I was wrong.

[LAS14]

Right up until the day of the debate I feared that Trump was a smart man who knew how to play the media and, through them, almost half of the electorate. I thought it was a (an increasingly faint) possibility that he had his sane self in reserve to spring on the doubters, once he'd locked down the crazies.

I'm happy to say that I was wrong to harbor such suspicions. The debate demonstrated he has absolutely no self control and no self awareness. I'm not going to worry about the 2nd debate.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. "what you see is what you get"

The guy has been just like this for 70 years. There is no other Trump hiding someplace.

[CincyDem]

2. I think you were half right.

He's a smart media manipulator who has given almost half the electorate an ideological home.

I think where you were wrong was to translate that media savvy, exhibited in brief interactions, outlandish tweets, and pre-taped "live" TV into 90 minutes of LIVE TV.

Remember "My Favorite Year" ? Great old Peter O'Toole movie. Set in the 50's or 60's I think, his character was a movie star film icon...and a drunk. He got invited to be on some TV that broadcast live. He was fine until about a day before when he actually realized LIVE...as in NO RETAKES ???? That's what happened to Donny boy.

And I agree with you about the 2nd debate because he hasn't got the self control to hold it together for 90 minutes unless he's medicated and that'll leave him in a semi comatose trance. They won't be able to find a medicated balance point in the next 10 days.

[metroins]

3. Yea

I figured out he wasn't going to change around the time he insulted Cruzs wife.

I also think Hillary handled the debate quite well.

[unblock]

4. There's no real thought process there. All instinct.

And gut reaction.

He's like a virus. He just does what he does, it's just who he is.

It meets with success as long as it's host has no good defense. In this case, the media can't help but give him free coverage, and the Republican Party can't help but support him.

And like a virus, it works until it doesn't. Either the host fights it off or the virus destroys its host.

[C_U_L8R]

5. Trump's quite conniving but definitely not too smart.

His campaign is as botched as his businesses.
And given his instincts for self promotion and preservation,
he must be thinking about his exit strategy.
Either way, he's America's Biggest Loser.