If you're a political junkie like me - or, heck, even if you aren't - you have been waiting a very long time for Monday night's presidential debate. Estimates are that 80 million to 100 million people will watch - an amazing number given the splintering of TV viewership over the past decade.
Considering the expected audience and the perceived stakes - with polls showing Hillary Clinton narrowly ahead of Donald Trump - the amount of chatter around this first debate between the candidates is like nothing I have ever seen before. Cries of double standards, false equivalencies and real-time fact-checking are everywhere. In short, if you like spin, these past 96 hours or so have been a paradise for you.
Here's the thing, though: There are actual details and specifics we know about both Clinton and Trump as debaters - their approaches, tendencies and weaknesses. Clinton has participated in dozens and dozens of debates over her two presidential bids, and Trump debated a handful of times in his march to the Republican nomination.
So, what do we know about these two as debaters on the verge of the biggest moment of their political lives? Let's break it down.
Clinton: As with most elements of her candidacy, Clinton very rarely dazzles but almost never disappoints as a debater. She is always briefed on policy to the hilt and able to retrieve pertinent information when the moment requires it. If you close your eyes and think of the best student in your high school class - relentlessly prepared, always attentive - that's Clinton in a debate.
Her preparedness does occasionally work against her - as does her tendency toward lawyerly rather than political answers. Clinton can come across as overly rehearsed and sometimes get way too in the weeds on policy for the average undecided voter. She also sometimes comes across as overly cautious and legalistic in the way in which she answers questions - a carefulness that her allies insist the moment demands and that her detractors view as Exhibit A in why they don't trust her.
Clinton's biggest - and, if we are being honest, really only - major debate stumble over the past eight years came in the fall of 2007 during the Democratic primary season when she tried to delicately hedge her answer to a question on whether illegal immigrants should have driver's licenses. Clinton seemed to say she supported the policy of Eliot Spitzer, who was the Democratic governor of New York at the time, to grant those licenses, then she rapidly reversed course. Her opponents - led by Sens. Chris Dodd and Barack Obama - savaged Clinton over the wishy-washiness. That moment began a long erosion in her support that culminated with Obama's victory in the Iowa caucuses.
Trump: Because Trump has never run for public office before, we have a relatively small sample to draw from when analyzing his performance. That said, during the primary debates, Trump appeared to have only two settings: Attack Mode and Disappearing Mode.
When in Attack Mode, Trump would unleash invective at whoever was in his way - regardless of whether it made political sense. (I distinctly remember a debate where Trump took a shot at Sen. Rand Paul, who was barely clinging to the stage and relevancy in the race.) Trump also goes into Attack Mode whenever he believes he has been challenged or disrespected. His need to "guarantee" that he has "no problems down there" in response to Sen. Marco Rubio's attacks referencing his hand size was vintage Trump in all-out Attack Mode.
Then there is Disappearing Mode Trump. This is the side of Trump as debater that doesn't get talked about as much but was often on display in the primary debates. Trump would have flashes of Attack Mode, but then, often as the debate wore on, he would seem to fade from the stage as other candidates debated policy specifics. Trump's disappearing act was all the more remarkable because he was almost always smack dab in the center of the stage thanks to his strong position in the polls.
What Trump does well in debates is exactly what he does well as a candidate: He keep his opponents guessing. His unpredictability - What will he say? When will he say it? - stands at the heart of his appeal and is incredibly difficult to game-plan for. There is, after all, only one Donald Trump.
What's the one thing that each candidate needs to do? Clinton needs to expose Trump as a policy lightweight and a dangerous potential president while avoiding coming across as overly prepared or sanctimonious. Trump needs to demonstrate some command of issues and resist being goaded into the sort of personal attacks that will almost assuredly backfire against Clinton.
The Washington Post
Mon Sep 26 2016
Estimates are that 80 million to 100 million people will watch Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton presidential debate.
Leftenan Muda Min Youn satu-satunya penuntut bangsa Cina tamat latihan Komando GGK 2024
Min Youn yang berasal dari Setapak, Kuala Lumpur itu merupakan graduan perakaunan daripada Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).
Seorang maut, nahas dua kereta di Ipoh
Kemalangan melibatkan dua buah kereta iaitu jenis Honda City dan Peugeot.
Play Store kini benarkan muat turun dua aplikasi serentak
Berdasarkan laporan 9to5Google, ciri ini diberikan secara berperingkat kepada pengguna Android bermula dengan peranti\
Che'gu Bard mengaku tidak bersalah dua pertuduhan
Badrul Hisham mengaku tidak bersalah, selepas semua pertuduhan dibaca di hadapan Hakim, Siti Aminah Ghazali.
Tahanan PPA tekad jadikan kemahiran dalam “tirai besi” sebagai mata pencarian
Kehidupan di dalam tirai besi memberikan keinsafan kepada Fifi, Apit dan Bulat.
Ringgit susut berbanding dolar AS pada sesi awal
Pada 9 pagi, ringgit merosot kepada 4.7715/7810 berbanding mata wang Amerika Syarikat (AS) daripada 4.7650/7710 pada Jumaat.
Guna semula bangunan pawagam lama, bangkit suasana klasik
Ia bukan sahaja mampu menarik ramai pelancong tetapi juga mampu memulihara bangunan warisan yang masih elok dan ditatap oleh generasi kini.
Mesyuarat Khas WEF: PM Anwar jumpa 50 pemimpin industri, perniagaan global
PM yakin lebih banyak pelabur bernilai tinggi akan pilih Malaysia sebagai destinasi pelaburan.
Dipaksa bersalin normal, kepala bayi songsang terputus
Bahagian kemaluannya juga terkoyak teruk dan dijahit sebarangan oleh staf Rumah Sakit Banjarmasin.
AWANI Ringkas: Tangani isu ketidaksamaan & marginalisasi
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Biden rancang untuk berdebat dengan Trump
Sebelum ini, Biden tidak komited untuk berdebat dengan lawannya, Trump.
Lelaki bertindak bakar diri di luar mahkamah New York
Max Azzarello yang berasal dari St. Augustine, Florida, dilaporkan telah diselamatkan dan berada dalam keadaan kritikal.
7 juri dipilih dalam bicara kes wang sogok yang dihadapi Trump
Tujuh juri dipilih dalam perbicaraan kes wang sogok Donald Trump di New York, perbicaraan jenayah pertama terhadap bekas presiden Amerika Syarikat.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perbicaraan skandal Donald Trump - bintang porno bermula
Donald Trump menjadi bekas Presiden Amerika Syarikat pertama yang menghadapi perbicaraan kes jenayah.
Bicara kes bayaran tutup mulut yang dihadapi Trump bermula dengan pemilihan juri
Donald Trump akan menjadi bekas presiden pertama dalam sejarah Amerika Syarikat (AS) yang dibicarakan atas tuduhan jenayah.
Trump gagal tangguh, perbicaraan tetap berlangsung 15 April ini
Ini merupakan kali pertama bekas Presiden AS dibicarakan melibatkan bayaran menutup mulut kepada seorang bintang filem lucah.
Biden menang pemilihan peringkat awal di Dakota Utara
Dalam pemilihan peringkat awal di Dakota Utara, terdapat 13 perwakilan ditawarkan dan kebanyakan pengundian dilakukan melalui undi pos.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perbicaraan Donald Trump bermula 15 April
Ini merupakan kali pertama bekas Presiden AS dibicarakan melibatkan bayaran menutup mulut kepada seorang bintang filem lucah.