We just learned how Clinton can rattle Trump in the debates

[sinkspur]

http://www.businessinsider.com/hillary-clinton-debate-strategy-trump-2016-9

We just learned how Clinton can rattle Trump in the debates

Josh Barro
 
7m

My main take-away from watching Wednesday's Commander-in-Chief Forum on MSNBC* was that Hillary Clinton will not have much trouble inducing errors by Donald Trump in their debates.

Trump did especially badly on Wednesday when he was repeatedly pressed about stupid things he had said in the past: For example, that he knows more about ISIS than the generals do, or that Vladimir Putin is "highly respected within his own country and beyond" and is "getting an A" for leadership.

Trump is incapable of disavowing such statements or effectively changing the subject. Instead, he doubles down.

By aggressively pushing back, interrupting and correcting when Trump is in the wrong, Clinton can rattle and annoy him, drawing out responses that escalate in both anger and stupidity.

Consider, for example, Trump's Miss Teen South Carolina-level word salad when pressed on whether he really has a plan to beat ISIS, a line of questioning that somehow led Trump into saying he'll probably replace much of the career leadership of the military soon after entering office:

LAUER: But yesterday, you actually told us a little bit about your plan in your speech. You said this. Quote, "We're going to convene my top generals and they will have 30 days to submit a plan for soundly and quickly defeating ISIS." So is the plan you've been hiding this whole time asking someone else for their plan?

TRUMP: No. But when I do come up with a plan that I like and that perhaps agrees with mine, or maybe doesn't — I may love what the generals come back with. I will convene ...

LAUER: But you have your own plan?

TRUMP: I have a plan. But I want to be — I don't want to — look. I have a very substantial chance of winning. Make America great again. We're going to make America great again. I have a substantial chance of winning. If I win, I don't want to broadcast to the enemy exactly what my plan is.

LAUER: But you're going to ...

TRUMP: And let me tell you, if I like maybe a combination of my plan and the generals' plan, or the generals' plan, if I like their plan, Matt, I'm not going to call you up and say, "Matt, we have a great plan." This is what Obama does. "We're going to leave Iraq on a certain day."

LAUER: But you're going to convene a panel of generals, and you've already said you know more about ISIS than those generals do.

TRUMP: Well, they'll probably be different generals, to be honest with you.

Or consider his response to a questioning about his past praise of Putin.

Asked repeatedly about this, Trump proceeded to

Praise Putin's 82% approval rating.

Claim Putin called him "brilliant" (Putin says he didn't ).

Say he'll say nice things about Putin as long as Putin says nice things about him.

Call Putin "very much of a leader" with "very strong control over his country" (in which he has decimated the independent press and allegedly had political opponents assassinated).

 Say Putin has been a far stronger leader than Barack Obama.

In both of these series of questions, Trump got more rattled, more adamant, and more bizarre as the questioning went on. And that was just under aggressive questioning by an interviewer. Imagine how he's likely to react under pressure from a political opponent.

U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton arrives at the airport following a campaign Voter Registration Rally at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida, United States, September 6, 2016. Reuters/Brian Snyder

Remember, during the primaries, Trump allowed himself to get baited in to bragging about the size of his penis on a debate stage. This is not a man with discretion or self-control.

When I tweeted that Wednesday's forum showed Clinton should be as aggressive as possible when debating Trump, my MSNBC colleague Irin Carmon responded that this is a risky strategy for a female candidate.

Ordinarily, I would say that's true. But Trump's response to Clinton's aggression is likely to be be so overaggressive and undirected as to make her focused aggression seem measured and presidential. Plus, aggression from Clinton will help to combat Trump's charges that she lacks the "strength and stamina" to be president.

Clinton's team has already been sending signals about their intention to rattle Trump in the debates. Now we know it shouldn't be too hard for her to do so.

[INVAR]

That forum tonight demonstrated with perfect clarity that Trump is nothing but Hillary's Trojan Stalking Horse.

And an imbecile that sounds like a defective parrot that took too much prozac.

