# Clinton v Trump - The Stretch Run Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 30, 2016, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277 "2016-09-30T11:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 102
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2024 "2016-10-13T16:23:11Z")
Well, a month of Sundays has arrived; Scott Adams is admitting Trump is likely doomed. However, he wasn’t wrong, no sirree. Please don’t pay any attention to the fact Trump was losing already before Gropegate. Oh, and there’s no way a stupid woman referred to Trump’s groping as being “like an octopus” - that had be to be invented by a smart man. Adams, of course, is very angry at women about all this. [http://blog.dilbert.com/post/151737656851/the-era-of-women](http://blog.dilbert.com/post/151737656851/the-era-of-women) ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2025 "2016-10-13T16:24:14Z")
Hillary should definitely go to the last debate. More eyes on Trump talking can only help her – all she has to do is say the same things she has the last two debates, perhaps with a bit of extra needling, and he’ll spew his ridiculousness and look even worse. If anyone will quit the debate, it will be Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2026 "2016-10-13T16:24:27Z")
His answer to every question will be BILL CLINTON RAPED ALL THE WOMEN UMMMPH GARGLE SPLUT ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2027 "2016-10-13T16:25:25Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Well, a month of Sundays has arrived; Scott Adams is admitting Trump is likely doomed. However, he wasn’t wrong, no sirree. Please don’t pay any attention to the fact Trump was losing already before Gropegate. Oh, and there’s no way a stupid woman referred to Trump’s groping as being “like an octopus” - that had be to be invented by a smart man. > > Adams, of course, is very angry at women about all this. > > [http://blog.dilbert.com/post/151737656851/the-era-of-women](http://blog.dilbert.com/post/151737656851/the-era-of-women) I saw this. Adams acts like the groping charges couldn’t have possibly been predicted, and thus he’s not at fault for not taking the possibility into account. What planet is he living on? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2028 "2016-10-13T16:26:46Z")
Of course Clinton should show at the last debate. I would however love to see the balance of her focus shift. The point that Trump is unqualified to be president is now well made and will continue to be made outside of the debate stage. Those who don’t get it now never will. On that stage step above that. Beating that drum too much does not appear presidential. Focus more on being relatable yourself, with stories you’ve heard from real people across all demographics and, in big brushstrokes, how you intend to address those problems. Be prepared to attack the idea of economic isolationism as a death sentence for our economy, to defend your view that America needs good trade agreements and your confidence in our country to thrive in our unavoidably globally interconnected world. The message to emphasize: > [@what I hope she'll say in the last debate](#): > > It seems like Mr. Trump thinks America of the 1950s was when America was great and in many ways we were. In some ways we were not. We are _greater_ now and being even greater in the future means moving forward not backwards. Our country is forever a work in progress. Let us work together for all of us. Is it corny? Yeah. But it is also true and what we need to hear her say. Of course the Cubs will be on so not sure I’ll be hearing it! ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2029 "2016-10-13T16:26:57Z")
> [@Nonsuch](#): > > I don’t get the logic of that. Both debates have proven net negatives for Trump and neutral-to-positive for Clinton. Ducking the last debate would make her look like she was afraid to face down a blowhard, which she isn’t; why give the prospect any oxygen? No kidding. 80% of success is showing up, and to have the next President refuse to show up at one of three debates organized by a respected organization would be terrible. It’s the same level as a candidate refusing to release their tax returns: it is an action that not only doesn’t stand on its merits, but weakens the entire electoral/political process as well. Clinton was the clear winner of the last debate with Trump being, well, somewhat more on message than the first debate. She won by mostly sticking by the script of answering questions and trying to look like a serious candidate for our most important elected office. Not showing up because Trump is self-destructing is a petulant move that is worthy of Donald Trump, not Hillary Clinton. A no-show is a terrible idea. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2030 "2016-10-13T16:27:16Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > As I’ve stated elsewhere, I think Clinton even showing up for the third debate would be a big mistake. She has nothing to gain by such an appearance and a healthy amount to lose. Let her issue a statement that she sees no purpose to be filled by debating a person who isn’t even supported by his own party, and let the chips fall where they may. She won’t lose any voters over such a decision, and Trump won’t gain any. So why take any chances? Do a major scandal drop on his ass tomorrow, then announce Monday that the debate is off. My suggestion is that she freely cede time to Trump. “No, no, Donald, that’s fine. Please keep telling us how much you respect women. Take all the time you need.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2031 "2016-10-13T16:27:26Z")
No one respects debates more than Trump does, and no one is better at debating than he is, either! ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2032 "2016-10-13T16:27:34Z")
