The Stakes Are High for Tonight’s Debate

CNN tells us that tonight’s debate might be the greatest political show on earth. Others are calling it the ‘debate of century’ or the ‘pivotal moment in the campaign.’ Whatever term is used, there is little doubt that tonight’s debate will be a watershed moment in the campaign.

Hillary Clinton has approached this evening’s debate just as she does everything else, with meticulous attention to detail. Vox tells us “Clinton is the one doing prep work. She’s prepping because the debate is important, and preparing for important moments is what sensible people do.”

Want a contrast in how seriously each candidate is taking the debate?  Here’s a summary of how The New York Times describes the preparations:

Mrs. Clinton has a thick dossier on Mr. Trump after months of research and meetings with her debate team, including analysis and assumptions about his psychological makeup that Clinton advisers described as critical to understanding how to knock Mr. Trump off balance.

Mr. Trump, in turn, is approaching the debate like a Big Man on Campus who thinks his last-minute term paper will be dazzling simply because he wrote it. He has paid only cursory attention to briefing materials. He has refused to use lecterns in mock debate sessions despite the urging of his advisers. He prefers spitballing ideas with his team rather than honing them into crisp, two-minute answers.

Trump’s campaign is saying that the plan is to to let ‘Trump be Trump.” If so, then nothing will make the Clinton campaign happier. If Donald Trump descends into his trademark name-calling and insults, then those who are looking to the debates to give them guidance for their vote on November 8 will vote for Hillary Clinton.

When it comes to talking about policies and actual plans for the future, Donald Trump is no match for Hillary. It’s been obvious throughout the summer that Trump has little interest in how to actually govern, but rather his focus has been on selling his outsized ego to the American public as the true ‘agent of change.’

But as American will see this evening, that may do well on a reality TV show but doesn’t work in the real world. Hillary’s experience will overwhelm Trump’s lack of anything approaching an understanding of how to work with Congress and foreign leaders. Being President requires substance, a quality which Donald Trump appears to lack.

Time magazine estimates that tonight’s debate could attract upwards of 100 million viewers. The debate will start at 9 pm EDT and will run for 90 minutes with no commercials.  It will be on all the major networks and cable news outlets. Facebook will be broadcasting the ABC News coverage through Facebook Live, and Twitter has partnered with Bloomberg TV for full coverage. No matter where you are or what you’re doing this evening, the debate will be hard to ignore.

The bottom line is that tonight’s debate is a ‘pretty big deal,’ and should prove both an educational and worthwhile investment of 90 minutes of your time this evening.