2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumHillary actually had to "fix" the dangerous things he said - addressing our allies during the debate
Has that ever happened in a presidential debate before?
This from Trump was appalling:
Interesting article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/09/27/national/politics-diplomacy/first-debate-clinton-rips-trump-japan-comments-reassures-nervous-asian-allies
...and I didn't hear the pundits really mention this at all afterward, especially Hillary's response - which I think was important (and this segment, almost more than any other, clearly demonstrates the differences in preparedness for office between the two candidates, imo).
It is essential that Americas word be good. And so I know that this campaign has caused some questioning and worries on the part of many leaders across the globe. Ive talked with a number of them. But I want toon behalf of myself, and I think on behalf of a majority of the American people, say that, you know, our word is good.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)justiceischeap
(14,040 posts)and I'm assuming this is because she forged some very good relationships while being Secretary of State, which only helps when she is President.
Finally, I think anyone with brain stem activity should be concerned by a Trump presidency, not just our allies. And I'm sure our enemies are salivating over the possibility of his presidency.
MANative
(4,105 posts)and "presidential" moment of the night. She handled it perfectly, although I'm sad that it had to be done.
cyberswede
(26,117 posts)His spontaneous remarks sound like something a drunk frat guy would say, while her spontaneous remarks are articulate, thoughtful, and well-informed.
MANative
(4,105 posts)Donald Trump is no drunk frat guy.
Every last one of them was more sensible in their worst moment than he was in his best.
athena
(4,187 posts)This is where HRC looked most presidential. This is where she made it crystal clear that electing the joke on her right as president would be extremely dangerous for the health of this country. He's doing enough damage to our international relations as a candidate; it would be pure folly to let him get any closer to the presidency.
Here is another way in which Trump has been hurting America's interests in the Middle East by fueling the conspiracy theories that are popular over there:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/17/opinion/how-do-trumps-conspiracy-theories-go-over-in-the-middle-east-dangerously.html
Enter Donald J. Trump. Last week, Mr. Trump repeatedly claimed that President Obama is the founder of ISIS. Even when a sympathetic conservative radio host offered Mr. Trump a chance to backtrack from his ridiculous claim and instead blame the Obama administrations policies for the Islamic States rise, the Republican candidate doubled down: No, I meant hes the founder of ISIS. I do. (The next day, Mr. Trump belatedly took to Twitter to plead sarcasm.)
This will most likely fade from the news cycle as Mr. Trump moves on and the next controversy arises. But these misleading words will reverberate far beyond Americas shores for years to come, and there will be serious implications for American foreign policy.
...
Not long ago, when Americas overseas enemies and critics wanted to mislead their publics to believe that the American government was in cahoots with terrorists like the Islamic State or Al Qaeda, they had to look to the United States political fringe for confirmation of their own conspiracy theories. Now, thanks to Mr. Trump, Americas enemies can simply run the videotape of a major partys nominee for president.
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-obama-clinton-isis-2016-8
And a recent survey found that 81% of Syrians and 85% of Iraqis think the US created ISIS. Another recent survey found that 93% of Iraqis view the US as an enemy of their country.
Despite the US military drawdown in Iraq, the country is still a crucial ally in the fight against terrorism. A US presidential candidate seemingly legitimizing conspiracy theorists further undermines any authority America has left in the Middle East.