# Trump vs Clinton debate **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 24, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994 "2016-03-24T00:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Yersenia\_Pestis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e495f1/32.png) [@Yersenia\_Pestis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yersenia_Pestis)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/1 "2016-03-24T00:08:35Z")
How low will he go? Anyone think he will bring Bill’s infidelity? Not a fan of either but if they debate I think the ratings will be through the roof… ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/2 "2016-03-24T00:18:09Z")
He’ll go pretty low. Bill’s infidelity, Hillary’s supposed affair and lesbian rumors (forgot about those, didn’t you?) – all inuendo and passive voice, of course. He’s just sayin’. Hillary will get quieter and more dispassionate as the night goes on. Her supporters will look at this as proof of her ability not to sink to Trump’s level while her opponents will proclaim that she’s a frosty bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/3 "2016-03-24T01:40:44Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > He’ll go pretty low. Bill’s infidelity, Hillary’s supposed affair and lesbian rumors (forgot about those, didn’t you?) – all inuendo and passive voice, of course. He’s just sayin’. The Clintons have had a good half dozen to dozen scandals over their career. Trump could spend the entire night ignoring the issues and just running back through all the politicial and legal shenanigans that the Clintons are suspected of and he’d probably come out further ahead in the debate than if he had discussed the issues. That he’s not a politician and that most politicians are (viewed as) skeezy and corrupt is probably his biggest selling point. If he can carry that onto the big stage, he might convince some people. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/4 "2016-03-24T02:51:39Z")
He’ll mention that he’s more well-endowed than her. He guarantees it. ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/5 "2016-03-24T03:02:24Z")
The only intelligent approach is to refuse to do debates. What purpose could they possibly serve? It’ll be reality TV time for Trump and it will boost CNN et al.'s ratings, but do nothing for Hillary. They need to make him pay for his airtime anyway. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/6 "2016-03-24T04:02:38Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > He’ll mention that he’s more well-endowed than her. He guarantees it. And he would be wrong. Think great big brass ovaries. Grapefruits to grapes, no, to raisins. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/7 "2016-03-24T04:08:57Z")
> [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](#): > > The only intelligent approach is to refuse to do debates. What purpose could they possibly serve? Of course they serve a purpose. A president’s job is mainly to keep us entertained for four years. The Democratic-Republican presidential debate is like an “America Got Talent” contest. And this one would be like Ke$ha v. The Guy Who Actually Thinks He Can Even Do Karaoke. ---
**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:** [March 24, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/8 "2016-03-24T04:18:36Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > He’ll mention that he’s more well-endowed than her. He guarantees it. He only thinks he’s well-endowed because of those short fingers. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/9 "2016-03-24T06:05:34Z")
Trump will throw everything at her, especially the fact that she’s extremely scripted(something which he’s already started to do since it worked against Rubio), but also bringing up all the ethical issues. Bringing up Bill’s infidelity and her enabling of it isn’t exactly low, since it’s already been debated a ton in public. Lesbian rumors, that would be pretty low though. I actually think Trump will get the better of her in debates simply because he’s impossible to prepare for. Who does Clinton get to be Trump in the practice debates? Mr. T would work as well as anyone else. She has no idea what he’s going to come at her with, and since she won’t go off script her best bet will be to ignore his attacks and push her own talking points. Which won’t be easy since she can’t match his volume or energy. Clinton is just the wrong candidate to put up against Trump. Biden could handle him. Sanders would at least be able to dim his populist cred. But putting Trump up against an overly scripted, ethically challenged politician is exactly what he would have asked for if he could choose his opponent. Heck, I bet that’s why he ran this year instead of 2012. He probably just felt he matched up better against Clinton than Obama. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/10 "2016-03-24T06:26:08Z")
And then all she has to do is ask one question that will lock up those voters who have any sense of reality: “Are you going to continue to attack me all night or are you going to discuss any actual, you know, issues?” ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/11 "2016-03-24T07:19:53Z")
