomped off screaming “I am the king!!!”

    The 2016 Hollywood remake of “The Royal Nonesuch.”

    ETA: And something Rudy 9/11 would have howled about if it was part of an NEA-funded exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.

  310. 310.

    No One You Know

    Watching the replay. How did I miss the Don’s expectation that NATO should pay protection money (“nice alliance you have there. Shame if anything should happen to it” ), how great his 10-year-old son is at computers when asked about state-sponsored cyberhacks (imagine Barron Trump as Ender), or the incredible effrontery to ask Donald about her “look”
    (can we comment on HIS look?), the bow he made into his own mic when she gut-punched him on stamina…

    gonna have to watch it again!

  311. 311.

    chopper

    @NR:

    yeah, not being a concern trolling eeyore all the fucking time is a real hard fuckin life. it’s just terrible.

    say, isn’t there a fire you can go die in?

  316. 316.

    Jinchi

    @? Martin:

    The GOP pollsters are going to be weighing whether Trump is worse off showing up to the next debate

    My guess is that they’ll argue that it’s easier for Trump to win next round because the bar for him has been lowered by his poor performance in this one.

  319. 319.

    Paul in KY

    @TriassicSands: Think she would have gotten a good laugh if after one of Trumps streamofbullshitcrazytalks, when Mr. Holt said ‘you have 2 minutes, Secretary Clinton’, she could have quipped ‘That’s not enough time!’.

    She methodically whupped his pathetic ass, though.

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