Despite all the devoted Bernie Sanders supporters, many of them still found themselves cheering Mrs. Clinton on as she faced off against Mr. Trump, during the first presidential debate last Monday. And while the choice is stark, the stakes have never been higher.
The last national poll average taken prior to the debate, by Real Clear Politics, had Clinton ahead by 1.5 percent in a four-candidate competition. Trump has been gaining momentum in the polls since September and Clinton must use these upcoming debates to maintain or improve her lead of 42.6 to Trump’s 41.1 percent. She will have to convince third party, undecided, and even republican voters that she has a message that deserves their vote. Believe it or not, there are still Americans who are undecided about who they will vote for this November. These voters are considered low information voters and are not typically informed. A big part of these upcoming debates are going to be about showmanship as opposed to the rate of truth telling. Or to be fair, how well a smooth talking politician can flip-flop on their positions.
Voters and the media overwhelmingly agree that Clinton convincingly won the first debate. As expected, social media was flooded with celebratory memes and gifs. From Clinton walking Donald Trump on a leash, to videos of her shimmying her shoulders alongside a popular internet cat. It is important to celebrate in proportion because wildcards like Trump are not typically seen in national elections. However it is also important that she be declared the winner. Five Thirty Eight says social media may be a factor in the aftermath of the first debate because it has the ability to “cement a narrative within minutes.”
The reason this election is so important is because Donald Trump represents an unprecedented lack of qualification and ability for a presidential candidate in American history. In spite that millions of Americans will be voting for him in November and millions will be deciding and changing their minds until then. Some voters, however, have their minds set already, such as this MSNBC focus group participant who had this to say after the debate, “I am voting for the conservative party, and if this jackass just happens to be leading this mule train, so be it.”
Though Donald Trump has been charged with: xenophobia, racism, misogyny, fraud, and even rape, the most frightening thing about him is not his bad nature, it is his incompetence. For example, he told Clinton during the debate that “the worse deal I think I’ve ever seen negotiated, that you started, was the Iran deal.” The Iran deal was composed by six world powers: United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France, China and Germany. The deal required Iran to give up 97 percent of its enriched uranium and subjects their facilities to international inspection according to PolitiFact. In response Clinton said “Donald never tells you what he would do, would he have started a war, would he have bombed Iran?” She added that “It’s like his plan to defeat ISIS — that it’s a secret … his only secret is that he has no plan.” When asked about Iran in previous interviews on FOX, Donald Trump has said that he believes that a president should be “unpredictable.”
Clinton and the Democrats may not keep the U.S. out of conflict and war in the middle-east, however they won’t blunder their way into one; as Trump would inevitably do.
