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by Rod D. Martin
September 26, 2016
My quick takes on the debate (and I hope you enjoyed my live tweets at http://www.twitter.com/RodDMartin).
1. Tonight proved what I thought: both Trump AND Hillary are bad debaters. But there’s a difference.
Donald Trump is new at this. He’s not a politician, he’s not a wonk, and he’s not a lawyer. The past month proves he’s teachable and he can learn from his mistakes. Kellyanne will have him watching video almost immediately and he’ll improve.
Hillary IS a politician, a wonk and a lawyer. Yes, she has experience, but as Trump might say, it’s all bad experience: the non-debates this fall against Sanders (watched by no one), the non-debates during her Senate races (watched by no one), the debates she lost to Obama eight years ago. This is the best she can do, even after non-stop prep. It isn’t getting better.
So more likely than not, he will improve. If he does, he’ll kill her.
2. Trump won the first half. He stumbled in the second by allowing Hillary to put him on defense. Folks, this is Rod’s Rule Number One: if you’re on defense, you’re losing.
Trump remains very sensitive about his business, as you’d expect from a man who’s poured his life into something. He can’t not take the bait. Kellyanne has to stop him from doing it. If he can stay on offense in the next two debates, Hillary’s doomed, and that’s exactly what she’s going to tell him.
3. Some of you will say Hillary was beaten. She really wasn’t, but she almost was, which is kind of amazing when you think about it. Some of you will say Trump was beaten. Well, sort of. But Reagan lost the first debate in 1984, and Obama was annihilated in the first debate in 2012. They both won.
4. The moderator was evil. Lester Holt largely avoided real issues, choosing to focus on things like birtherism instead. Did we hear about immigration? Abortion? No. But more to the point, Holt repeatedly “fact checked” (which is to say, debated) Donald Trump, but never once questioned Hillary. He didn’t even go after Hillary for pretending not to have started the whole Birther thing (which she absolutely did). Clinton Foundation? Benghazi? Emails? Anything? Holt asked nothing: he was on Hillary’s team from beginning to end.
UPDATE: “Lester Holt, The Third Debater?”
5. Trump may have seemed like he was spewing word salad at times, but he actually got in some highly-repeatable, highly-replayable soundbites (something Hillary did not do as well). This will serve him well in the aftermath.
This is probably the best, and likely the one that will stick.
https://youtu.be/MH9E5447VjQ
6. I said before the debate that all Trump really had to do was avoid seeming crazy or racist. On offense would have been ideal; boring was second best. He mostly managed boring, with a little bit of offense.
Which means, given the totality of the circumstances — including two additional debates in which he’ll get credit for any and all improvement — Trump may not have won the night precisely, but he did the most important things he had to do.
Yes, I could be more enthusiastic. No, I don’t know what the polls will say tomorrow. Yes, he has work to do. But Hillary has more, and unlike Trump, I don’t think she can do it. She proved that tonight pretty conclusively.
UPDATE: As of this writing, the unscientific poll on Time.com (a leftwing site) has Trump winning tonight’s debate 56-44, with 271,368 votes cast. I don’t know if that’s meaningful, but it isn’t not-meaningful.
SECOND UPDATE: It turns out Time is not alone: it seems to be a universal phenomenon, across all the leftist sites. Click for more.
Rod is one of our nation’s leading minds. He’s smart, original, and very committed—a combination that one rarely finds.
Rod Martin and [former Howard Dean campaign manager] Joe Trippi are America’s two foremost experts on online politics.
Rod Martin is a Reaganite-Thatcherite conservative…[and] a man who has spent much of his life ministering to and working for the benefit of others. I know Rod as an advocate for freedom, a leader who understands the real changes we need in Washington, and who has the drive and ability to make those changes happen.
Rod Martin is the kind of dynamic leader who has the knowledge, ability and experience to lead us successfully into the 21st Century. His vision for America is compelling.
Rod Martin literally wrote the book on excellence. Humble yet brilliant, a man of love and compassion, with penetrating clarity he illuminates the world around us, and we are both stirred and enlightened.
Rod Martin is a born leader and an outstanding political mind. Anyone who takes him on is going to have a serious fight on their hands.
Rod Martin is a man of uncommon vision and character. Ever since I first worked alongside Rod in the early days of PayPal, I’ve been struck by his powerful vision for the future. Rod understands the intersection of technology, politics and culture in a way that few others do.
Rod Martin wears with uncommon grace an uncanny ability to link his vigorous faith to the practical challenges of both the business world and the political arena. Yet the respect he shows for others carries a warmth and modesty that are both too rare among those who are strong advocates of feisty positions.
America badly needs more leaders who really get the future. We need more Rod Martins.
Rod Martin is a modern day philosopher-statesman. He is a capitalist intellectual, a conservative iconoclast, a gentle adversary and a kind prophet. He inspires us towards a fresh national vision built upon the original founding principles.
Rod Martin is not only effective and efficient, but he is also perceptive, wise and gracious. He gets things done. He is a great friend and a great ally.
Rod is one of the sharpest, most gracious men I know, and one of the most gifted political thinkers today. His ability to analyze issues and communicate thoughtful insights on them have earned him the respect of people across the political spectrum.
I am proud to have been Rod Martin’s friend for a quarter century, and I can tell you that he is one of the finest men and most outstanding leaders in our church and in our country today. He has a knack for turning everything he touches to success.
Rod Martin is a cornucopian entrepreneur and eutropic thinker whose influence radiates through an array of companies, institutions, movements and churches. A renaissance American, he is also a prolific friend of freedom and faith around the globe.
If Rod Martin represents the next generation of leaders, America has nothing to worry about.
A leader and a servant, in public life and in private, Rod Martin strides at the top of his profession, and has nowhere to go but up. He is in the truest sense of the word ‘outstanding’.
Rod Martin is undoubtedly one of the most accomplished thought leaders today. He is a wonderful mentor, a humble role model, and a deep inspiration for the next generation of scientific innovators and entrepreneurs.
Rod’s achievements pale beside his character and his brilliance. He sees what others can’t. He leads when others won’t.
Rod Martin is one of America’s finest young minds.
