Post 2 - Due 9/30
Who won the presidential debate on Monday, September 26th? What are you using to determine who "won"? And does it matter who wins the presidential debates?
You should watch some section or all of the presidential debates to answer this question. The debate will be up on YouTube afterwards if you can't watch it on Monday night. You will also need at least 2 other sources to make your argument about who is the winner of the debate. There will be plenty of news coverage of people arguing who is the winner. Please cite your sources in your argument.
I hope it's a good debate and if it's not I'm sorry I'm making you watch it. ;)
posted by Ms. Aby @ 6:34 AM
54 Comments:
After watching the first of three presidential debate on Monday 9/26/16, I would srongly say that Clinton won the first debate. I believe this because, Clinton talked about actual issues, such as criminal justice, and economic policy. However,Trump never talked about any issues; he spent the debate trying to point out all of Clinton's flaws. Furthermore, CNN, helped to support my argument when it stated" By contrast, he came in unprepared,had nothing fresh to say, and increasingly gave way to rants"(2). This shows that other people(besides me) agree that Clinton won the debate, because Trump did not bring up any valid points; he really just hurt himself. Also, Fortune.com supports my argument when it states" Trump, once again painted a dystopic verison of American inner cities as war zones"(1). This supports my argument, because Trump is using hyberbole to exaggerate the problem,and make it worse than it actually is. As a result of these reasons, I judge who won the debates by who had the most relative points. I also judge these debates by who stayed on topic the most, and as a result the winner of this debate is Hillary Clinton. Finally, it does matter who wins the presidential debates, because the person who wins the debates is most likely to receive more votes on election day.
Supporting links:
1: http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/presidential-debate-who-won/
2:http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
For source#2 read the Errol Louis speech(that is the one I used)
The internet seems to be in agreement that Hillary Clinton won the debate on monday night, to which I personally agree. In this debate, which was the most watched debate in history (1), the news sites all seem to agree that Trump missed some key points to bring up to tear down Clinton, for example Benghazi was not brought up by Trump (2). Blame has been passed around by saying that Trump was not prepared, failure by Trump’s team, or just failure to execute (2). Of course the blame was not just put on Trump, Lester Holt, who was the moderator, was admonished by “going soft on Clinton” and “aggressively challenging” Trump (1). Personally, I think Clinton came in very prepared. She showed her confidence in the way she held herself and kept to the issues brought up. While Trump lost the issues and repeated himself. Regardless of who would be the best as president, Clinton showed the skill that comes with being a career politician. She knew to not lose her temper when she was attacked and tried to follow the rules as best of possible, although in a debate not interrupting the other candidate is difficult. Clinton knew what kind of questions to prepare for and understood what looks good on camera for a debate. Compared to someone who is new to something so specific to politics like a debate, it made it easy for her to win.
(1)http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/business/media/at-nearly-84-million-viewers-debate-may-be-the-most-watched-ever.html?_r=0
(2)http://abcnews.go.com/US/trump-team-admits-missed-opportunities-debate-sources/story?id=42429715
This Monday the first debate took place between the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, and the Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Hillary Clinton appeared to be the clear winner of this debate. For one thing, Clinton appeared to have arrived more prepared, giving her a more calm and collected composure. In contrast, Trump appeared very irritable and defensive. Clinton used this difference to her advantage to slowly chip away at Trump’s composure such as when she pursued the issue of Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns. Trump became very clearly annoyed and irritated at Clinton’s attack making the interpretable statement “that makes me smart” (4) which made him come off as if he was hiding something (1). Those who insist that Trump won the debate claim that such interjections and defenses were a human response against Clinton’s cold and critical accusations (2), but in reality, they just made Trump appear petty and unreliable.
Trump’s irritable temperament and inconsistencies also added to his downfall. Throughout the debate, Trump made several statements in his defense that, upon further inspection, appear to be very ambiguous or completely untrue. Clinton accused Trump of supporting the invasion of Iraq; Trump refuted claiming that the “record shows”(4) that he was against the war in Iraq. However, no records have been found at all to prove this claim (3). Clinton also accused Trump of calling global warming a hoax created by China; again, Trump refuted, saying that he has said no such thing. Upon deeper inspection Trump did, indeed, tweet this exact thing in January (3). Lastly Clinton stated that Trump has “taken business bankruptcy six times”(4); of course, Trump refuted, claiming that the correct number is four. The facts prove Clinton to be correct (3). Such contradictions by Trump served to dismantle his image and made him come off as dishonest and inconsistent, which only served to further Clinton’s campaign.
Overall, Clinton’s clear preparation to chip away Trump’s defenses and her cool composure presented her as a better candidate than Trump who appeared irritable and dishonest. Trump also shot himself in the foot by refuting Clinton’s accusations with facts that can either be proven completely false or are too ambiguous to be proven at all. This adds to Clinton’s image and sets her apart as the clear winner of the debate. However, it really doesn’t matter who wins the debates. In the debates the title of winner is totally subjective to be determined by the watchers. Therefore any definite title given after the debate would likely have little influence over the opinions of voters. While the words and actions of the candidates at the debate is crucial, the title of being the winner or the loser is not.
Sources:
(1)http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/winner-presidential-debate-takeaways/
(2)http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/presidential-debate-who-won/
(3)http://www.factcheck.org/2016/09/factchecking-the-first-debate/
(4)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Am6ovK7s
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Clinton clearly won the debate on Monday. She argued her points eloquently, while fending off questions from her competitor well. Mr. Trump would often respond to questions with a few words "Wrong." and "I did not say that." were favorites. Trump made several gaffes, including comments about overweight people, slip-ups about his tax returns, and comments muttered under his breath that all but incriminated him. Meanwhile, Ms. Clinton pushed her advantage, easily defeating Trump's poorly argued statements about Clinton starting the "birther" conspiracy. When questioned by Ms. Clinton about why he had not released his tax returns, he said he was being audited and could not. The moderator of the debate, Lester Holt told Trump that the IRS had said multiple times that he was free to release the returns, even under audit. Even with a decisive victory like this, the media still want to hear from the people. 49% of people said Clinton had won, 22% said Trump had done better, 22% percent said neither had done better, and the rest were unsure. Many people also agreed that Ms. Clinton was well prepared, with 77% of those polled saying so, while Trump only had 27% saying the same about him. 43% of Republicans even said Trump could be better prepared. Ironically, Trump's statement about his superior temperament was proven false, when 56% of people said Clinton showed presidential temperament during the debate, compared 34% saying that about Mr. Trump. This evidence has showed that Clinton did far better in the debate than Trump, and the American people agree. This can and probably will affect the outcome of the election. Many people who are on the fence for voting will choose between the candidates because of the debates, which makes them an important tool, but one that should be used cautiously. It shows who is temperamentally, emotionally, and mentally suited to be president. It will be interesting to see how the next debate turns out.
Debate facts courtesy of: The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/us/politics/presidential-debate.html?_r=0
Statistics courtesy of: The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/poll-hillary-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate_us_57ec15c5e4b082aad9b8be8a
(Watched on CNN Monday Night)
I watched the presidential debate on Monday, September 26. In my opinion, Hillary Clinton won the debate. She appeared much more rehearsed and knowledgeable. She smiled and did not get rattled by Trump's accusations against her. All of this made her look more qualified to be president. Trump, on the other hand, interrupted Clinton all the time. Trump appeared grumpy and agitated. Personally, my favorite comment from Trump was when he said that he would release his tax returns despite his lawyers' advice when Clinton would release her 33,000 emails (1). These two issues have been huge controversies in their campaigns. Another important issue is climate change. At the debate, Clinton accused Trump of saying that climate change was a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. Trump denied this by saying, "I do not say that." I fact checked this and according to the New York Times, Trump did tweet that the concept of global warming was created by the Chinese. It also said that in the past year Trump has repeatedly said that climate change is a hoax(2). I believe that it really hurt Trump when Clinton brought up how he had criticized a former Miss Universe winner about being overweight. The women's vote in this election will be very important because Trump has a long history of degrading women. However, Clinton if elected would become the first female president. I believe that this debate was very important in helping undecided voters choose their candidate. It is also important for last minute decisions by absentee ballot voters that can cast their vote now.
Sources:
(1) http://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/26/trump-i-will-release-my-tax-returns-when-clinton-releases-deleted-emails.html
(2)http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/politics/fact-check-debate.html
I believe Hillary Clinton won the first debate, keeping cool, calm, and collected while Trump insulted and interrupted her time and again. I am not alone in this belief, in a YouGov/HuffPo poll on the debate out of 1000 respondents, 41% of people polled said their opinion of Hillary Clinton improved after the debate, compared to 29% for Trump. 77% of people believe Clinton prepared sufficiently for the debate compared to 27% of people who believed Trump did. 50% percent of people believed Clinton did a better job of explaining her policies, and 44% of people agreed with the policies she spoke about, compared with 28 and 40 percent respectively for Trump.[1] The non-stop split screen CNN used also put a spotlight on how composed Clinton was in relation to Trump. Trump also came across in the debate as untrustworthy, claiming he was against the Iraq war and denying claims the he declared climate change a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, although there is physical evidence of both, including evidence from his own twitter account. [2][3] In the debate Clinton came across as more composed, prepared, honest, and overall more presidential, which is why I believe she won the debate.
