Hillary did not do great, but it wasn’t a disaster like Obama’s first debate in 2012. She made some points but she left a lot of opportunity on the table. Still… she did par for the course
I understand where her debate team was coming from. They expected Trump to go nuclear and prepped her for that. Hillary was advised to let him hang himself with his own rope. That didn’t happen. Trump did not go nuclear. Hillary’s team did not give her a backup plan and so we are left with her performance tonight where she gave him the rope, but Trump never used it (set aside Trump’s weird stage performance).
Bill Clinton was a master at town hall type of debates. Bill spoke directly to the person asking the question and made them feel like he understood what they were talking about. I can see where she was wanting to go with this. She just didn’t pull it off. She tried to speak in personal terms like Bill used to do. It didn’t work because of the precise attacks Trump was thrashing upon her. Her response should have been to respond to him more directly.
A perfect example: Numerous times throughout the debate Trump said “She had the chance to change (whatever the question was referring to) but she didn’t do it. Why didn’t she do it?” First of all, she started by reminding the audience of her resume. That was a plus. Great. Like the CHIP program and her work with 9/11 First Responders Bill. Yes, she did accomplish things, but she left on the table a way to attack Trump back. She was “gun shy.” The opportunity was there to tell Trump she was only one of 50 Senators; one of 538 Congress members. Whatever Trump might think, one Senator does not have the power to make the rest of the government do what she wants them to do. That is not how our Republic works.
Second example which I think hurt her the most tonight: Hillary finished explaining her email problem. Trump interrupts by saying “She should be in jail.” Really?!?! That was a WTF moment and props to Hillary for keeping her cool, but that statement warranted a response. She needs to do more to defend herself. She kept silent. Hillary should have immediately turned to Donald and said, “This has been investigated by numerous agencies, including some run by Republicans in Congress. In all of them they have concluded there has been no wrong doing. I don’t know if you have ever read the Constitution, Donald, or if you even understand it, but that is not the way our Republic works. You cannot just jail someone in our country just because you are the President. People have rights and are entitled to a fair trial. What you are wanting is called a dictatorship.” BOOM!
I don’t know. Hillary was good, but not great. She had Donald on the ropes going in and now he is breathing and ready for another ten more rounds when she could have gone for the knockout. I hope her debate team preps her more on how to adjust to what her opponent, Donald, is attacking.