BILL GOODYKOONTZ

Goodykoontz on presidential debate: Well, that was nuts

Bill Goodykoontz
USA TODAY NETWORK
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are in a dead heat in Arizona, according to a new Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll.

Well, that was nuts.

Anyone thinking the presidential debate Monday night between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would be a civil, statesmanlike affair doubtless was disappointed.

Anyone who wanted to see fascinating television – the other 99 percent of the planet – was not. “This is the most abnormal event I have ever witnessed,” NBC’s Chuck Todd said afterwards. “It was as surreal as some thought it might be.”

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Todd’s right about that. The two went at each other hammer and tongs for the balance of the 90 minutes. It wasn’t surprising that Trump was aggressive; he was throughout the Republican debates. What was different was Clinton going after Trump in a similar fashion.

“Well, Donald, I know you live in your own reality,” she said at one point. Later: “Join the debate by saying more crazy things.”

At times he took her up on the offer. Clinton claimed that Trump rooted for the housing crisis so that he could take advantage of it. “That’s called business, by the way,” he responded.

When she said that earlier tax returns had shown that he paid no federal taxes, Trump said, “That makes me smart.” When she claimed he stiffed a contractor he employed, Trump didn’t deny it, saying that maybe he wasn’t satisfied with his work.

I am not a presidential historian, but I’m willing to bet no one’s ever said those things during a presidential debate before. And maybe any other kind of debate.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a GOP presidential debate at the University of Miami in March 2016.

Lester Holt, the host of “NBC Nightly News,” served as moderator. At least occasionally. While some wondered whether he would get caught up in fact-checking during the debate, at times he didn’t get caught up in much of anything. He simply let Trump and Clinton snipe back and forth. (Social-media reaction was predictably harsh.) If nothing else, it led to some heated exchanges, if not exactly debate.

That said, Holt did ask questions that needed to be asked. Why did Trump continue to peddle the birther movement for years after President Obama produced his birth certificate? Or why hasn’t Trump released his tax returns? His answers were not especially forthcoming, but at least Holt asked the questions (and sometimes followed up, though this was not a night for debate decorum, so his entreaties went unanswered).

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By the standards of traditional debate, Clinton was the clear winner. She stated facts and, despite the occasional dig, seemed composed and prepared. Trump started off quietly but quickly reverted to his bombastic self, interrupting and simply shouting, “Wrong!” when Clinton said something he didn’t like.

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Hillary Clinton suffers self-inflict wounds in this double-standard campaign.

The question is, will it matter? Trump’s supporters will lay blame on the old reliable: the liberal media. Both candidates have entrenched supporters, so no, to them it almost certainly won’t. But what about the undecided voters? And with such a stark contrast between the two, how can there be any left after tonight?

As political discourse went, it was not particularly enlightening. As political theater went, it was riveting. And to think, there are two more to come.

Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. Twitter: twitter.com/goodyk.