[1] https://d25d2506sfb94s.cloudfront.net/cumulus_uploads/document/qmuns1c783/tabs_OP_Presidential_Debate_20160928.pdf
[2] http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/02/19/sc-gop-town-hall-donald-trump-howard-stern-iraq-invasion-29.cnn
[3] https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/265895292191248385?lang=en
I think that Clinton won the presidential debate on Monday, September 26th. I am using they way they answered the questions, their behavior, and their preparedness for answering the questions to determine who won the debate. Clinton was prepared to answer the questions while Trump was not. He kept rambling during his answers and sometimes he didn't even answer the actual question. Clinton carefully organized her arguments and facts (1). Trump on the other was unprepared, had nothing new to say and ranted most of his answers to the questions asked (1). Clinton was very well prepared by using a slew of facts and figures to make her case and slam Trump at the same time (2). Trump's deflection of some questions during the debate, such as the question of his tax returns, reinforce that he has a tendency to be evasive on some issues. The divided screen revealed something about both candidates. Clinton stood and listened to Trump during his time to talk, but Trump sighed and interrupted Clinton many times during her time to talk. It also proves that Clinton wanted to pay attention to what her opponent was saying just in case she wanted to counter it.While of course Trump was paying attention he was just being rude to Clinton. Trump's and Clinton's behavior proved a point on the divided screen, and that point is Clinton was acting more professional the Trump was, interrupting is not just rude but insulting to the person talking at that time. The split scree also showed both candidates behavior to specific questions, it shows how they both reacted to being under attack or backed into a corner, which should help voters decide who is more professional or well-mannered enough to be president. I don't think it matters who wins the presidential debate but it is helpful to the candidates image and the opinion of the voters. I think its more important how they answer the questions and how convincing they are to the voters. An even more important reason is how they behave in general on that debate stage and how the voters react to that behavior.
Sources
1. http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BGYYaaLrTc&t=2471s (presidential debate link)
The debate that took place on September 26th 2016, between presidential nominees Clinton and Trump, undeniably displayed Clinton as the winner. Clinton prepared for the debate and evidently Trump did not. She was able to stay composed as Trump repeatedly interrupted not only herself but the host, Lester Holt, as well. Being that Clinton actually prepared for a presidential debate she was able to attack Trump on various issues in his campaign including his comments on women, his lack of releasing his tax returns, and his lack in clarity on essentially every issue. Trump took the time to clarify his comments on Clinton lacking the Presidential “look”, he said that she lacks the look and the stamina (1). Clinton certainly does not lack “stamina”, she has devoted her entire life to politics and still continues to fight the good fight. After a life dedicated to politics I doubt it can be true that she lacks the “stamina” for the presidency. Back to Trump's comments on her looks, does he mean that because Clinton is a women she cannot possibly be a president or because she comes off as a strong women, people are turned away from her. Regardless his comments are sexist and have nothing to do with how well she can complete the tasks that come with being President. As said by a CNN reporter, “He seemed like a defensive, petulant bully who could only insult Hillary Clinton and America -- and couldn't offer a single solution, let alone details.” (2) He spent the majority of not only his talking time but the entire debate making petty comments and not being able to offer any solutions. He has a history of making comments on women's appearances and for many life long Republican women they can agree with this statement, “Just his attitude toward women, sexism, everything that comes out of his mouth turns me off. I’m sorry, I can’t say a good thing about him” (3) He clearly is failing on getting the women GOP vote by his comments in that debate alone.
Clinton was able to take the opportunity to attack Trump on his failure to release his tax returns. She said that by him not paying federal income tax he was not providing funding for the troops or the veterans and he came back with “that makes me smart” (1). He came back with a response that is sure to play poorly with middle class Americans that works hard everyday and still pay their share, and the top 1% continue to get away with not paying their share and continue to stay at the top. Clinton also used this as an opportunity to point out flaws in Trumps “trickle-down”esk policy. Trump plans to cut taxes for businesses and hopes that it will eventually trickle down to the middle and lower class. This was tried before in the Reagan administration, and it didn’t work! Clinton coined the name “Trump up- trickle down” to emphasize that this type of economic policy would only benefit those at the top and do nothing for those struggling at the bottom.
Overall Trump seriously failed in convincing those who are undecided to rally behind him. His lack of preparation and lack of focus made undecided voters question Trumps seriousness in being Presidents. If he can’t prepare for a debate how can we be convinced he is prepared for being President. In a focus group of undecided and leaning voters, only 6 sided with Trump after the debate, while 16 chose Clinton (2). If you decide who won this debate based on pulling in undecided voters alone, Clinton is still the clear winner. This debate, however you look at it was a clear win for Clinton, and it makes sense because she actually prepared.
(1)https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_101947577&feature=iv&src_vid=Kgiu_K9D-18&v=wfzKOG5fWKg
(2)http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
(3)http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/swing-state-republicans-dump-on-trump-228815
It’s hard to say that anybody particularly won the debates. This isn’t because both sides were full of excellent ideas or perfectly contrasting solutions. No, it’s hard to pick a winner because the debates felt more like a rap battle then a political discussion. Most of what either candidate said was either against or denouncing their rival. Despite this, it is still clear that the winner was Clinton. Trump was rude, unethical, and otherwise Trump-esc. His rebuttals were often times just insults or other times flat out lies. I'd say you could make a drinking game out of the number of times he rolled his eyes / scoffed / said “I did not say that” but that is how one dies of alcohol poisoning. He denied supporting the invasion of Iraq even though he did, he said he did not claim global warming was a hoax (he did), and he even almost said something incriminating about not paying his taxes.Clinton also was caught in a few lies such as denying the fact that she called the TTP a “gold standard” of trade deals, however her ideas for the presidency came out much more clearly and much more professionally. Both candidates lie, and both took some low blows, but that's the nature of this election. In the end, Clinton was the real winner, leaving with her mark made and Trumps image cracked. The importance of winning the debates has slowly shrunk over the years. In the days of radio, everybody would hear them and be influenced by them. The Kennedy/Nixon debate was the first ever televised and many claim JFK’s victory in the election was in response to the debates. In recent years, though still important, the importance has shrunk. The candidates are able to get their opinions out into the media easier so people know what they will most likely say at the debates. However, they still provide a good summary of each candidate's abilities and views going into voting season.
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-presidential-debates/31-fact-checks-first-presidential-debate-n655156
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
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The debate on 9/26/16 was truly an interesting and exciting one to watch. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump debated a variety of topics over the course of about an hour and a half. I think that ultimately at the end of the debate Clinton won. I think that a big thing that the debate demonstrated was the personalities of the candidates. Actually watching the facial expressions and mannerisms of the candidates really showed who won the debate. I think that Hillary won because while Trump spoke she was, for the most part, respectful and gave Trump her full attention. However, Trump often interrupted Clinton and looked around disrespectfully instead of listening to Clinton and her points. I thought this really added to Clinton’s success in the debate. Chris Cillizza from the Washington Post stated that the debate”[illuminated] who these people are when under duress and attack, when they are nervous and when they feel backed into a corner. Trump didn't fare as well as Clinton with the split screen. He sighed, made faces and looked, well, not very presidential” (1). I completely agree with this statement, and thought that it was almost more important than what the candidates were actually saying. However, with that said, I do think that Hillary’s statements led to her success as well.
I think that it takes a lot of courage to admit that you are wrong. Hillary did this in the debate, as she admitted that having a personal email was a mistake, and that she took full responsibility for it. While some people might view this as bringing Clinton down in the debate, I was actually impressed that she would address the issue in that way. Hillary was composed while getting attacked for a variety of different issues, while Trump got worked up when accused. Jason Easley from PoliticusUSA stated that Trump had to show that he was “prepared, qualified, and could be trusted with the presidency. He failed the test on every level” (2). I agree with this statement due to Trump’s inappropriate nonverbals during the debate, which leads me to think that Clinton won the debate.
1)https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
2)http://www.politicususa.com/2016/09/26/winners-losers-clinton-trump-presidential-debate.html
After watching the first presidential debate I personally think that Hillary Clinton won the debate. She was well prepared, and knew what would get Trump worked up and upset, and used it against him. Trump also repeatedly told Lester Holt that he was not finished and would continue to rant even when Holt was trying to keep the debate moving. This surprised me that he was so rude even during a live national debate, and he proved once again that he’s not prepared to be in office because he is unable to keep his temper to a minimum. Both of the candidates gave false information to the viewers however. 1) For example Donald Trump said that he never said that global warming was created by the chinese even though according to fact check.org he tweeted that same thing in 2012. Clinton on the other hand Clinton said Trump had not paid his federal income taxes, but fact check.org says he paied them 3/5 years in the 1970s. These false accusations show that their focus was on attacking each other to gain support of the voters, instead of debating policy to gain support of the voters. Many CNN commentators also agree that Clinton won the first presidential election. Including Errol Lewis who said Clinton clearly did her homework in finding ways to bring down her opponent and that is what worked for her 2). Throughout the debate I observed that Trump’s only way to debate was to attack Clinton, instead of really talking about his policy views for America if he becomes president. Another thing that I noticed during the debate was how Trump continued to question Clinton on why she had been in the white house for so many years, yet she had never made any policy changes. And then Clinton said that she had been secretary of state, meaning she didn’t have that opportunity. I thought it was interesting how Trump used that as something against her, but for me it helped me see that he is not super experienced with politics, and it’s Clinton with the number of years of experience. It was through Trumps unpreparedness, and his attacks of Clinton that lead me to believe Hillary Clinton was the winner in the first debate. The debates matter in a sense that it causes the public to really see who they’re voting for. It can also be a way for the undecided voters to maybe decide based off of what the candidates were saying. Clinton was effective in the first debate of really showing what a vote for her means, and I am excited to see how the next debates play out.
http://www.factcheck.org/2016/09/factchecking-the-first-debate/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/index.html
It seems to be a consensus around Jefferson that Clinton was an obvious winner in the presidential debates. I second this thought wholeheartedly. Watching this debate paints a clear picture of what people must've thought while watching the infamous Kennedy-Nixon debate. Clinton being Kennedy in this analogy, she came well prepared and explained her points both fully and eloquently. Less can be said for Trump, who appeared to be coming up merely with responses, but not many well thought and researched points to discredit Clinton. Though Clinton's language was decidedly more elegant than Trump's, watching this debate was difficult as it appeared more of a middle school playground fight than a presidential debate. You can tell who won a debate using statistics as well as personal impression. [1] Some post debate polls have concluded that Clinton is up 4 points in the polls following the debate, while before the debate she was only 2 points ahead. This isn't earth shattering, but is a lead nonetheless. You can also tell who won a debate in the candidates post debate behavior. [2]Trump showed his loss in a subtle way as he complained about his faulty mic. A candidate who walks away from a debate talking about a faulty microphone instead of reveling in a good fight quite obviously had a poor debate. I think the outcome of this debate in Clinton's favor is definitely vital for her campaign. It is likely that a winning debate candidate will win the favor of the media, and the media has a very large impact on public views of the election, which in turn affects voting.
