# 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:** 156
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3104 "2016-10-20T21:14:20Z")
It’s not very hard to do, admittedly. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3105 "2016-10-20T21:22:17Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > It’s not very hard to do, admittedly. Looks easy in retrospect, but who before her was able to do this? ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3106 "2016-10-20T21:24:17Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Looks easy in retrospect, but who before her was able to do this? I can think of 16 people in particular who found it a lot harder than they expected. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3107 "2016-10-20T21:25:33Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Looks easy in retrospect, but who before her was able to do this? It’s not pleasant work–looking closely enough at Donald Trump so as to be able to detect his vulnerabilities. No wonder none of the other GOP candidates could steel themselves to do it. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3108 "2016-10-20T21:28:20Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Looks easy in retrospect, but who before her was able to do this? I don’t think anyone’s ever been in a position to do so without being fired or sued. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3109 "2016-10-20T21:29:06Z")
None of the others ever had a chance to go at him mano a mano - it was always a circus. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3110 "2016-10-20T21:38:50Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > None of the others ever had a chance to go at him mano a mano - it was always a circus. Replete with _CLOWNS!_ {shivvvvver} 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3111 "2016-10-20T21:43:29Z")
To be fair to the other R primary candiates, there’s a lot more strain on Trump in the last 6 months, a lot more 2-hours-sleep-per-day days, and a lot more drugs. And the sheer amount of adverse crap that’s come out about Trump has been yuuge. The most vile of which has all been post-nomination. So Clinton’s had a lot more to work with recently than, say, Rubio did in his time. A fascinating counterfactual to think about is what if the Billy Bush tape had come out about halfway through the primaries, before Trump had a commanding lead? How could the other heavily misogynistic, socially conservative, and macho-heavy R primary candidates properly spin their condemnation-that-isn’t-really-condemnation? Watching them try to triangulate that minefield would have been a treat. Now they can mumble and change the subject. Wouldn’t have worked then. ---
**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 20, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3112 "2016-10-20T21:48:04Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#): > > Ezra Klein on how much Clinton had to do with Trump’s meltdown: > > [Hillary Clinton’s 3 debate performances left the Trump campaign in ruins | Vox](http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/10/19/13340828/hillary-clinton-debate-trump-won) > [@Grrr](#): > > That is an excellent read. And it pretty much echoes what I’ve been thinking. Clinton is very good at getting under Donald’s skin. Yes, very interesting. As I said earlier, Clinton has been playing [rope-a-dope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope) like Muhammad Ali did with George Foreman. Let Trump swing away at air until he knocks himself out. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3113 "2016-10-20T21:57:10Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > None of the others ever had a chance to go at him mano a mano - it was always a circus. Nah, Rubio tried it with his “small hands” jokes at rallies and just looked like a clown. I mean, he did provoke a response from Trump with it but it just ended with both of them looking stupid. Clinton has managed to slide a knife in there without harming her own image in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3114 "2016-10-20T22:15:52Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Nah, Rubio tried it with his “small hands” jokes at rallies and just looked like a clown. I mean, he did provoke a response from Trump with it but it just ended with both of them looking stupid. Clinton has managed to slide a knife in there without harming her own image in the process. Exactly. She Goads Trump with such finesse, it’s truly a thing of beauty. And the fact that she’s a woman makes it so much sweeter for obvious reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3115 "2016-10-20T22:39:06Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Yes, very interesting. As I said earlier, Clinton has been playing [rope-a-dope](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope) like Muhammad Ali did with George Foreman. Let Trump swing away at air until he knocks himself out. That was a great article. I didn’t realize he hated to be called Donald. Clinton’s advantage in preparation is not going to end here. She also has a far superior ground game than Trump, and if the RNC starts to pull resources for down ticket races Trump will have nothing. I think Clinton is ahead of him in ads 4 to 1. Trump is a legend in his own mind, so stupid and egotistical he can’t admit he is being outplayed. And so it gets worse for him. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3116 "2016-10-20T22:48:33Z")
Jim Murphy, Trump’s national political director, is “[stepping back](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/trump-national-political-director-steps-back-from-campaign-230120)” for the final weeks of the campaign and no longer playing an active role. ---