[Wingnut]

3 times tonight Trump proved he's never going to be ready for prime time;

Praising Putin. Mr Trump has taken fire for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking Russian operatives to hack his opponent's email, hiring a campaign manager who worked for Russian-backed Ukrainian leaders and possibly having undisclosed ties to Russian financial interests. It would seem to be a questionable move, then, for the Republican nominee to double-down on praise for the Russian president during this high-profile forum. He sure did, however.
Mr Trump cited Mr Putin's 82% approval ratings, said he was a leader with "strong control" over his country and compared him favourably to President Barack Obama. He added that when Mr Putin called him brilliant, "I'll take the compliment, OK?"
"If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him," Mr Trump continued.
That may be an excellent way to get along with colleagues and classmates, but Americans may not view it as the best foundation for US-Russian relations.

Trashing generals. When Mr Trump was asked if he stood by his claim that he knew more about defeating the so-called Islamic State than US generals," he said that under Mr Obama the generals had been "reduced to rubble".
A few minutes later came the killer follow-up. Why, in Mr Trump's national security speech earlier in the day, had he said as president he would give US generals 30 days to come up with a plan to defeat the so-called Islamic State.
Didn't Mr Trump say he was smarter than the generals? And didn't he say he already had a great plan?
Mr Trump's response boiled down to: 1) Yes, he did have a plan. 2) He also wanted to get advice from generals. 3) Maybe he would find "different generals", as the ones who support Mrs Clinton "have been losing for us for a long period of time". 4) Once he settled on a plan, or some combination of plans, he certainly wasn't going to tell Matt Lauer about it.
Like Mrs Clinton with her email answer, the longer Mr Trump talked the more he seemed to tie himself in knots.

Military rape. Mr Trump's worst moments in the forum - and in many of his Republican primary debates as well - came when he was pressed on his past remarks. After being asked about the high rate of sexual assaults in the military, Lauer brought up one of Mr Trump's more cringe-worthy tweets, from back in 2013.
"26,000 unreported sexual assaults in the military - only 238 convictions," he had written. "What did these geniuses expect when they put men and women together?"
Mr Trump insisted that his tweet was correct. He added that taking women out of the military wasn't feasible, but "something has to happen". He then talked vaguely about increasing prosecutions.
Current opinion polls show Mr Trump is facing record low support from female voters, and blaming sexual assaults on the decision to allow women in the military isn't going to help. This was the chance for Mr Trump to walk back his comments and offer some nuance. It was a glaring missed opportunity.

[Frank Cannon]

When I heard him stumble around the Iraqi oil question I knew he was toast. He is such a back bench loser he will get murdered in the real head to head debates.

[Chosen Daughter]

3 times tonight Trump proved he's never going to be ready for prime time;

Praising Putin. Mr Trump has taken fire for praising Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking Russian operatives to hack his opponent's email, hiring a campaign manager who worked for Russian-backed Ukrainian leaders and possibly having undisclosed ties to Russian financial interests. It would seem to be a questionable move, then, for the Republican nominee to double-down on praise for the Russian president during this high-profile forum. He sure did, however.
Mr Trump cited Mr Putin's 82% approval ratings, said he was a leader with "strong control" over his country and compared him favourably to President Barack Obama. He added that when Mr Putin called him brilliant, "I'll take the compliment, OK?"
"If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him," Mr Trump continued.
That may be an excellent way to get along with colleagues and classmates, but Americans may not view it as the best foundation for US-Russian relations.

Trashing generals. When Mr Trump was asked if he stood by his claim that he knew more about defeating the so-called Islamic State than US generals," he said that under Mr Obama the generals had been "reduced to rubble".
A few minutes later came the killer follow-up. Why, in Mr Trump's national security speech earlier in the day, had he said as president he would give US generals 30 days to come up with a plan to defeat the so-called Islamic State.
Didn't Mr Trump say he was smarter than the generals? And didn't he say he already had a great plan?
Mr Trump's response boiled down to: 1) Yes, he did have a plan. 2) He also wanted to get advice from generals. 3) Maybe he would find "different generals", as the ones who support Mrs Clinton "have been losing for us for a long period of time". 4) Once he settled on a plan, or some combination of plans, he certainly wasn't going to tell Matt Lauer about it.
Like Mrs Clinton with her email answer, the longer Mr Trump talked the more he seemed to tie himself in knots.