[1]http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-early-polls-suggest-a-post-debate-bounce-for-clinton/
[2]http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/donald-trump-microphone-presidential-debate/index.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/us/politics/presidential-debate.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/politics/transcript-debate.html?smid=pl-share&_r=1
Hillary Clinton was undoubtedly the winner of Monday night's debate. For most presidential debates the candidate that "wins" is the candidate that gives the most clear and concise message. This message must have an impression on not only the press but also the American people. However, a candidate can also "win" by using their answers to reach out to other voting blocks, by making sharp differences with the other candidate, by their appearance, and by committing the fewest amount of "unforced errors." Hillary did all of this and more. Now, it is certainly not true to say that Donald Trump had a horrible night. In fact, at the start of the debate he seemed to be executing a fantastic strategy. He consistently painted her as a "typical politician," he sounded in command on the issue of trade, and by repeatedly interrupting Secretary Clinton, he seemed to take her off her game. However, I was impressed by the way Clinton was able to weather the storm while staying on message. After this first half hour passed, Trump lost the initiative, and Clinton started to control the narrative. This was partly due to the questions raised in the second half of the debate. When faced with the issue of releasing his tax returns, his business dealings, the birther issue, race relations, and the war in Iraq, he faltered dramatically. He got completely off message, and all Hillary had to do was watch Trump self-destruct.
The unraveling began when with the issue of taxes. Donald Trump, after defending his tax plan, had to explain why he has not yet released his tax returns. When Hillary Clinton began to speculate if perhaps Trump has not paid anything in taxes, he interjected saying "that makes me smart." This was a mistake for a couple of reasons. The first, of course, is that it fuels speculation about whether or not Hillary guessed the truth - that Trump has paid nothing in taxes. The second reason is that Trump needs to get more middle class voters to support him; however, any perception that Trump is a part of the "wealthy, self-serving elite" that these voters despise is only made more believable by such comments. Also, Trump repeated the completely untrue claim that he cannot release his tax returns due to an audit (1).
Later, when discussing race relations in our country, Trump began to espouse the idea of "stop-and-frisk", a method of policing where police officers "stop" and "frisk" people based on "reasonable suspicion." However, despite Trump's claims, the practice of stop and frisk has been deemed not only unconstitutional (2) but also ineffective at decreasing crime (3). When asked about the birther issue, Trump made an untrue claim about one of Clinton's 2008 campaign staffers (saying the staffer asked a volunteer to look into Obama's birthplace - even asking the volunteer to travel to Africa and search). He tried to state that Clinton was behind the staffer's actions. However, after the debate, the former campaign staffer discredited Trump's claim as completely false (4). Finally, when asked about allegations of racial discrimination in the housing market linked to Trump, he went off on a tangent about some club he opened in a wealthy Florida community where there has been (supposedly) no discrimination against anyone. He finished this statement with the superfluous line "I'm very, very proud of it - and that's the way I feel. That is the true way I feel."
By this point, the unraveling was complete. Trump began to attack Lester Holt (the moderator) more than he attacked Hillary Clinton. After denying the fact that he was for the war in Iraq and getting into a squabble with Lester Holt (and the record seems to show that, at least for 2002, he did - 5), Trump finally seemed to get back on message during the national security segment. By this point, however, it was too late. Trump had shown his weaknesses as a debater, and Hillary showed her strengths.
Hillary Clinton won the debate not only because of Trump's falterings, but also because of the way she handled herself and her delivery. Throughout the whole debate, she appeared in command of herself and (most importantly) the issue. Secretary Clinton provided facts and statistics to support her claims. She also made a consistent effort to sound like the champion of workers and the middle class - a large voting block that she will need on election day. Finally, she did not allow Donald Trump to get under her skin. Reportedly, Donald Trump interrupted Clinton 34 more times than she (6). The way she was able to manage his effective blows in the area of trade, find a rhythm, and gradually turn the tables on Trump was the most impressive part of her performance.
Normally, I would say that presidential debates do matter. However, it is clear that under no circumstances does Trump seem to ever lose a lot of his supporters, and people may label the media consensus that Clinton won as part of the "liberal media's strategy" of skewing people's opinions (7-9). Therefore, this debate is unlikely to change the minds of those that are leaning a certain way. However, it may have had an impact on undecided voters, who may now be seriously looking at Clinton as the best option. Only polls in the next week will determine the true impact of this debate.
(1) http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-transparency-fact-check-20160926-snap-story.html
(2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2016/09/28/trumps-false-claim-that-stop-and-frisk-was-not-ruled-unconstitutional/
(3) https://ccrjustice.org/stop-and-frisk-human-impact
(4) http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/trump-clinton-debate-patti-solis-doyle-birther-obama/
(5) http://www.factcheck.org/2016/02/donald-trump-and-the-iraq-war/
(6) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/for-many-women-watching-trump-interrupt-clinton-51-times-was-unnerving-but-familiar/
(7) http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/presidential-debate-who-won/
(8) http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/clinton-won-the-debate-which-means-shes-likely-to-gain-in-the-polls/
(9) http://mashable.com/2016/09/27/online-polls-tell-different-story-debate/#IoUYuA.RBZqF
After watching the debate, it became obvious who had truly prepared for it. Although one may argue that there are no true winners in debates, since they don’t necessarily decide much and it is only to compare the two candidates directly, it seemed obvious to me that Hillary Clinton won the debate in almost all sense of the word. As we know, and as Trump knows, after saying that Clinton “stayed home” while he was traveling to other states, Clinton spent several days preparing herself for the debate (1). It also seemed fairly obvious in the way that Trump reacted to her attacks and ideas. While Clinton did spend a lot of the debate trying to attack Donald Trump, Trump spent practically the entire time defending himself and countering Clinton, which made it so he didn’t speak much about his vision for the country. What he did say about his ideas were rather vague, and many of his sentences had little to no cohesion when he got worked up about a certain topic. Because of his several outbursts, (to be exact, he interrupted Clinton 51 times, with 25 of those being within just the first 26 minutes(2)), Trump was deemed the loser of the debate by almost every credible news source. According to a CNN poll conducted right after the debate, 62% said that they believed Clinton won the debate, with only 27% saying Trump did. Personally, I don’t understand how even that amount of people could make a legitimate argument that Trump won. According to fact checks conducting during and following the debate, only 4, 11, and 15 percent of Trump’s comments were true, mostly true, or half true, respectively (3). Compare this to Clinton’s 22, 28 and 22 percent true, mostly true and half true (3). Even though both candidates are guilty of stretching the truth, Trump was blatantly lying for most of the debate.
Despite the wide belief that Clinton won the debate, and with my agreement, I still am in disbelief. These two candidates are the best that our country was able to provide for our next leader, and they are on national television with an audience of nearly 80 million people arguing like they were in grade school. Trump was constantly interrupting not only Clinton but Lester Holt as well, and was even making faces and scoffing when it wasn’t his turn to speak. Meanwhile, Clinton was laughing as though Trump was telling jokes rather than stating his beliefs, no matter how rude or outlandish they may be. Although Clinton won the debate in terms of popular opinion, I don’t think anybody truly won, since it was more of a screaming match than a presidential debate.
(1): http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/politics/transcript-debate.html?smid=pl-share&_r=1
(2): http://www.politicususa.com/2016/09/27/donald-trump-interrupted-hillary-clinton-51-times.html
(3):http://www.ibtimes.com/who-tells-more-lies-hillary-clinton-or-donald-trump-truth-o-meter-two-nominees-one-2422143
On September 26, 2016, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump met for the most widely televised presidential debate in U.S. history. Both parties had promised to keep things civil(provided the other party did too), but as expected, the back-and-forth quickly dissolved into chaos. So who came out on top?
Both campaigns were very forthcoming in their preparation techniques, and these preparations became apparent Monday Night. Clinton has eased up in her campaigning during the past few weeks, meticulously planning every line and response; which has potentially been a factor in her slide during the past month. Trump, as expected, seems very improvised and scattered. Some voters will undoubtedly interpret that as authenticity, while others see it as the result of a scattered mind.
In the first 20 minutes, traditionally the most widely viewed portion of the debate, Donald Trump scores major points in the category of foreign affairs, and gets the first major rise out of the audience when Clinton confronts him about his federal tax returns and Donald Trump responds with “I will release my tax returns — against my lawyer’s wishes — when she releases her 33,000 e-mails that have been deleted”. Considering the way this comment was received, it was surprising to me that he spent so little time on the email scandal more time attacking issues of less substance.
Speaking of issues of less substance, for a man who attacks his opponent’s “stamina”, Trump certainly didn’t hold on to his strong start. Sniffling and drinking water all night for starters, not to mention the beating he took in the back half of the debate.
Not only did Clinton score points with her “prepared to be president” comment, Trump really struggled on an issue of particular sensitivity for him: race. One might think he would’ve learned his lesson after NAACP president Cornell William Brooks berated him for his allegation last Tuesday that African American communities were “absolutely in the worst shape they’ve ever been before.” Yet here he was, rambling about the “hell” of inner-city Chicago.
Considering Trump’s position, however, he managed some of Clinton’s more personal attacks better than he might have. The debate moved fast and she scored points by bringing up Trump’s tweet about the Chinese “perpetrating” global warming, his sexist and crude remarks about women, his disrespect towards small businesses, and his evasion of the federal tax code. Yet considering the validity of all these points, the debate as a whole seemed to dwell very little on them, and Trump was able to keep things moving and changing the subject.
All in all, there were no major surprises in this debate. Trump’s success early on was surprising to many, but contrary to popular belief, there was virtually no decrease in viewership as the debate progressed. Everyone saw Trump crash and burn in the second half. Most have accepted Clinton as the more eloquent speech-giver, regardless of where their loyalties lie. And virtually all polls conducted post-debate declare Clinton the winner. A CNN Poll of Polls states 62% of voters thought Clinton won, while only 27% of voters thought Trump won. But is it enough?
