Debate #2 - Lessons from James Bond movies about sealing the deal

Full disclosure. I thought there was a chance (no more than 10%) that this would be my last blog post, 'cause this game was gonna be OVER! Seriously, comments that would make Mike Ditka blush should in normal times be enough iceberg to sink several Titanics, yet here I am, writing a debate post-script that the game's not over, and there's still time on the clock. Sorry, just being honest (IMO). If it makes you feel any better, I still think the race is her's to lose. But you better keep reading.

Why I blog (about politics). Because I'm a self-described independent, and listening to the partisan talking heads on TV makes me crazy (but I still watch). Tonight is no different, as the spin started the moment the debate ended. Here's my story... (cue "Law and Order" theme music):

Who won? Donald Trump didn't lose, so he won a reprieve to live (and campaign) another day. Hillary Clinton didn't win tonight, and frankly, she should have. Hence the James Bond analogy. As everyone knows, the reason there's been so many James Bond movies is that the bad guys refuse to simply kill him. Quickly. But noooo!

They have to launch into a lengthy exposition as to why they're so smart, Bond's so stupid, blah blah blah. All the while 007 is wriggling out of his wrist restraints, and voila! he's free, bad guy's dead, the British Empire survives. No Hillary, the real world outside of Goldman Sachs isn't like that. It's less Sean Connery as James Bond, and more like Sean Connery in The Untouchables.
Question number 2 (early) of tonight's debate had to do with the recently revealed (but 10 year old) tape of the Donald being his disgusting self. Trump described it as "locker room banter" and Hillary pretty much let him claim that ground. It was unambiguously disgusting, and she should have pummeled him on the head with that mace until she was pulled off of his bruised and bloodied body by Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper. Perhaps (and I'm giving Team Clinton the benefit of the doubt) there was a concern over backlash regarding Bill Clinton's prior transgressions, but if that were the case, they doubly lost, because the Donald went there too, and hammered Hillary for that one as well. I think many of the viewing public were waiting for Hillary to go Rhonda frickin' Rousey on him, and I suspect that much of 'merica wanted a ringside seat to this Octagon fight. And they simply didn't get it. Bad strategery, Hills. Should have brought in Aroldis Chapman to close.

What did we get? More (insane) Trump sniffling. Really, there have to be allergists in NYC that don't hate you. Hillary. Shut. Up. Make a point, it doesn't even have to be true, hit him over his orange head with it, then move on. DON'T go 'splainin, to try and please me, 'cause I don't care about details. This is a TV debate, NOT a collegiate debate. Jeez, isn't there someone in the campaign (I'm talkin' to you, Mark Cuban) that can tell Hills that professors don't win elections, celebrities do. It infuriates me. No one, and I mean even those who hate her, will deny that she's not super smart. But she's trying to be that know-it-all kid you didn't like in high school. We didn't like her then. We still don't like her now. And now she's rich. Ugh.

Donald Trump redefines gross. There's no way he should be President. He doesn't appear to be too smart, and to make matters worse he doesn't even seem like he's trying to learn. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and if you don't recall my prior Barry Switzer quote, it refers to being born on third base and thinking you hit a triple. Guilty on all counts. So why is he still here? Here are the minor reasons. Like him or (more likely) hate him, you FEEL something for him, and that counts for something. He engages (and enrages) people, hence we care. Next, his simply amazing unpredictability careens between revolting verbal diarrhea one day, to succinct, cut to the chase comments that distill a complex issue into a concise sound bite. It's not NPR, but hardly anyone listens to NPR. Get it?

No, the big reason he's still around is that she's simply a flawed candidate. The only reason she's around is that 1) she cheated Bernie in the primary, and 2) she has all the money. Much of America is desperate for change. How desperate? Donald Trump desperate, that's how much. No, she's not trusted. No, she's not liked. No, she doesn't really care about the poor and downtrodden. But she knows the status quo, and how the Washington game is played. She's vanilla, and not even French Vanilla. As a country we may not do much better, but we're unlikely to do much worse. It's not flashy, but it's steady.

But how many folks are out there that hope for more? Maybe you worked for Carrier. Maybe you are in the mining industry (fracking, coal, you name it). Maybe you're the millennial barista working at Starbucks that Hillary was talking about during the fundraiser at George Clooney's house. Maybe you got health insurance through Obamacare and you've just learned your policy either got cancelled or your premiums will increase by 50% next year. Maybe you're willing to roll the dice.

As I finish this post CNN's post debate poll called Hillary the winner, 57% to 34%. If you want to believe that, it's called confirmation bias. Look it up. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is stealing a line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Not dead yet.


Can it get any uglier. Don't count it out. Well, another month or so of blogging, thanks for reading! Good night.