**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3117 "2016-10-20T22:49:02Z")
> [@simster](#): > > whats this about Hillary getting questions ahead of time for a debate? (just watched 8 minutes of Trumps ‘Will accept if I win’ rally in Ohio - he went on and on about that). Trump’s “if I win” comment" makes me wonder if he was given the next SNL episode’s script ahead of time. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3118 "2016-10-20T22:51:27Z")
Trump and Hillary will be at the Al Smith dinner tonight. A tradition that raises money for charity. This event might be unusually awkward this year. > **[Trump delivers harsh remarks on Clinton at charity dinner | CNN Politics](https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/10/20/politics/al-smith-dinner-hillary-clinton-donald-tump/index.html)** > > Donald Trump abandoned decades of tradition Thursday night with a tough takedown of Hillary Clinton at an annual charity dinner that prompted booing of the Republican presidential nominee. > [@](#): > > But Thursday, the two are expected to poke fun of themselves – and gently chide each other – at a fundraiser for Catholic charities that’s been a mainstay in presidential politics. > > Clinton and Trump will sit one seat away from each other at the Al Smith dinner, separated only by Archbishop Timothy Dolan. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3119 "2016-10-20T22:55:33Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Jim Murphy, Trump’s national political director, is “[stepping back](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/trump-national-political-director-steps-back-from-campaign-230120)” for the final weeks of the campaign and no longer playing an active role. Well, who needs one of those anyway? Really, probably the least-dialed person on Trump’s 5. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3120 "2016-10-20T22:56:35Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Trump and Hillary will be at the Al Smith dinner tonight. A tradition that raises money for charity. > > This event might be unusually awkward this year. > [Trump delivers harsh remarks on Clinton at charity dinner - CNNPolitics](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/10/20/politics/al-smith-dinner-hillary-clinton-donald-tump/index.html?client=ms-android-motorola) My DVR is set! One of the C-Spans… ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3121 "2016-10-20T23:04:27Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Trump and Hillary will be at the Al Smith dinner tonight. A tradition that raises money for charity. > > This event might be unusually awkward this year. > [Trump delivers harsh remarks on Clinton at charity dinner - CNNPolitics](https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/10/20/politics/al-smith-dinner-hillary-clinton-donald-tump/index.html?client=ms-android-motorola) I have a very hard time seeing Donald doing _anything_ that could be described as self-deprecating. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3122 "2016-10-20T23:15:29Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I just saw Steve Schmidt (McCain’s campaign manager) last night predicting 400+ for Hillary in the Electoral College, and that the Senate will flip, and there’s a solid shot at the House flipping too. Nice quote from him yesterday about Trump’s performance: > [@](#): > > He was incoherent again on national security issues. He was like an old man in the park feeding squirrels arguing with himself on the question of Mosul. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277/3123 "2016-10-21T00:07:52Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Last two polls (Suffolk, Quinn) show Ohio tied although the two before that had Trump leading by +4 & +1. The polling analysts say Ohio is a bit older and whiter than the average swing state and so favors Trump. > > As much as I’d like Clinton to win every state in the union, I’d half like her to win without Ohio just to help kill its mythical status. Which seems entirely likely to happen as states like Virginia and North Carolina become competitive for Democrats. Ohio’s “mythical status” is half-overstated. No Republican has made it to the Whitehouse without also carrying Ohio, but it is no guarantee: President Dewey carried Ohio in 1944, and Nixon carried it in 1960. Gore probably could have won without Ohio if Florida had not been such a clusterfuck; of course, Gore would not have handled 9/11 nearly as well as Bush :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277.md?page=155) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clinton-v-trump-the-stretch-run-thread/767277.md?page=157)