There’s no denying that Trump has had momentum leading up to the debate, and although all numbers are preliminary this soon after the debate, at the very least her slide appears to have stoppped. Whether she is going to bounce back or merely stop Trump’s surge is anyone’s guess, but my bet is that we’ll be seeing her numbers go up in the days to come.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-poll/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/21/politics/naacp-donald-trump-2016-election-cornell-william-brooks/
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-early-polls-suggest-a-post-debate-bounce-for-clinton/
http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-election-forecast/
I personally would like to argue that Clinton "won" the debate. I sat down with my parents, as we turned the channel to Trump using his outdoor voice when speaking and interrupting Clinton. The debate was about 15 minutes in, and I had no doubt that Clinton would have spoke and presented herself any other way than the way she did. I can't remember exactly what both Clinton and Trump said, but I knew that Clinton had a lot more positive audience feedback than Trump. She represents what the people want. She spoke out for minorities, women and the working class, which in my opinion probably attracted a lot of attention from young people. She was poised and seemed prepared, but what she was saying seemed natural. She spoke about her long history of political experience, and defended herself and her supporters with whatever Trump threw at her. I am a democrat, and I might be bias because I support her, but the amount of positive attention that Clinton received via social media, was overwhelming. I really felt that Clinton won many undecided votes, because of the way she handled herself and threw shade at Trump. (1) I think that media is also agreeing that Clinton won. Her weaknesses might have been "overly rehearsed" or "robotic", but overall she appeared to handle herself well, and was able to slam Trump using facts and his own words against him. (2) Another source argued that debates don't really determine anything, and just because Clinton might have "won" doesn't mean she's far ahead in the polls.
Anyway, I think Clinton won. I can argue that she was calm, collected, and a lot more accurate and appropriate than Trump, which ultimately gained her a lot of positive media attention from young people.
(1)https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
(2)http://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/2016/09/split-decision-on-who-won-the-debate/
On September 26th, the first presidential debate between the 2016 major party presidential candidates took place. Throughout the debate Clinton was much more poised and articulate than Trump, which is why she was ultimately the winner. It was indeed fairly heated, with both sides delivering blows to the other, but only Clinton’s were backed up with facts, which is one of the reasons why she was the victor on Monday night. Trump repeatedly interrupted Clinton, to which she held her tongue and did not stoop to his level in the interruptions, but Trump still called her hot headed and claimed that he had a better temper than her, which she scoffed at.
Clinton was also much more prepared for the debate. In simple terms, “Trump was simply not prepared well enough for this debate” (1). Trump has never been prevalent in the political atmosphere, especially not in comparison to Clinton, so it really is no surprise she beat Trump at a game she has been playing her entire career. Trump continually disputed Clinton’s facts without providing any evidence that she was wrong. He also claimed that Clinton was marketing harsh ads towards him, but these ads directly quote things Trump has said, which made him look contradictory, something his followers do not seek in a candidate. The American public also agrees that Clinton won the debate, 52% saying she won and 26% saying that neither candidate won, while only 21% said that Trump won (2).
The fact that Clinton won the debate is very important in the presidential race. It gives the public a chance to see the true composure of the two candidates, which is essential in a good president. In recent history, Obama won all three of his debates in 2008, and ended up serving as president for two terms (3,4). He won for many of the same reasons as Clinton, which is why her winning could greatly impact her chances of ultimately winning the presidential race.
1-https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
2- http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/data-points/poll-majority-voters-say-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate-n656231
3- http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/15/debate.poll/index.html?iref=24hours
4- http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/08/debate.poll/
I believe that Hillary Clinton won the section I watched. I found that she was more poised, and she talked more about the political issues at hand. Donald Trump I think is not as experienced in these type of situations. He was doing well at first but when the subject of “the birther” and “tax returns” came up, he fumbled. My first source helps emphasize that point by saying that Hillary Clinton was “prepared with arguments and facts, while Donald Trump came unprepared.” The second source helps my point says that 52% of voters believe that Hillary Clinton won the debate. They also said that because of Clinton's speech more women would vote for her. The way I am determining who won was by how much they talked about actual issues and not each others flaws. I think it is somewhat important to win these debates, it allows voters to see how you do under pressure and see how much in depth their platform goes.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/data-points/poll-majority-voters-say-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate-n656231
To be honest, I thought both of the candidates could have done a lot better in their debate, but I believe the winner was Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton, in my eyes, was the winner because she seemed to come more prepared and ready to debate on real issues, while Donald Trump seemed to have come prepared to bash on his opponent and repeat all of the things he has already said on the race to the White House, just the same old things. Clinton also presented herself well and did not react as visibly disheveled as Donald Trump did. Every time I have heard Trump speak it seems like he is continuing to say the same thing over and over again and it is never anything specific, while Hillary brought some fresh ideas and plans. One time Lester Holt even said to Trump “Back to the question, though. How do you bring back — specifically bring back jobs, American manufacturers?”(1) and Donald Trump did not give any specifics in response he just continued saying you just don’t let them leave America, but just phrased it differently with each sentence. I did think Hillary Clinton was a little robotic, but in the end I think that is much better than appearing to have almost no coherent debate plan except to interupt and make little snarky immature comments and this is captured perfectly when the candidates have an exchange where Trump says You decided to stay home, and that’s O.K.,But I will tell you, I’ve been all over” and Clinton responds perfectly saying “I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And, yes, I did,” she says. “And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be President. And I think that’s a good thing” (2). I am not saying Hillary Clinton did not have her fair share of uncalled for comments, but when it comes down to it if you look at what Hillary said she had a good balance of incorporating bashes on Trump while also including her plans if she were to become president, and that is what separated her and Trump in this first debate.
(1)http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/politics/transcript-debate.html?smid=pl-share&_r=1
(2)http://time.com/4509140/presidential-debate-what-you-missed-clinton-trump/
On the Monday, September 26th debate, Personally I believe that Clinton was the overall winner. Clinton wasn't perfect on every topic, but compared to Trump, Clinton was much more sharp on topics, and had a very relaxed and controlled temperment for most of the debate. When asked questions on issues, Clinton would display her answer clearly and effectively (1). While Trump was not completely of the rails like he sometimes can be, he still resorted to much to avoiding the question by going on drawn off tangents, or going for personal attacks rather than talking about policy. Even though Trump would interrupt at times and would resort to personal attacks a little too often, I was still surprised how at times, Trump could bring up a solid argument and bring up a good point, especially within economy(2). Even with these accomplishments, Clinton still is stronger when it comes to race in America, foreign policy, and just acting more presidential overall(2), making Clinton the winner of debate #1.
I believe it is important who won each debate because its the only nationally televised event where you can hear from both candidates simultaneously, and learn each of their viewpoints in different situations.
Sources:
1)https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
2)http://video.foxnews.com/v/5142600126001/all-star-panel-on-winner-loser-of-first-presidential-debate/#sp=show-clips
On September 26, the first presidential debate was held between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. After watching the debate and considering the points made by both candidates, it appears to me that Hillary Clinton won. I agree with CNN reporter Errol Lewis, who said Hillary Clinton, “did her homework on Donald Trump in the week leading up to tonight's [Monday’s] debate, and the prep work paid off, especially when it came to his business record” (1). Her preparation for the debate is seen early on in the debate when asked about specific economic plans and policies. Clinton provides details on how she will boost the economy and help the middle class by raising the minimum wage, expanding the clean energy industry, providing affordable childcare, and increasing taxes of the wealthy. On the other hand, Donald Trump displays little planning for the debate. He seemed to ramble about how countries overseas are stealing American jobs, rather than directly answer questions proposed by the moderator. Trump’s lack of preparation is further seen when he mentions the success and possible implementation of stop-and-frisk if elected. In 2013, U.S. District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin ruled stop-and-frisk unconstitutional because it led to racial profiling rather than stopping people based on reasonable suspicions (2). If Trump was truly prepared, he would not have known that the policy was unconstitutional, saving interruptions of both Clinton and moderator Lester Holt.
Unlike her opponent, Clinton also utilizes thought-out arguments and attacks against her opponent. She takes advantage of research conducted beforehand about Trump’s business throughout the debate. One example of this is when she states that Trump’s business record includes filing for bankruptcy six times, not four times (3). Other attacks Clinton used revolved around Trump included Trump neglecting to pay income taxes, but was however found partially untrue (3).
For Hillary Clinton’s better preparation and composure during the debate, it is clear to me that she won the debate. While Hillary Clinton won, it is also important to consider that this victory may not sway votes significantly. For many Trump supporters and political analysts like S.E. Cupp, Trump did his job in swaying undecided Americans (1).
(1) http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
(2) http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/09/27/us/ap-us-campaign-2016-stop-and-frisk.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FStop%20and%20Frisk&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=4&pgtype=collection
(3) http://www.factcheck.org/2016/09/factchecking-the-first-debate/
Going into Monday night's debate, many political analysts agreed that Trump had more momentum and that Clinton's ultimate goal was to stop his momentum and gain some of her own. Clinton undoubtedly did this, as her performance in the debates was spectacular in comparison to Trump. In my opinion, Clinton won the debate because she portrayed herself as a better candidate for president than her opponent. Clinton won the debate by coming prepared, keeping her temperament, and allowing Trump to rant until he dug himself into an even bigger hole.
One of Clinton's best lines was when she responded to Trump's accusation that she had been staying at home while he had been out on the campaign trail. "I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And yes I did. And you know what else I prepared for? I prepared to be president, and I think that's a good thing" (1). This is one of those lines that becomes a perfect soundbite for news stations to run over and over, and this is exactly what happened - Clinton got lots of free media coverage (2) It was an extremely effective line, suggesting that if Trump cannot even prepare for a debate then he is definitely not prepared to be president.
Clinton also gained many viewers respect by keeping a good temperament throughout the debate. At many moments, Clinton seemed to be enjoying herself, especially when Trump was on a long rant. Throughout the debate, Trump continually interrupted Clinton when it was her turn to talk, and even interrupted the moderator Lester Holt several times. Trump's interruptions completely go against all rules of respect and made him look short-tempered and rude. This was in contrast to Clinton, who seemed calm and collected, even under Trump's continuous fire. Her attitude and confident appearance reassured her supporters and probably helped her gain some more.
