Tomorrow night’s debate might be one of the most watched events in US television history, in competition with the Who Shot JR? cliffhanger and the last episode of MASH.
The stakes are high and nothing less than the White House. Failure tomorrow night for either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton may signal the beginning of a permanent downward trend in their campaigns.
Hillary Clinton will walk on stage in the attack mode and with all the charm of a pit bull locked in a broom closet. Hillary’s soft side is a bed of nails. She’ll attempt to be tough and focused, but come across as she usually does, like the boss at work everyone despises.
She has no record to stand on. She did nothing as a Senator and her accomplishments as Secretary of State include jettisoning the Middle East into absolute chaos, while setting the precedent for the Iran Deal and the laughable Russian Reset.
Because she has no record to defend, she’ll focus on attacking Trump’s character. She’ll claim Trump doesn’t have the temperament for the job. She’ll say Trump hangs out with the Alt Right, Drudge and Alex Jones. She’ll try and paint Trump as a veritable new fuehrer, the racist leader in command of the basket of deplorables.
Trump must parry her by sidestepping away from the La Brea Tar Pits she’ll try and lure him into.
He must remain calm and channel his inner Dalai Lama; breathe deep, smile and speak softly, while walloping the wicked witch with a big stick of facts and more facts.
Trump can hit her on any number of subjects where she and the Democrats are vulnerable; from the wretched economy to ISIS, immigration, her email scandal and the reverse Robin Hood Clinton Foundation.
Hillary must hope for a Trumpian faux pas of atomic proportions. No matter how many times Kelly Anne Conway has undoubtedly told him, he could always say something completely non PC that would be loved by his always faithful locker room crowd of meat eaters, but despised by those sensitive swing voters, the college educated females.
With Hillary, it’s open season on any possible number of health issues which may explode underneath her at any moment. She could trip, stumble, bob, weave, faint, do a bobble head or give us that lovable Jaws smile. She will have no backup Secret Service agent with a kind word and a diazepam injector to rescue her from the crowd and Trump. She will have no step stool to sit on. She will be alone and standing and that 90 minutes out on the stage will seem like a lifetime to her.
Trump looks strong going into the arena at Hofstra tomorrow night. But, anything can happen and will. Let us hope the gods are smiling on Mr. Trump.