And if Trump is ready for that, he can destroy her. “Why? Are there any you haven’t flip flopped on in the past few years?” ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/12 "2016-03-24T15:32:12Z")
I’ve brought this up before. I think we should look at Romney’s first debate with Obama in 2012. During that debate, Obama had been prepared to attack all of the typical conservative talking points that everyone was familiar with. Everyone thought that Romney will use that chance to talk about the things we’ve already heard about, to defend himself from allegations raised, scandals like the 47% comment. But what Romney did was sort of brilliant. He basically turned into Obama. Suddenly he was for all of those things, he wanted people to have health care, he loved the 47%, he’s not that conservative and he’ll be a great moderate president. Everyone was shocked, here was a guy blatantly lying through his teeth and everyone could see it, but he did it so forcefully that he kind of came off convincing. You couldn’t just tar him with the same old conservative schtick because now you have him on record saying all these nice things about the poor, about moderation. Many of us knew that was his game, but to others, it sounded like Romney was this perfect, moderate voice saying all of the right things. Obama was taken off his game a bit because nobody thought Romney would pivot that much. If Trump is nominated, I’d warn Clinton’s camp to watch out for that. He’s done it before, first he said Fiorina had an ugly face, then he says she’s beautiful. She has to prepare to attack him on his stupid wall idea and that Mexicans are rapists and anticipate that he will simply say he thinks Mexicans are great. She has to prepare to attack both crazy Trump and seemingly normal Trump ---
**Author:** ![ebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@ebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ebb)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/13 "2016-03-24T16:01:02Z")
Clinton should hire Al Franken to be a Trump surrogate for debate practice, and should do it in front of a room of volunteers instructed to act like rabid, howling Trump supporters. She easily outclasses Trump in terms of knowledge, poise and intelligence. But she could still ‘lose’ the debates based on other factors. Fortunately I think that she and her staff are smart enough to realize this in advance. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/14 "2016-03-24T17:08:26Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > And if Trump is ready for that, he can destroy her. “Why? Are there any you haven’t flip flopped on in the past few years?” He is the master of evasion… ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/15 "2016-03-24T17:19:52Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > And if Trump is ready for that, he can destroy her. “Why? Are there any you haven’t flip flopped on in the past few years?” You think she won’t be ready for _that_? C’mon, even you know how to riposte that one. At least there is no danger of his Kennedying the audience with his youthful vigah, in contrast to her Nixonian five o’clock shadow. But look for Fox to spin it that way anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2016, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/16 "2016-03-24T18:14:17Z")
My guess is the Democrats are going to negotiate a debate that has the crap moderated out of it, and the RNC in this case is going to be happy to oblige. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/17 "2016-03-25T02:29:14Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > The Clintons have had a good half dozen to dozen scandals over their career. Trump could spend the entire night ignoring the issues and just running back through all the politicial and legal shenanigans that the Clintons are suspected of and he’d probably come out further ahead in the debate than if he had discussed the issues. > > That he’s not a politician and that most politicians are (viewed as) skeezy and corrupt is probably his biggest selling point. If he can carry that onto the big stage, he might convince some people. Trump is living proof that you don’t have to be a politician to be skeezy and corrupt. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/18 "2016-03-25T03:24:41Z")
I hope Clinton attacks Trump on the wall, given that she voted for a border wall in 2006. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/19 "2016-03-25T03:56:44Z")
Clinton did pretty well during the Bengazhi all day marathon attempted stoning. You don’t think she hasn’t heard and responded to Trump style attacks for the past couple of decades. I’ll also toss out that we haven’t seen Trump in a mana a mana debate have we? It’s one thing to be a reality show star standing out from the crowd, but that isn’t a one on one debate. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994/20 "2016-03-25T04:01:13Z")
Benghazi didn’t involve her history of flip flops. The Romneyesque character of her candidacy hasnt’ even begun to be mined due to the media focus on Trump and Emailgate. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-vs-clinton-debate/749994.md?page=2)