Despite Trump interrupting Clinton many times, 51 to be exact, (3) Clinton was respectful throughout the debates and let her opponent talk when it was his turn to talk. Trump went into several long rants (global warming, NAFTA, law and order) and instead of trying to butt in, Clinton let Trump ramble on until he talked himself dry (literally). Since Trump sometimes has a hard time creating full sentences, this tactic worked to her advantage. He often dug himself into a hole, a very deep hole in fact. When Clinton asked Trump why he had not released his tax returns yet, he went into a long speech about how he was still under audit, despite the moderator informing him and the audience that Trump is "perfectly free to release [his] taxes during an audit" (1). This made the question a hard one to answer for Trump and he only escaped it by bringing up Clinton's email scandal again, which she expertly apologized for and moved on from.
Coming prepared, being respectful and good tempered, and allowing Trump to be Trump, all worked to Clinton's advantage and helped her win the debate. Winning the debate was very important for Clinton because she stopped Trump's momentum and gained some of her own going into the next debate.
(1) http://www.npr.org/2016/09/26/495115346/fact-check-first-presidential-debate
(2) http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2016/09/27/prepared-president-clinton-tells-trump-debate-zinger/91151506/
(3) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/for-many-women-watching-trump-interrupt-clinton-51-times-was-unnerving-but-familiar/
Hofstra University in New York housed the first of the presidential debates which occurred last Monday on the 26th, and I believe Clinton won this one. She was prepared and poised and had a much more likable demeanor than Trump’s, personally speaking. Trump was interruptive and rude to both Clinton and the moderator, Lester Holt. He also was very repetitive and attacking.
In terms of the information relayed, Clinton comes out with a strong lead. Her facts seemed well researched and data based. In contrast, Trump repeated old ideas with no evidence of updated, factual research. A big part of his economic plan which is well known is his idea to bring jobs back to America, but Holt asked the question twice in hopes of a more specific answer, but it still remains somewhat unclear on his answer.
In addition to that, she makes a good merit based argument which supports her stance on the tax increase for the wealthiest Americans. She says, “He started his business with $14 million, borrowed from his father, and he really believes the more you help wealthy people, the better off we’ll be… I have a different experience. My father was a small-businessman. He worked really hard. He printed drapery fabrics on long tables.” The fact is that Trump did in fact receive a loan of $14 million, although he does try to hide this by saying his business grew out of a $1 million loan, failing to mention the following ones from his father (2). Clinton is right that their different experiences shape their political agendas, but the story of her hardworking father compared to Trump’s advantage just handed to him shows a convincing reason to not support the tax cuts Trump proposes.
The poise of each candidate also seemed like a significant contributor to Clinton’s win. She had her usual presidential appeal with a plastered smile and respectful act. Trump, on the other hand, was argumentative and interruptive. Holt had to cut in a couple times to say, “This is Secretary Clinton’s two minutes.” This sort of mannerism by Trump did not seem okay. It was rude and his inability to yield was childish. The argumentative nature of some of his comments made it worse. There was one point where Trump kept repeating, “Is it President Obama’s fault?” in regards to NAFTA’s failure. He interjected this comment 3 times while Clinton tried to brush past it. She did address it well without much controversy, but it was unfair to put her on blast like that as she tries to argue her own point. I feel that one of his greatest comments came earlier though, after Clinton stated, “I’m going to be blamed for everything that’s ever happened.” He replies, “Why not?”
In conclusion, I think Clinton’s preparation and poise in comparison to Trump’s was her advantage. She won, and I am not the only one who thinks so. According to a CNN/ORC poll of voters who watched the debate, 62% of voters deemed Clinton the winner of the Monday night debate (3). She clearly had a positive effect on the audience. However, with two more debates to go and ever changing numbers in the polls, this debate does not yet determine the winner and that is ultimately what matters.
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/politics/transcript-debate.html?smid=pl-share&_r=0
(2)http://www.wsj.com/articles/trumps-father-helped-gop-candidate-with-numerous-loans-1474656573
(3) http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-poll/
Based on flash phone call polls right after the debate [1], people were split on the winner of the presidential debate. While 48% say that Clinton did a better job compared to Trump’s 43%, 95% of voters said that the debate did not change who they would be voting for. Trump won on his “plausibility factor”, whether people thought he could actually be president with 46% over Clinton’s 42%. People who participated in the polls said that Clinton had a better grasp on the issues than Trump, by 8% of votes in the poll. When talking about how Trump did compared to how he was expected to perform, most people said he did abou the same as he expected. Clinton however did better than expected, with 46% of participants agreeing on that. Trump was shown to be a stronger leader, more honest and better showed that he cared about the general public.
Based on this source, Clinton did better on the issues in the debate and better than expected, but Trump was seen as a better leader and a more plausible president. I disagree with the source on the agreement by participants that Trump was more honest, especially based on the fact that he claimed he had a better temperament than Clinton and also contradicted much of what he had previously said in interviews. He kept interrupting Clinton with, “Wrong,” and “I never said that,” while in reality he had said much of the things and Clinton was usually right. I do agree with this source, however, on the opinion that the debates don’t really affect the overall outcome of the election much, with any possible change swaying back to what it was before.
According to The Washington Post [2] Clinton won the first debate, by quite a bit. She seemed more prepared than Trump and kept a better composure as she chipped away at Trump’s. She used lots of facts and figures to back up her opinions and slam Trump’s. She knew how to bring up issues that she knew she could beat Trump on, like the birtherism issue and Trumps tax reports. She held her temper while Trump crumbled into interjecting at her every point with “wrong,” or “I didn’t say that,” sometimes contradicting himself.
In general, Clinton did better at the debate than Trump because she knew what she was talking about and she responded to Trump’s slams on her better than he did to her slams on him.
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Arguably one of the most abnormal live debates to ever be aired, this past debate on Monday was one that will not easily be forgotten. Depending on your political views you could argue that either candidate won, but multiple news sources and understanding of political debate points the win at Hillary Clinton. She was poised and ready to attack any discussion with facts while Trump was ill tempered and incredibly unprepared. While Clinton spent her time studying and holding mock debates, Trump spent his prep time learning Clinton's flaws and weaknesses to get under her skin (1). This did not keep Clinton from destroying Trumps arguments and his visions for America. One disappointing factor of the debate was Trumps inability to remain quiet. Because of continuous interruptions and vague answers to questions, most topics couldn't be delved into fully, keeping the debate from getting too incredibly interesting.
the fivethirtyeight, a statistical website that uses percentages and statistics to watch the campaign shows Clinton as the obvious winner, meaning she is likely to gain in current polls (2). With 62 percent of voters thinking Clinton won the debate, Clinton's chance of winning the presidency rises substantially with a prediction of rising status in the polls. Coupled with post-debate coverage and betting markets, Clinton's chances of winning are increasing substantially.
(1) http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/24/us/politics/presidential-debate-hillary-clinton-donald-trump.html
(2) http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/clinton-won-the-debate-which-means-shes-likely-to-gain-in-the-polls/
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After watching the September 26th debate, I would have to say that Clinton won. Clinton’s composure, preparedness, and overall ability to mess with Trump lead to her success in the presidential debate. Trump’s arguments were poorly prepared, rash, and seemed to focus more on viciously defending himself rather than answering the questions presented to him. Trump repeatedly exceeded the 2 minute time limit given for his responses, interrupted both Clinton and Holt, and was quick to lose his temper whenever Clinton refuted him (1). Clinton also had many facts to back up her argument, compared to Trump who made several questionable statements with no distinct sources. It was very obvious that Clinton was poking at Trumps buttons to rile him up and bait him to lose his temper, and it definitely worked as Trump’s short temper came through at various points in the debate (2).
According to a poll held by NBC News, 52% of likely voters agreed that Clinton won the first presidential debate, 21% said that Trump won, and 26% said that neither candidate won. Clinton boosted her image among the Democratic party, as 50% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters said that her image was boosted after the debate. Only 26% of Republican voters stated that their opinion on Trump changed for the better, and 68% of Republicans said their opinion didn’t change (3). Overall, a higher percentage of people thought Clinton won the debate, and Clinton also gained more support from her respective party after the debate.
Clinton’s winning of this debate does matter, as it shows potential voters how she handles pressure. It also allows Clinton to possibly impact undecided voters, or gain even more support from people who were already planning on voting for her.
(1) http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/winner-presidential-debate-takeaways/
(2) http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-debate-228763?lo=ap_e2
(3) http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/data-points/poll-majority-voters-say-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate-n656231
After the first presidential debate on Monday, September 26th, between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the consensus seems to be that Clinton was the winner (1,2,3). I definitely agree with this answer. For me, a good president and debater needs to be prepared, articulate, and state their ideas effectively. In my opinion, Clinton succeeded in all these areas, while Trump did not. Trump seemed extremely unprepared, and was often disrespectful towards Clinton, interrupting her frequently and talking during time that was specifically reserved for her (2). In contrast, Clinton was respectful towards Trump, letting him speak. I also believe that Clinton expressed her ideas more concisely and stayed on topic more than Trump, who often made off-topic remarks and was told more than once by Lester Holt, the moderator, to get back to the question. I disliked the fact that Trump resorted to more personal attacks than Clinton, as he questioned her stamina and ability to lead, despite the fact that Clinton has held many government positions, including Secretary of State (2). Trump also lied much more than Clinton during the debates, which didn't do him any favors and helped Clinton win (5). Many people, though, seemed disillusioned by Clinton's preparedness (1). Much of the American public is tired of seeming the same kind of debate from politicians, and Clinton didn't give them anything different (1). These people, who believe Trump won, seem to be in the minority. Although who "wins" the presidential debates seems inconsequential, it does matter. Winning often gives a candidate a boost in polls (3). As Trump has been gaining on Clinton in recent polls, the fact that most people think she won this debate will help her (4). Despite this, the boost in polling isn't guaranteed to stay for Clinton, so she will need to keep doing well to maintain her position (3).
