Debate Double Team Tag-Teams Trump- Holt Helps Hillary at Hofstra
Alliteration aside, last night’s so-called presidential debate at Hofstra University quite managed to achieve the impossible. As if Candy Crowley’s moderation of the 2012 Obama/Romney debate couldn’t get any worse, in terms of a moderator taking sides and propping up one candidate against another, NBC’s Lester Holt outdid even that performance, in helping Hillary by tamping down Trump.
Holt routinely and repeatedly interrupted Trump and sought to stop Trump in mid-sentence, on more occasions than could be counted. Rarely did he interrupt Hillary Clinton, nor did he ever attempt to stop her in her tracks. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the substance of Holt’s questions might have believably been provided by the Clinton campaign, itself. For instance:
Donald Trump was asked about the release of his tax returns, but where was Holt’s questioning of Hillary’s many thousands of missing and deleted e-mails?
Donald Trump was asked repeatedly about the years’ long inquiry into Barack Obama’s birth certificate, couched in the spin of its being motivated by racism. Where were Holt’s questions about the inception of this inquiry at the hands of Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2008 when she was running against Obama for the Democratic nomination?
Lester Holt pointedly asked about Donald Trump’s presumed misogyny in his views towards women, based on comments he has made about Rosie O’Donnell and a former Miss Universe, but where were the questions about the way Hillary Clinton treated women ranging from Monica Lewinsky to Kathleen Willey to Paula Jones to Juanita Broaddrick?
Holt asked about a class action lawsuit against real estate developers, including Donald Trump’s firm in the early 1970s for discrimination in housing, but where were Holt’s questions related to the installation and use of an illegal private server while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State, and where were his questions concerning Clinton’s handling of classified information contained in her unauthorized use of this server?
Lester Holt hammered Donald Trump regarding whether or not the Republican nominee supported the Iraq war, based on a brief aside Trump mentioned in Howard Stern’s radio show before the Iraq war began, while ignoring the many and documented arguments Trump had with Sean Hannity, against going to war in Iraq- well before the fact. Holt still doubled-down on the accusation that Trump was for going into war, regardless. Where were the questions from Holt about Hillary Clinton’s vote to approve Operation Desert Storm and authorize going to war in Iraq- a vote which actually had consequences as history unfolded?
Holt challenged Trump on his advocacy of “stop and frisk” protocols, alleging that such policies had been deemed unconstitutional when, in fact, it was only in the practice in one specific precinct, that was deemed to be constitutionally discriminatory by a judge, in a specific case. Where were Holt’s questions concerning Hillary Clinton’s once referring to young black men “super predators,” as she did in 1996, and her support of the Black Lives Matter movement with regards to their war against law enforcement?
While it can be argued that Hillary Clinton, with her decades of being involved in politics and the fact that she has participated in thirty-eight one-on-one debates during her long career, came into the debate well-prepared and more comfortable in such a format, it can also be equally argued that Donald Trump in his very first one-on-one debate is neither an experienced nor a skilled debater, as well.
Such is the inherent difference in one Hillary Clinton, who is well-versed in the forensic arts of debate, and one Donald Trump, who is well-practiced in the “real world” arts of business and contract negotiation. The first requires the “gift of gab,” which Hillary has well-honed over the years. The second requires a clear vision as to the stakes at hand and a forceful determination to create, implement and execute a satisfactory outcome in any negotiation, as is Trump’s forte.
While the mainstream media will attempt to drive home their impressions that Hillary Clinton somehow managed to out-perform Donald Trump in their first debate, they will casually overlook what Trump was able to accomplish last night. For all the world to see, he came off looking presidential in his demeanor- not like the madman he has been painted out to be, but rather as the serious and determined candidate with a clear vision as to where he wants to lead this country, regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with that direction.
The fact that Hillary Clinton can more capably communicate prevarication and posturing, than Donald Trump can do at answering questions candidly and honestly, speaks volumes as to the comparative values of presentation versus character, in responding to the questions put forth. While the world will never know what truly lurks in the heart of one Hillary Clinton, the watching world knows exactly how Donald Trump feels about what needs to take place to effect change- real change, so necessary to fix the problems that ail our nation and our world.
So the only question which remains, regarding their first debate is this…
…If Hillary Clinton is so experienced and so prepared to take office, if her policies are truly correct in their composition, and if Donald Trump is so unfit to become president, and so incorrect in his approach to the issues of our times, then why does a candidate like Hillary Clinton need so much help from a moderator, like Lester Holt, in the first place?
Why, indeed…?
-Drew Nickell, 27 September 2016
© 2016 by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved.
author of “Bending Your Ear- a Collection of Essays on the Issues of Our Times”
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