A retrospective on the first Presidential Debate...
A number of people have asked me to jot down some comments on my opportunity to attend Monday's Presidential debate (sorry ofr the delay; I teach at NYU on Tuesday evening and had a standing dinner commitment last night).
BACKGROUND
Why was I at the debate? Because, for more than a year, my wife and I have been hosting Clinton campaign staff in our house (one of the closest to HQ). We've have an interesting bunch of Administrative, technical and political people come through, and we're apparently well-known at HQ. So, when Hofstra was abruptly added to the schedule, I wasn't going to miss an opportunity to ask.
THE SETTING
The debate was in the Mack Center (read: wealthy donor) at Hofstra University in Nassau County. For security reasons, the entire campus was closed off (I don't know where the Green Party protests and the campaign "visibility" were occurring; I never saw them) and everyone met at the adjacent "Cradle of Aviation" Museum (fun fact: Garden City is where Charles Lindbergh took off on his flight to Paris, and where Grumman designed and built the Apollo Lunar Modules) for ticketing and security checks, before being bused over. In the very long long to get processed I got a sense of the crowd (1/3 of the tickets went to each campaign, with 1/3 going to Hofstra; about 275 students, chosen by lottery, were in the room). Most local electeds were there (I ran into House Members Sean Maloney, Steve Israel, Joe Crowley and Jerry Nadler whom I know; I saw from a distance Senator Schumer and Rudy Giuliani; and I'm told Governor Cuomo and Mayor De Blasio were there), along with a lot of major campaign funders and old acquaintances (I stood in line with two people who went to Law School with B&H. After going through airline security, we were put on buses and taken over to the event site, which was festooned with a Hall of Presidents exhibit from C-SPAN. I was sitting in the back risers, directly behind the NBC booth (which you probably only saw for 1/2 second at the start of the show before the lights came down). I had a clear view of the CNN booth where Mike Pence was having makeup applied (learned the lesson from Nixon?) for an interview with CNN.
Before the networks came on, there were various introductions by the Commission Co-Chairs and Hofstra. Some people complain that the Commission shouldn't be doing these; all I can say is that the former head of the LWV is on their Board. Attendees were admonished not to express themselves pro or con, and not to take any photos or use any tech devices during the broadcast. Then Bill came in (no sign of Chelsea) and did Melania and the kiddies.
THE DEBATE
You probably had a better view than I did; we didn't have the advantage of closeups and split-screens, but I wouldn't have traded the opportunity to be in the room for anything. One observation I had was that Trump was notably taller; I read that Clinton would have a step to stand on to equalize the difference, but from what I could see, she was standing on the stage. I think Trump actually did well for the first 30 minutes (my Clinton contacts) concur, but then he fell into the obvious traps Hillary set for him. You certainly heard the occasional outbursts; I joined in several times when it was impossible to stay silent.
AFTERWARDS
The debate ended at 10:45 and I had an hour drive back to the city, so I immediately ran for the buses, and ended up sitting next to Sen. Corey Booker who thought she'd done brilliantly. I got home around midnight, having avoided any of the spin and punditry, but you all know what the outcome was.
POSTSCRIPT
I had a chance to speak to one of my Clinton contacts; they're very happy with the outcome, AND they're working on and prepared for the Town Hall debate. Stay tuned.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Wish I could have been in your shoes for just that part of the evening, during the debate that is.
It was, of course, Roosevelt Field, which has been, for as long as I can remember, one of the main shopping malls in Nassau County.
I feel more.....politically significant, sharing a discussion board with you
Thank you also for ALL that you are doing to help elect Hillary and other Dems!
[hr][font color="blue"][center]The truth doesn’t always set you free.
Sometimes it builds a bigger cage around the one you’re already in.[/center][/font][hr]
I'm originally from West Hempstead (my dad still lives there in the same house) and used to work in Garden City. Hence the "ny" in my username 
Most of us will never get the chance to have this type of experience, and you made me feel as if I were there. It was very generous of you to take the time to share with us.