(1) http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/index.html
(2) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37481070
(3) http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/clinton-won-the-debate-which-means-shes-likely-to-gain-in-the-polls/
(4) http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-even-a-small-post-debate-bounce-could-make-a-big-difference-for-clinton/
(5) http://www.npr.org/2016/09/26/495115346/fact-check-first-presidential-debate
On September 26th, at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York, the first presidential debate took place between Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, and Republican nominee, Donald Trump. Over the course of the 90 minute debate, it is exceedingly apparent that Clinton won the debates. Clinton's composure, persuasive rhetoric, and credible facts contribute towards her win over Trump, as he is almost exactly the opposite of Clinton, constantly interrupting her and Lester Holt, seeming very ill tempered, and spewing out fact-checked lies.
For example, during a section where Holt asked Trump to explain how he would undo or put a stop to outsourcing, Trump followed with, not an answer, but an explanation about how the United States is in deep trouble, but did not actually give the answer to the question. Holt cut in to presumably re-ask the question, but Trump cut him off and once again droned on and on, still without answering the question. Finally, when Trump answered the question, he merely says to "stop businesses from leaving." Although this is indeed an answer to the question asked, it is vague and almost not an answer at all. This specific example holds true to the majority of the prompts asked by Holt, showing that Trump's statements were not credible or backed up with real facts.
Clinton, on the other hand, showed her obvious win over Trump by using statistics and real facts to back up her answers and statements, which increased her trustworthiness and her qualifications to be president. One of Clinton's strategies during this debate was to use many words that Trump had previously said before hand to discredit him, but every time, he almost immediately interjects with "I did not say that." However, many fact checking websites cross checked the statements Trump refuted, and showed otherwise. For example, during the discussion on security and homegrown attacks in the United States, Clinton goes on to say that Trump supported the invasion of Iraq in the early 2000's. Trump responded by saying "wrong" three times, and "I did not support the war in Iraq [...] The record shows that I’m right." According to multiple fact check websites, though, in an interview from 2002, when asked if America should go to war, he replied with "I guess so" (1). This is one of many instances over the 90 minute debate where Trump spurts out blatant lies and denies a statement he had previously said.
Additionally, a contributing factor to Clinton's win was her poised composure throughout the debates. As a matter of fat, in total, Trump interrupted Clinton a total of 51 times, which is on average, an interruption every six minutes (2). Regardless of this, however, Clinton remained calm and still continued to defend her statements without lashing out at Trump.
To some, this evaluation of the debates may seem like left wing propaganda, but according to a poll held by CNN/ORC, 62% of viewers agreed that Clinton won the debates, whereas only 27% agreed that Trump won (3). The presidential debates are a major part of the election for voters to learn, and hold valuable information about where the potential president stands, and what they may or may not do during their time in office. For Clinton, this win matters because it shows that she was well prepared and knowledgeable, majorly boosting her credibility to many undecided voters and even Democrats who were skeptical about her ability to be president of the United States.
(1) http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2016/sep/27/trump-clinton-first-debate-fact-checks/
(2) http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/for-many-women-watching-trump-interrupt-clinton-51-times-was-unnerving-but-familiar/
(3) http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-poll/
After viewing the presidential debate between Trump and Clinton at Hofstra University last Monday, it is clear that Hillary Clinton won the debate for numerous reasons. Not only was Republican party candidate Donald Trump incredibly rude and interrupting of moderator Lester Holt and Clinton, but he insisted that he always had to have the last word. As opposed to Democratic party candidate Hillary Clinton, who was very patient and respectful throughout the duration of the debate, despite the attacks on her made by her opponent. It seemed as if Clinton was overall more prepared, stating mostly correct facts and reasonings behind her agenda, whereas Trump seemed all over the place and extremely defensive and argumentative. For example, Trump insisted against ever saying that he thought climate change was a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, when in reality, (1) he tweeted on Nov. 6 2012, "the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S manufacturing non-competitive."
(2) Those who believe that Trump won the debate, however, think so because he explicitly stated that America doesn't have to settle for the "crippled nation" that Obama and Clinton left for us. They claim that Lester Holt favored Clinton in that he asked her more general question and Trump more pointed questions, therefore attempting to put him in a bad light. Despite this, they believe he pulled it off well and overall scored the highest in the debate.
(3) On the other hand, those who thought Clinton won the debate thought so by a landslide. I agree with them in saying that she took control of the debate and handled Trump's rebukes with poise. There is evidence proving Trump lost, showing that even his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski only admitted to Trump taking the first half of the debate and that Trump didn't even attend his own after-debate victory party.
It matters in a sense who is considered the winner of the presidential debates, because that candidate is seen by the nation in a more positive light and is likely to be expected to take the victory come November 8th.
(1) http://www.factcheck.org/2016/09/factchecking-the-first-debate/
(2) http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/sep/28/donald-trump-won-the-debate-because-he-rejected-cr/
(3) http://www.businessinsider.com/why-hillary-clinton-won-the-debate-2016-9
The first presidential debate of the 2016 presidential election took place on Monday, September 26th, 2016 at Hofstra University in New York. In my opinion, the clear winner of this debate was Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton. Consistently throughout the debate, Clinton demonstrated her ability to be levelheaded under pressure, and to state her opinions, ideas, and plans in a reasonable and thought out manner. This came as a stark contrast to Republican Party nominee Donald Trump who wasted no time or opportunity to interrupt or talk over Hillary Clinton or moderator Lester Holt. While in many election years, the winner of the presidential debate tends to rely a little more heavily on political alignment and personal beliefs, Hillary Clinton undoubtedly came off as more presidential and better prepared for office (1 and 2).
A main cause to Clinton's success was the way in which the two candidates posed their arguments. Trump spent much of his time pushing the idea that foreign countries were taking American jobs, even when the question was not necessarily asking a relevant question. Additionally, Trump downright bashed Clinton accusing her multiple times during the debate of not thinking of enough solutions to the country's problems during her 30 year political career. This, if anything, worked against Trump as it shows how little he knows about what Clinton's scope of power was as First Lady, a senator, or Secretary of State. Clinton also pointed out her opponent's flaws, however did so in a way that included indisputable facts and figures. Clinton's composure during this debate has also been seen in the past during her Benghazi Trials. Americans have managed to recognize this differentiation in presentation, as polls showed Clinton winning against Trump with 49 and 22 percent respectively, a 27 point margin (2).
I found it interesting during the debate that while Clinton mainly addressed Trump as "Donald," Trump made it very clear that he wanted to address Clinton as "Secretary Clinton." In a way, I feel like this was done to prove a point in both sides' cases. For Clinton, calling Trump "Donald" indirectly says to the audience that he's unqualified for office as he's held no position in government to warrant him a title. For Trump, addressing Clinton as "Secretary Clinton" supports the message he repeatedly stated throughout the entire debate: that Clinton had been in government for several years, however had yet to create the change she spoke of.
In a normal presidential election, I would say that the winner of the presidential debates does have some impact over the whole election, however this election has proven to be different from any other election before it. The reality is that Trump has a group of very dedicated supporters who have supported him through his countless offensive statements, extreme policy ideas, and overall borderline truthfulness. Despite whether or not he wins these debates, it's likely that those followers are not going anywhere. On the other hand, Clinton has made some mistakes in her past that have been uncovered during this race, causing many people to either support her for her ability to stay calm and collected, or to turn away from her for fear of dishonesty. If anything, I would say that the winner of the debates will have a bigger impact if it is Clinton over Trump. The media has been bashing Trump for months now, however overall has had some mixed opinions when it comes to Clinton. Winning these debates will be substantial in helping her also win back the media (3).
(1) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/poll-hillary-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate_us_57ec15c5e4b082aad9b8be8a
(2) http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/presidential-debate-who-won/
(3) http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
After watching the first presidential debate I believe that Clinton won the debate. She talked about her policy plans and had many specific ideas vs Donald Trump who made more bumper sticker arguments. Trump said that we need to return law and order. Okay, that is great how do you plan on doing that. I also felt that Trump did not seem properly prepared for the debate and he also demonstrated how short tempered he is by interrupting Clinton so much.
Also, polls also show that Clinton won the debate. Trump shows off polls saying he won but the polls he cites are really more of, "unscientific Internet popularity contests," (1). The polls he cites are conducted online, many of which allow people to take the poll more than once (1). According to an NPR article the polls, "are not weighted as to what the electorate will actually look like, and have no predictive value." (1) However, that is not to say that there are not some polls of merit, "Scientific polls can be conducted by phone, via online panels or some other way, and use a mix of sampling and weighting to make their numbers representative of the larger population whose opinions they're measuring," (1). A CNN poll of this nature showed Clinton won 62 to 27 Politico/Morning Consult poll said Clinton won 49 to 26 (1).
As to whether the debates matter I think that this particular debate will probably shift polls in Clinton's favor for a little bit of overall will not have a drastic impact on the election. George Washington University political scientist John Sides wrote, "virtually everyone who will vote in November has already decided on a candidate when the debates are held." (2) However, something noticeably different about this year than previous years is that many people who say they would vote for Clinton or Trump would not definitely vote for them. A Wall Street Journal poll showed that roughly 1/3 of Clinton and Trump supporters would not definitely vote for that candidate (2). So to answer the question of whether or not debates matter I think that overall they do not but it is possible they could and whether or not the debate will affect the election remains to be seen.