Military rape. Mr Trump's worst moments in the forum - and in many of his Republican primary debates as well - came when he was pressed on his past remarks. After being asked about the high rate of sexual assaults in the military, Lauer brought up one of Mr Trump's more cringe-worthy tweets, from back in 2013.
"26,000 unreported sexual assaults in the military - only 238 convictions," he had written. "What did these geniuses expect when they put men and women together?"
Mr Trump insisted that his tweet was correct. He added that taking women out of the military wasn't feasible, but "something has to happen". He then talked vaguely about increasing prosecutions.
Current opinion polls show Mr Trump is facing record low support from female voters, and blaming sexual assaults on the decision to allow women in the military isn't going to help. This was the chance for Mr Trump to walk back his comments and offer some nuance. It was a glaring missed opportunity.

Oh my goodness.  I watched.  What a disgrace to the nation.  And once again a disgrace to the women of our armed forces.  He may as well have been ISIS saying women have to stay separated from men.  Must be referring to his own lack of self control that he can't even attempt to come up with an intelligent answer.  I would expect an answer that would show strength in handling this serious issue of rape in our military.   RESPECT.  He just dissed women serving. 

Secondly he did support the Iraq war.  It wasn't until late he changed his mind.  I decided to turn on FOX to see what they were reporting.  Hannity was on with Eric Trump.  Sean was going on about Hillary saying she made a mistake.  He was mocking her the way Sean Hannity does.  Something like oh I made a mistake.  People died.......  What struck me was that Sean Hannity was a big supporter of the war.  I have been watching FOX news at least since 2000.  I watched through the entire war.  I know.  He was going on as if he had always been in agreement with Trump.  Funny!

Thirdly,  When he said he knew more than the Generals it wasn't because they were not allowed to do their jobs.  Anybody being absolutely honest with themselves knows he was talking out of his butt.  He was puffing himself up as the absolute authority on everything.  Even tonight when pressed he said he had his own plan.  He just want to hear what they are going to say then he will decide if he will implement his plan, their plan or a mixture of both.   

his bromance with Putin.  Disgusting.

[Chosen Daughter]

When I heard him stumble around the Iraqi oil question I knew he was toast. He is such a back bench loser he will get murdered in the real head to head debates.

Oh yeah that too.

[Frank Cannon]

Oh yeah that too.

All he had to say was that the money from the oil would have gone to the war orphans or some such thing. That would have effectively shut the questioning down. Instead he had people laughing at his incoherence.

[LMAO]

   

his bromance with Putin.  Disgusting.

This is especially disconcerting. I suspected this(rattling Trump) will be the Hillary strategy all along and I have no doubt she will try to get under his incredibly thin skinned. What worked in the GOP primary will not work in the general.

He has got to stop believing he's the smartest guy in the room if he expects to win. I hear from people who agree Hillary is crooked and shouldn't be running for office but they cringe at the thought of a President Trump. He cannot rely on just Hillary's corruption issues or hope she has a coughing fit during the debates

[Chosen Daughter]

All he had to say was that the money from the oil would have gone to the war orphans or some such thing. That would have effectively shut the questioning down. Instead he had people laughing at his incoherence.

Yeah he was going after war spoils.  Usually when someone wins a war...... and then he stumbles nobody won that war.....

[Cripplecreek]

Should have nominated a debate champion or something.

[R4 TrumPence]

I am so embarrassed  by the tenor of some of the people on this site 

[Night Hides Not]

I am so embarrassed  by the tenor of some of the people on this site 

I am more embarrassed by those who slavishly defend Trump, people that are intelligent.

[XenaLee]

I am more embarrassed by those who slavishly defend Trump, people that are intelligent.

That has yet to be proven.  Just sayin....

[GrouchoTex]

My take on last night was that this sways no one.
Trump did Trump, and talked a little too much.
Hillary did Hillary, danced around questions and didn't say much.
Neither were asked tough, follow up, questions when they did their shtick.

If you were for Trump before last night, most likely you still are.
If you were for Hillary before last night, most likely, you still are.
If you were undecided before last night....
....most likely, you still are.

[sinkspur]

I am so embarrassed  by the tenor of some of the people on this site 

Yeah.  Me too.  You're supporting an idiot.

"To the victor goes the spoils."  Trump is an ignorant ass.  That silly throwaway line has NEVER been the position of the United States after a war.  Trump doesn't know that though.

Owners can get away with trashing their members, I guess.

