Viva Las Vegas – the Third and Final Debate of 2016
Not even the savviest of odds makers are able to predict what can and will occur in any debate featuring Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, and such a maxim was substantiated last night, in the third and final debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Donald Trump was so thorough, so focused and, yes (dare we say it?) so presidential last night, that the mainstream media and the politically-correct classes united against his candidacy had to scramble, just to find one thing they could use, to once again slam his performance. In the end, they all had to resort to lying about what “the Donald” actually said when answering a question as to whether or not he would accept the outcome of the election on November 8th.
“I will look at it at the time,” Trump said. “I’m not looking at anything now. I’ll look at it at the time.”
When pressed for further clarity on this issue, Trump said, “We’ll find out on November 8th,” and added, “What I’m saying is that I will tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense, OK?”
Despite what was clearly meant to be a “we’ll wait and see” response, it was the media, starting with the anti-Trump host of The Kelley File, Megyn Kelley of Fox News, who indicated that “he would not accept the outcome of the election, regardless.” This meme was seized upon, by the forces allied against Trump, as an absolute repudiation of the electoral process, and an unprecedented and un-American response to a simple question, as if such a challenge never happened before.
Apparently, they all conveniently forgot the election of 2000, when Al Gore challenged the election results in a court of law, and that election was not conceded until just before Christmas, that year.
This “press prevarication” aside, the anchor of Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace, did a comparatively good job in moderating the debate, asking probing questions of both candidates, while seeking answers on their own respective controversies. Donald Trump addressed these concerns ably, while Hillary Clinton seemed somewhat astonished that a member of the media would actually challenge her in such a debate, and sought to spin her way, and in some cases, outright lie, to avoid addressing the challenges put forth.
Trump was focused and forthright, taking his case for change to the American people, and fully explaining where he and Mrs. Clinton differ on a host of issues relating to immigration, foreign policy, judicial appointments, gun rights, late-term abortion, ISIS and the economy. To this, it was Mrs. Clinton who merely reiterated the primary focus of her candidacy- that she is more qualified to be president, and that Trump is unfit to be president. She did this knowing that her own policy positions, which seem to play ping-pong on a continual basis, can neither be accurately ascertained (abortion excepted), nor accepted by the majority of voters. Worse, she completely dodged the issue that her campaign channeled money through the DNC, to pay protesters upwards of $1,500.00 apiece, to cause violent disruptions at Trump campaign rallies, and provoke fist-fights at these same events.
To everyone’s shock, it was Donald Trump who kept his composure, in the face of such adversity, and it was the all-too-practiced and robotic Hillary Clinton, who seemed to be on edge at times, as even she could not contain the nervous perspiration which otherwise belied her superficial iciness.
While the Democrats, the Clinton Campaign, the mainstream media and the establishment, never-Trump Republicans will all spend today, and the coming weeks, focusing on the lie that Donald will not accept the election results on November 8th, those who were watching and paying close attention to what actually took place at the University of Las Vegas Thomas & Mack Center, will know what Donald Trump really said, and that it was Donald Trump who won the debate, hands down.
There are even those who still maintain that Trump’s campaign is not a serious quest for the presidency- those who are astounded that the “not-so-serious” candidate has refused to concede the election, a little less three weeks before it takes place…
Go figure…
-Drew Nickell, 20 October 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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