1. http://www.npr.org/2016/09/28/495805190/no-donald-trump-didnt-win-post-debate-polls
2. http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-09-23/will-the-clinton-trump-debates-matter-maybe-more-than-most
So I ended up watching the entirety of the presidential debate whilst I was working on other homework as it aired, but I could still easily see several things about the debate purely from this cursory view. For one, Clinton started to fall into one of the traps that I pointed out which was her smug expression at almost every moment that Trump spoke. This is one thing that I noted in our in-class debate a couple weeks back which was that so long as Hillary maintained some sort of moral superiority over Trump in her behavior, she would not be able to convince Trump voters to change sides. However, from what I could see, Trump couldn't keep up in the debate. At every point, he didn't have a response after giving his answer to the question and occasionally after his first rebuttal to Clinton. This is almost definitely what would have "lost" the debate for Trump. Obviously if someone didn't plan far enough ahead to be able to respond further to a discussion whilst also being unable to wing it if there was no planning, then they would easily be the weaker person in the debate. As a result, in my opinion, Trump lost the debate, but Hillary's smug attitude may have nullified any advantages she gained. As a result, I think that the result of the debate will not significantly affect the standings of voters. This is especially true when considering the fact that many Trump voters are die-hard Trump supporters; they are loath to even consider Hillary getting any sort of advantage by not voting for Trump.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/poll-hillary-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate_us_57ec15c5e4b082aad9b8be8a
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/09/first_presidential_debate_of_2016_who_won_vote_in_our_poll.html
Part one:
For my blogpost this week, I watched a 30 minute section of the debate. I decided to watch the beginning of the debate, and I was looking forward to watching this debate. Clinton and Trump are 2 high profile candidates that have gotten a lot of news coverage, and they have had many arguments up to the debates. I was hoping they would not fight as in the past, and that the debate would be professional, and they would politely debate. This however was not the case in this debate. The start of the debate was a good start in my eyes. Both candidates shook hands, welcomed each other, agreed to the debate rules, and then it all went out the window. The first question was about jobs, and both answered well. Clinton wants to create new jobs, Trump wants to keep jobs here from leaving. Both discussed tax plans, and this is when the problems started. Trump began an interrupting spree, and from what I here, went on to the rest of the debate. He and Clinton started going at it, and Mr. Holt, the news anchor for NBC running the debate could not stop the fighting. Clinton also interrupted Trump, but Trump started the interrupting. Holt tried to stop them, but had to give additional time in this section that was only supposed to be 15 minutes long. He actually had to almost forcefully move them to the next section, as both were in full swing, acting like they were battling in Iraq. One line I found that summarized a lot of the debate was “I will bring- excuse me” (2). This line was quoted from Trump, which is ironic, as he started the interrupting, and this is from the first time Clinton interrupted him. All in all, the debate was a bloodbath mess. However, even in a debate like this, there is always a winner. A winner in a presidential debate is really important. Many times, it shows the candidate that will likely sway the American people. Many times, the winner of the debates is the president come January. The debate brings out many attributes of the candidates, and this is no different in this debate. I would have to say the winner of this debate is Clinton. She in my eyes one the debate. Even with some problems, she still came out on top.
Part two:
I am basing that she won on many things. First, on composure throughout the event. Clinton was very professional in her first greeting, and this continued into the opening questions, however, so was Trump. What gives her the win here is her composure later. She interrupted as well, and this was a problem, but she did it less than Trump, and she kept a smile throughout, showing her years of political service put to work. I was overall very impressed with her smile, and I believe it gave confidence to the American People. The other thing I base my opinion on is the answers to the questions. Donald Trump and Hillary both were not very specific in their initial questions, and had to be asked to expand on specifics, but Hillary effectively demonstrated where Jobs could be created, while Trump gave only one real name to a company leaving the US, and just saying thousands of others are doing the same. He did make some good points, but Clinton's rebuttals as well were focused, and worked to show her plans, and made Trumps rebuttals seem unjust. Trumps reputtles included attacks on Clinton's husbands plans, and blaming her for calling them a gold standard, and it made his rebuttals come off like attacks on Clinton, and Bill Clinton. Many sources agree with me as well. Polls from NBC, show Hillary with increases in approval with female voters, while Trump cannot make such a claim. Many republicans, 27 percent of his own party to be exact, said he does not have the temperament to be an effective president. (3). Clinton on the issue of temperament to serve also comes out on top, with a yes from 13 percent of republicans, 51 percent of the independents, and 92 percent of her own democratic party. The overall trend here is Clinton went up, Trump went down, showing she won the debate. A CNN article also says that Clinton won the debate. David Gergen\, the writer of the article says “she did win decisively but I suspect the campaign will remain forcefully close” (4). He also speaks on how Trump supporters don't judge by regular standards, and how Clinton struggled with emotional ties with the voters. During the debate he talks about how Trump was angry, but how his supporters are also angry, thereby Trump gives his voice to the anger. He also talks about Clinton's comments, and how they were all well in good, but won't bring immense voter turnout in November. This is my view as well, Clinton won, but it was a bloody battle. The debate was not clean, or nice or perfect. Both candidates had issues, and while Clinton won, it is not in a “she will definitely win the presidency way” The race is going to be close especially with other debates coming up, and I just hope that the two of them can start to get along, and the next two debates will be better.
(1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=855Am6ovK7s
(2): http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/politics/transcript-debate.html?smid=pl-share&_r=1
(3):http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/data-points/poll-majority-voters-say-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate-n656231
(4):http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/index.html
The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took place September 26, 2016 at Hofstra University. This debate featured fiery remarks from both candidates, although Trump’s bodacious personality was certainly louder than Clinton’s. I believe that Clinton won this first debate. Clinton did a great job at staying to her talking points while at the same time she would throw in jabs at Trump whenever possible. For example she weaved in Trump’s continuous remarks about women when Trump was asked about saying Hillary didn’t look presidential. Clinton seemed to have a good answer for everything Trump said; when Trump confronted her about the email scandal she attempted to look honest and sincerely regretful, which may be attractive to some voters. The polls almost unanimously agree that Clinton was successful in this first debate, much to Trump’s chagrin (1). Trump was very contrasting to Clinton, he appeared very unprepared, and Clinton certainly seemed to get under his skin after the initial exchange. Clinton came very well prepared with facts about her own plans, as well as planned insults against Trump. She even recognized that she came prepared at one point during the debate. CNN stated that Trump continued his rants while Clinton “carefully marshalled her arguments and sent them into battle with a smile.” (2). The polls are definitely the best source to see who won the debate. While individual opinions are inherently bias, and may not reflect the winner come election day; the American public are the people voting, so if a large number of citizens believe Clinton won, that is what matters. Lastly, the debate certainly does matter, the candidates only get a few chances to come face to face before election day. So if they are able to discredit their foes, while at the same time support their own arguments, the results will speak for themselves.
1. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/election-update-early-polls-suggest-a-post-debate-bounce-for-clinton/
2. http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/index.html
I sat down to watch the first debate with my father who is extremely anti-Clinton but also doesn't like Trump. At some point in the debate Trump said that he had been out campaigning is swing states and that Clinton stayed home, she responded by saying that she was preparing for the big debate. In the end I believe Clinton won the debate and that was probably due to the fact that she spent much more time preparing. On both sides as my father pointed out they would often not answer the actual question and both candidates spent more time attacking the other. I think Trump thought he could get thought the debate successfully just be attacking Clinton about her emails, but Clinton had prepared and had a good counter attack, the fact that he hadn't released his taxes. Trump made an interesting proposition, that he would release his tax information when she released her thirty thousand some deleted emails. My father had an uproar when Trump said this and that it was the best of both worlds, I honestly think its ridiculous. Trumps supporters still use Clinton's emails against her even though its not a real problem at this point, while Trumps taxes are a real problem. Another point that came up was the candidates belief of whether or not President Obama was born in the United States or not, my father is a firm believer that Obama born int the middle east and came her to destroy the U.S. Trump made the statement that it was ridiculous to assume that he wasn't born in the U.S. and therefore he lost my fathers support in that respect. I think its safe to say that many Trump supporters had similarly beliefs as my father and may not support him as much now. An article on Fortune.com addressing the debate says that Clinton won because she was more prepared as does CNN and pretty much all of the internet(1)(2). To quote Trump, to say that Trump won would be "WRONG."(3)
(1) http://fortune.com/2016/09/26/presidential-debate-who-won/
(2)http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
(3) https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/58872644.jpg
After watching the first 2016 Presidential Debate, I think it is clear that Hillary Clinton came out the winner. Throughout the debate, Clinton remained calm and composed. She did not spasmodically blurt as her opponent Donald Trump did. This was especially important because the debate was shown with split screen, so the candidates could be seen even when they were not speaking, revealing a lot about their temperament. Clinton remained civil, making her appear professional and reliable. The split screen did not serve Trump as well, as he was seen making faces and grimacing (1).
Temperament was not the only factor in Clinton’s win, though. Her honesty reinforced her reliability. Clinton may have stated some facts in a misleading way, but overall she stuck to the truth, which is more than can be said for her opponent (2). Trump lied on several occasions, including when he falsely accused Clinton’s campaign of starting the rumor regarding President Obama’s birthplace (2). He also claimed that “Thousands of jobs are leaving Michigan and Ohio. They’re all leaving.”. This assertion is false, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has actually shown an increase in jobs in those two states in the last two years (2). Trump was clearly not dependable fact wise in this debate, making Clinton look even better.
I think that the outcome of the presidential debates this year will have a much larger effect than they have had in many past elections. This is because, while there are a fair amount of both Clinton and Trump supporters, there are a lot of people who do not necessarily like either candidate, more than there have been in past two decades (3). Less than half of registered voters (both republican and democrat) report being satisfied with the candidate options this year. (3) However, 80% of registered voters say that they are interested in this election, which means that there is a very large group of people who care about the election, but have yet to be persuaded by a candidate (3). These are the people that the debates will have the greatest effect on, which is important because this group is large enough to create a serious impact on the election.