[TomSea]

Author Josh Barro:

Barro describes himself as Republican but opposes many policies of the current party.[15] He supports elitism, tweeting, "Elites are usually elite for good reason, and tend to have better judgment than the average person."[16]

Barro lives in Queens, New York, is gay, and supports same-sex marriage.[17] He is also an atheist.[18] He is engaged to be married to Zachary Allen, chairman of TIPAH Consulting and former Democratic National Committee official. [19]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Barro

Actually supporting elitism?

[Silver Pines]

Should have nominated a debate champion or something.

@Cripplecreek

[240B]

I am so embarrassed  by the tenor of some of the people on this site 

The deep pathological HATE for Trump and the people who support him that radiates from a few posters here is disturbing. Obviously it speaks more about them than it does Trump. I feel dirty after reading them, just by being exposed to that level of hate. I am not used to it. Anyone can disagree with Trump and his supporters without having to put their entire being and soul into their hate, like some posters do with Trump.

I feel sorry for those guys. I hope that Trump will defeat Hillary, but I will not freakin kill myself if Hillary wins. From some of the posts I have seen here, I cannot say the same will happen with them if Trump wins. From what I read, there are posters here who have an almost schizophrenic belief that Trump is worse than Satan himself. And I do wonder about what they may do to themselves or others if Trump wins. It is a sad way to live.

[austingirl]

The evil lying corrupt Hitlery is the real enemy of the Republic. To have her as POTUS is unthinkable. She is consummately arrogant and confident that she is above the law having corrupted Comey and Lynch. She is a tool of Soros and the muslim brotherhood.

Trump has many flaws but I do not believe anything he has done approaches the crimes of Hitlery while she was in government,

[Longmire]

All he had to say was that the money from the oil would have gone to the war orphans or some such thing. That would have effectively shut the questioning down. Instead he had people laughing at his incoherence.

Well let me take a moment to laugh as well, because what Trump was saying makes perfect sense. By not leaving a sufficient ground force behind Obama left the door open for ISIS to grab the oil fields in northern Iraq which became their main funding source. What was done with the oil once it was secured from ISIS is really immaterial to the issue...unless you have serious confirmation bias and are looking for a way to attack Trump.

[aligncare]

The evil lying corrupt Hitlery is the real enemy of the Republic. To have her as POTUS is unthinkable. She is consummately arrogant and confident that she is above the law having corrupted Comey and Lynch. She is a tool of Soros and the muslim brotherhood.

Trump has many flaws but I do not believe anything he has done approaches the crimes of Hitlery while she was in government,

Thank you. Believe me when I say, your intellectual honesty is appreciated. I'm almost certain we disagree on Donald Trump, but having you acknowledge the danger Hillary Clinton presents to America's conservative constitutional principles, should outweigh any disagreements. Thanks, again.

[catfish1957]

I am so embarrassed  by the tenor of some of the people on this site 

I'd be more embarrassed about your candidate who can't go more than 48 hours without a gaffe.

[ABX]

I am so embarrassed  by the tenor of some of the people on this site 

I know, right. Just this morning I saw someone post an article calling members here idiots and they should have no say here, simply because they have disagreeing opinions. Can you believe that?

[aligncare]

The deep pathological HATE for Trump and the people who support him that radiates from a few posters here is disturbing. Obviously it speaks more about them than it does Trump. I feel dirty after reading them, just by being exposed to that level of hate. I am not used to it. Anyone can disagree with Trump and his supporters without having to put their entire being and soul into their hate, like some posters do with Trump.

I feel sorry for those guys. I hope that Trump will defeat Hillary, but I will not freakin kill myself if Hillary wins. From some of the posts I have seen here, I cannot say the same will happen with them if Trump wins. From what I read, there are posters here who have an almost schizophrenic belief that Trump is worse than Satan himself. And I do wonder about what they may do to themselves or others if Trump wins. It is a sad way to live.

Love ya' 240. You always present your case on an even keel. 

Of course, then the squalls begin....

[For-Q-Clinton]

Marco Rubio's hands joke and Trump actually responding to it was the highlight of an awful campaign season.

"Remember, during the primaries, Trump allowed himself to get baited in to bragging about the size of his penis on a debate stage. This is not a man with discretion or self-control." I was laughing out loud during that debate.