Will Hillary trump Donald in November?
When I was in college at the Institute of Mass Communications in the University of the Philippines, one of the case studies we took up in the class of Prof. Rene Guioguio was the live debate between Republican president ial bet Richard Nixon and Democrat John F. Kennedy. Guioguio pointed out that those who listened to the debates on radio thought Nixon won, while those who watched the debates on television thought Kennedy beat his opponent handily.
Our professor pointed out that Nixon neglected to shave before the debates and wore a five o’clock shadow. This made him appear gaunt and not at all telegenic, while Kennedy looked fresh-faced, relaxed, youthful. It was thus said that Gillette won the debate for JFK. The substance of their arguments was obviously meaty on both sides — for why would the radio listeners think Nixon won? But since the medium is the message as well, delivery is as crucial as content, and appearance as weighty as substance — JFK was perceived to have vanquished Nixon in the first ever televised US presidential debates.
The debates were said to have swung the tide in favor of JFK, who won the 1960 elections by a razor- thin margin.
*** Yesterday’s debate between Republican bet Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton at the Washington University was bloody, and their fight veered towards the personal in some instances. It is to Mrs. Clinton’s credit that she kept the debate off the issue of her husband former President Bill Clinton’s alleged mistresses — who were in the audience. To my mind, she kept her cool in spite of them. In fact, from the first debate, her composure was virtually unwavering.
Many political observers say this was below the belt — after all it is Hillary, not Bill, who is running for President — and will result in a backlash from female voters. But Trump’s objective was to draw first blood, to pierce the solid Clinton name, to splash paint on the Clinton brand, hoping it would trickle down to the one seeking the presidency now.
On the tape where he was caught insulting women and boasting of his forcible advances to women even as he was newly married to Melania, Trump would say over and over again, “It’s just locker room talk.” Well, I don’t know what goes on in a locker room but it is possible that middle- aged men just boast about imaginary conquests there. But it is the manner in which Trump talked about women that is disgusting.
Despite that, and his constant photo bombing when Clinton had the mic, Trump did better in this debate than he did in their first encounter. Perhaps because he succeeded in reining in his emotions, his heated displeasure over Clinton’s tirades, better than he did in the first debate. As they say in the Philippines, “Ang pikon, talo.” ( The one who loses his cool, loses). “Donald Trump exceeded expectations, but Hillary Clinton won the second presidential debate,” according to a CNN/ ORC poll of debate watchers. The results showed a clear victory for Clinton, with 57 percent saying Clinton won, as opposed to 34 percent for Trump.
“It’s a strong showing for Clinton, but not as good as her performance at the first presidential debate, when 62 percent of debate watchers said she won.”
It was a bruising match, with the two candidates opting not to shake hands at the start of the debate, and brandishing words like sharpened swords. Many times, both would speak at the same time. Once, Trump felt the moderators, CNN’s
Anderson Cooper and ABC’s Martha Raddatz weren’t being fair to him, lamenting ,“It’ s three against one.”
A CEO of a global conglomerate described the debate as ,“A fight between a businessman and a politician.”
Tr ump k nows the ins and outs of business, of profit and loss, of running a business empire. Clinton has more experience in running a government. Whereas Trump accused Bill Clinton of being abusive to women, Clinton said her husband presided over a golden age in the economy of the US, where jobs were as plentiful as grapes in a vineyard.
Will the outcome of the US presidential elections matter to Filipinos? Of course it will. There are millions of Filipino Americans in the US, and there are several US companies that outsource, establishing offices overseas, like in the Philippines.
In the end, the Americans will really choose who they think will lead them to a better life — the seasoned businessman or the experienced politician who has shown in the last two debates she, too, is every inch also a statesman.
At the close of the debate, the two political foes shook hands. I think Trump won points by being gallant to his lady opponent when both were asked what they respected about each other.
Clinton said: “I respect his children. His children are incredibly able and I think that says a lot about Donald.”
Trump said: “I will say this about Hillary — she doesn’t quit, she doesn’t give up. I tell it like it is. She’s a fighter.”