(1)http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/arts/television/presidential-debate-donald-trump-hillary-clinton.html
(2)http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/26/politics/fact-check-presidential-debate/
(3)http://www.people-press.org/2016/07/07/2016-campaign-strong-interest-widespread-dissatisfaction/
I would say that Hillary Clinton won the presidential debate handily. She seemed calm and collected, making many good points and answering questions in a more timely manner than Trump, who consistently rambled past the 2 minute allotment for each answer. She was also more persuasive overall, citing her endorsements and explaining her policies clearly, as opposed to Donald Trump, who said "I have a son. He's 10 years old. He has computers. He is so good with these computers, it's unbelievable." in response to a question about his plan for cyber security. I would say that, overall, the Presidential Debates have a minute effect on actual voting in the election, but in this election specifically, they have a chance of having a fairly large impact on who wins, since many people don't like either candidate, so they can be easily swayed on way or another. An online poll by NBC conducted following the debate, as well as an editorial from the Washington Post both showed that said that people thought that Hillary won the debate [1][2]
[1] http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/data-points/poll-majority-voters-say-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate-n656231
[2]https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
After all the buildup, the debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on Monday, seemed to deliver on its expectations, those expectations being that it ended up being more of a comedic train wreck than an actual meaningful debate. With no doubt in my mind, Clinton had been the obvious victor of this political spat. Not even delving into their arguing points, the way Clinton composed herself throughout the entire debate made it clear that she knew how to handle this sort of situation. Granted, in the beginning, it was going to be harder to tell. Despite my left-wing political bias, both candidates seemed to be getting their ideologies across in a meaningful way. Trump began with his plan of cutting down taxes for all with two very large tax brackets, Clinton fired back with an explanation about how this form of trickle-down economics would do nothing to benefit the middle class, and Trump continued with the argument that different countries offer different tax rates that tend to be cheaper than American tax rates (1). On the issue of taxes, however, Clinton brought up the scalding issue of Trump’s hidden tax returns, “I think probably he's not all that enthusiastic about having the rest of our country see what the real reasons are, because it must be something really important, even terrible, that he's trying to hide” (1). Now although this was a good point for Clinton, Trump’s interjection about the detrimental effects of both the TPP and NAFTA on American business as well as the solid evidence that she did, in fact, call the TPP the “gold standard” in foreign trade policy (2). The real blow to Trump was all throughout the second half, he seemed to be arguing with Lester Holt instead of Clinton (3), whilst she herself just stood there and smiled politely. Most of the remaining stances Trump tried to get across were so covered in a goldmine of fallacies and inconsistencies, that it probably isn’t even worth acknowledging at this point. One could argue that the majority of the questions were directed at Trump, which to be fair, they were, but I bet that more would have been asked about Clinton and her policies if Holt had gotten the chance to maybe ask more than three questions. Only time can tell on further debates with that issue.
Despite all of this commotion over the debates, do their outcomes truly matter in the end? For all other elections, I would say that it does. Although many people are rigid on their political views, there are still many people who judge a candidate on their composure, tact, and ability to debate. This one, however, is a different story. The only two reasons that voting American citizens would watch this debate is for A: the smug satisfaction knowing that their choice of candidate come out on top no matter what or B: for some high-quality entertainment. Neither the diehard Trump supporters nor the diehard (or the just as frequently, reluctant) Clinton supporters will move on their view anytime soon and with the resurgence in popularity of the third party candidates, most people by this point have already decided who they are going to vote for.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/27/us/politics/transcript-debate.html?smid=pl-share&_r=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpLQzeCoNnA
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-37481070
After watching the first presidential debate, I thought that Hilary Clinton was the winner. She seemed to be more prepared and stayed calm and civil throughout the debate, while Trump seemed to be blurting things out and not as collected. Although Clinton was obviously more prepared for the debate, at times she almost sounded robotic, reciting things without really putting any emotion into it. On the other hand, Trump seemed unprepared and not able to say any fresh information, often going on rants about things he has said before. Throughout the debate, both candidates seemed to focus the most on personally attacking the other person. I think that although both candidates spent a great deal of time attacking the other, Clinton seemed to address the questions better and talk about her plan more than Trump. According to NBC News, although many voters agreed that Clinton was the winner of this debate, the debate did not change their opinions about either candidate(1). I think that the presidential candidates both could have done a better job at trying to persuade people to vote for them, but they instead seemed to say many of the same things, causing the impression of them on voters to not change much. Also after watching this first debate, NBC News reported that the majority of viewers believed that Clinton has the temperament to serve effectively and Trump does not(1), even though during the debate Trump had said, “I think my strongest asset by far is my temperament. I have a winning temperament”. I think that Trump had made a mistake by saying this comment, because it seemed to cause many viewers to believe him even less than they may have believed the things he said before. Another reason that Clinton seemed to have won the debate, is that Trump continuously denied things Clinton had said about him without really explaining, and often lying in doing so. An example given by CNN, Clinton had mentioned that Trump believed Global Warming is a hoax by the Chinese, which Trump denied saying, but is clearly backed up in a tweet by Trump(2). This is just one example of a case in which Trump denies saying things, even though he knows he said it, which makes him seem very untrustworthy. Overall, the debate consisted of constant attacks on the opposite person, but in the end I think Clinton was more prepared and more collected during the whole debate.
(1)http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/data-points/poll-majority-voters-say-clinton-won-first-presidential-debate-n656231
(2)http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/26/politics/fact-check-presidential-debate/
In my opinion, Hillary Clinton won the debate. I believe this because Trump spent most of his time pointing out Hillary's flaws. He tried to talk about her bad things rather than state his own things. Trump would also state things and he would not explain it any farther. He would also deny things that Hillary said without explaining why she was wrong. Trump does not give the facts for what he is going to do. In a poll that we read in class we saw that people believe, way more, that Hillary has the right temperament to be president while Trump does not. But, in his speech Trump said that his strongest asset was his temperament. He said it was a winning temperament. In his speech Trump does not win in the fact check meter also. Trump tries to turn every debate into a mud slinging contest and that is what some people like but the majority of America does not like this. Hillary was well prepared for the debate. I do not think it matters that much who wins the presidential debate. They are just stating things that everyone already should know, they are just in the same place doing it.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-poll/
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/clinton-won-the-debate-which-means-shes-likely-to-gain-in-the-polls/
This debate was a ridiculous waste of time. Neither candidate said a single thing we hadn't heard before and neither of them said or did anything which made me like them more. This debate was about an hour and a half of both candidates interrupting each other rudely and mudslinging. They never actually explained any of their policies, like how or why they would be put in place, only told us what they are and some catchy phrases that each of them have been saying for months trying to prove their point. While the insults may have been stellar for a couple of middle schoolers rap battling at recess, the only thing that this debate reinforced was that I want neither of these two to be our president. Though both candidates were pretty bad, I believe that Donald Trump was slightly worse. Both candidates spouted misleading statements but Trump flat out lied, though rarely and most likely due to not remembering things Clinton claimed he did, so he simply called them "wrong." For that reason, i believe Hillary Clinton won the debate. Further, her website actually worked as she sent millions of people there to fact check Trump, while his did not. Further, Trump lost the media battle, in which most media sources claim that Clinton won.
http://www.npr.org/2016/09/26/495115346/fact-check-first-presidential-debate
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/09/26/winners-and-losers-from-the-1st-presidential-debate/
I think that debate was won by Hillary Clinton because of how she had her facts straight and were acting appropriate like a real president. I feel like some people though might see it as Trump winning, even though she prepared a lot more and acted more appropriate. The reason why I think some people might have seen trump win was because some of the less educated people might not be aware of the facts, and they might see the bombastic personality of Trump and how tough he looked against what they see as a “wicked witch”. According to CNN they said that Clinton won decisively. CNN focus on how Trump acted and how unprepared for the debate he was. They did say though that Trump supporters were not judging Trump on how a normal candidate would be judged because he is not a normal candidate. According to FOX they didn’t really discuss who won the debate, but more of breaking down each of their arguments and what Clinton did wrong in this debate, and not on what Trump did right. I think that it does matter for who wins the debate but not as much as it did before. I feel like that the emotions were already set on the candidates we have this election that the amount of undecided voters is so small that it won't change the direction in one way or another.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/opinions/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-debate-opinion-roundup/
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/09/27/top-sixteen-moments-first-2016-presidential-debate.html
After viewing the debate I came to the conclusion that Hillary Clinton won the debate. I felt that she was more focused on the issues and acted more maturely throughout the debate. From my perspective Donald Trump was all over the place. He wasn’t answering the questions, he ignored the time limits given by the prompter, and was more focused on attacking Clinton than giving his stance on issues and his own policies. Trump also keep interrupting and adding unnecessary comments when Clinton was speaking (1). There was also a lot of Trump making statements without fact checking them first. He stated that he believed that global warming was a hoax created by the Chinese (2). Even though many experiments have been done by scientists to prove that it is real (3). Trump was also consistently avoiding answering the question in full, or going on on a tangent and ignoring the question all together. In the question about cyber security Trump jumped from subject to subject during his answer. First he mentioned Russia hacking the DNC, then going on to how ISIS is “beating us at our own game(4).” His last point involved his ten year old son and how good he was at computers. Overall I agree with most of my classmates that Clinton won the debate, and this was mostly attributed to her preparedness, attitude and knowledge on the issues.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/politics/winner-presidential-debate-takeaways/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/26/politics/fact-check-presidential-debate/
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/six-reasons-that-scientists-are-sure-that-global-warming-is-happening-a6753996.html
http://mashable.com/2016/09/27/donald-trump-cybersecurity-son/#ovG5hutakqqf
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In the September 26th presidential debate, Hillary Clinton came out on top as the obvious winner. While Clinton spoke on her policies and generally respected the rules of the debate, Donald Trump tended to focus on derailing Clinton's arguments rather than speaking about his own platform. Not only does this suggest that Clinton has a more prepared and thought-out platform, it shows how unprofessional and childish Trump is. Both of these reasons present Clinton as the clear winner.
As Robert Schlesinger of US News points out, Trump was on defense for most of the debate (1). He continually tried to take away from Clinton's time and arguments by responding to her statements without frequently making independent statements on his own policies. He also made irrelevant statements attacking Clinton's appearance, whining about her campaign's attack ads, and most laughably claiming that he has a better temperament than Clinton.
In addition to his seemingly absent platform, Trump acted incredibly unprofessional. According to Chris Wilson of Time's count, Trump interrupted Clinton precisely 5 times more than she did him. Trump interrupted Clinton a whopping 55 times throughout the debate, compared to Clinton's 11 interruptions (2). That is a massive difference signifying the lack of composure and professionalism with regards to Trump.
Because of the above reasons, it is my opinion that Clinton won the debate by a landslide.
1: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-09-27/hillary-clinton-beat-donald-trump-on-substance-style-in-the-first-debate
2: http://time.com/4509790/donald-trump-debate-interruptions/
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