The next Trump domino to fall after Adams? Maybe [Pat Buchanan](http://buchanan.org/blog/). I’ve been following his blog occasionally for months, waiting for when he’d acknowledge that Trump is going to lose. Stay tuned. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2033 "2016-10-13T16:27:38Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Hillary should definitely go to the last debate. More eyes on Trump talking can only help her – all she has to do is say the same things she has the last two debates, perhaps with a bit of extra needling, and he’ll spew his ridiculousness and look even worse. > > If anyone will quit the debate, it will be Trump. He’ll then spend the remaining days shouting to crowds that Hillary backed out. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2034 "2016-10-13T16:32:58Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Welcome to [airplane armrest truthers!](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-armrest-truther_us_57ff1a78e4b0162c0439fcb6) > But, almost before you could say “Hillary inspected 9/11 wreckage with Rudy the very next day,” people found pix of movable armrests in first class seats in airplanes from that era, which are at the link. And even if the armrests didn’t move (to be fair, the hinge was still a new technology at that time), it’s not like the whole story just collapses. So she might have misremembered a small detail of the incident. It’s an armrest, not a portcullis. He could have simply reached _over_ the armrest to grope her. _Who cares about the fucking armrest, you twit!?_ (Shouting directed at Trump spokesperson, not **RTFirefly**.) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2035 "2016-10-13T16:38:29Z")
Trump was considered to have performed better in the second debate than the first but still lost it by a large margin and is still plummeting in the polls. He said some things that sparked even more disgust against him. The odds that Trump will do more damage to himself than Clinton in the third debate are very high. There is no upside for Clinton refusing to show up for the debate. It’s the political equivalent of Muhammad Ali’s rope-a-dope technique, where you allow an opponent to knock himself out while he thinks he has you on the ropes. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2036 "2016-10-13T16:44:10Z")
Trump is back down to 12% on 538’s “chance to win” graph. That’s a low as he’s been. The states that are solidly in his camp are dwindling. Even Texas is now shown as “leaning” Trump, not sure Trump. He’s in desperate need of an October Surprise… ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2037 "2016-10-13T16:51:57Z")
I agree with those saying Clinton should definitely show up for the third debate. To not do so could easily be spun and her saying it was “over” or that she didn’t have to go through the normal electoral process, that she was above that. The potential downside is much higher not showing up than showing. Ideally, for her, Trump wouldn’t show up, and she could be on camera saying she’s here, and prepared and where is he? Then, with no opponent, she may do an interview or just leave while the network has other people on hand to interview and retrospectives to go over and such. ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2038 "2016-10-13T16:53:33Z")
Watching Michelle Obama’s speech on MSNBC right now. This woman needs to run for office. President Obama is an extremely lucky man. Guarantee excerpts of this speech will be all over Facebook by end of day. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2039 "2016-10-13T16:55:03Z")
When he reaches out his hand, she should “instinctively” put both of her hands in front of her crotch and take a half-step back. ---
**Author:** ![Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de0a6/32.png) [@Ambrosio\_Spinola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambrosio_Spinola)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2040 "2016-10-13T16:55:36Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Trump was considered to have performed better in the second debate than the first but still lost it by a large margin and is still plummeting in the polls. He said some things that sparked even more disgust against him. The odds that Trump will do more damage to himself than Clinton in the third debate are very high. There is no upside for Clinton refusing to show up for the debate. It’s the political equivalent of Muhammad Ali’s rope-a-dope technique, where you allow an opponent to knock himself out while he thinks he has you on the ropes. With the past 18 months of campaign experience, it’s pretty clear the Clinton camp is pretty confident that you get Donald talking for 90 minutes and he’s bound to say or do at least one thing that will let you spin a debate into a tie at the very least. They’re not afraid of facing him. On a more basic, strategic level, Clinton can’t afford to skip the debate because she’s running as the “normal” candidate in this election. This is letting her find some support among some voters who aren’t necessarily inclined to vote for her, but find her to be the only serious candidate here. But that means that she has to exhibit normal campaign behavior like showing up for scheduled debates without fussing. Announcing that you don’t respect your opponent enough to attend the third debate is the sort of reality show diva Trump-favoring move that would have him saying that she’s a coward and furthermore that she’s secretly dying and can’t actually stand up for 90 minutes, and then we’ll all be talking about that for the next week. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2041 "2016-10-13T17:04:04Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > (to be fair, the hinge was still a new technology at that time) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2042 "2016-10-13T17:04:49Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > The next Trump domino to fall after Adams? Maybe [Pat Buchanan](http://buchanan.org/blog/). I’ve been following his blog occasionally for months, waiting for when he’d acknowledge that Trump is going to lose. Stay tuned. From three days ago: “Donald Trump turned in perhaps the most effective performance in the history of presidential debates on Sunday night.” Buchanan is further removed from reality than Adams is. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/2043 "2016-10-13T17:07:46Z")
[Trump says he’ll throw Clinton’s _lawyers_ in jail…](http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/10/donald-trump-says-hell-imprison-hillary-clintons-lawyers-too) “…and your little dog, too!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277.md?page=101) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277.md?page=103)