Trump vs. Clinton: RI Experts on Who Won, Who Lost
GoLocalProv News Team and Kate Nagle
Trump vs. Clinton: RI Experts on Who Won, Who Lost
So who won?
“You're dealing with two candidates that the public isn't particularly excited about -- one they have a lack of trust in (Hillary) and the other they don't like and think is wild,” said former Mayor of Providence and Ambassador to Malta, Joseph Paolino. “[Trump's] a change agent in a change year, but he's got to show he's got the experience and temperament to do the job.”
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“It will be a tough struggle for a person who wants change to vote for Hillary, since she hasn't come across as a change agent. But tonight she came across as a competent agent, with the temperament and intellect and a deep knowledge of what the job is about,” continued Paolino. “It was talked about that Trump said he wasn’t going to prep for the debate. That’s like a doctor saying he won't study for his medical exams. Clinton showed she is prepared to become the next President."
SLIDES: Winners, Losers, Takeaways — See What RI Political Leaders, Experts, and Pundits Thought of Debate BELOW
On Monday, CNN had reported that Trump and Clinton were deadlocked in the key battleground states of Colorado and Pennsylvania. What will be reflected in the next polls?
“Trump held his own for the first thirty minutes. He showed strength on the issues of economic frustrations, trade and change. Clinton put him on the defensive on the issues of his tax returns, sexism and birtherism. This knock him off stride and Clinton captured the offensive,” said former Rhode Island Director of Administration Gary Sasse, who founded the Hassenfeld Institute for Public Leadership at Bryant University.
“As a result, Trump missed opportunities, for example when cyber security was brought up Trump failed to discuss her server and was off his populist message,” continued Sasse. “In my opinion, Clinton won the debate, but it was not a knock out. Having chaired the Rhode Island Rubio campaign and later serving as a policy advisor to Kasich I have underestimated Trump from day one, so let's see the peoples' reaction. Let's remember there are two more debates so the race goes on.”
Rhode Island Republican Party Chair Brandon Bell similarly did not acquiesce the debate — or race — to Clinton.
“Trump was really strong on many issues and in an apparent effort to not be on the attack, I think he may have missed some real openings which is why I would not call it for him,” said Bell. “In my opinion I do not believe she scored a knock out victory. There are 2 debates left, a VP debate for Governor Pence and time to point out why she should never be elected President.”
Across the Spectrum
"Everything is upside down. Hillary Clinton, openly promoting socialist policies, won the economic portion of the debate against Donald Trump who cannot articulate how a free-market economy should work. Then, Donald Trump, of all people, actually performed better in the section of the debate about race relations. Finally, a businessman appeared stronger on foreign relations and national security than a former Secretary of State. Crazy political times,” said Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity CEO and President Mike Stenhouse.
Graphiq: See the Minutes Spent on Each Topic on Monday BELOW
Sam Bell, State Coordinator for the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats of America who had supported Bernie Sanders during the primary, touted Clinton’s effort on Monday.
“This debate was a clear defeat for Donald Trump, and a resounding win for Hillary Clinton (and our country). Donald Trump didn’t just come off as unhinged—he demonstrated just how unfit he is to run our country. Hillary showed that she has the professionalism and competence that Trump lacks,” said Bell. “From his false claim that he opposed the Iraq war to his false claim that he never made any of his sexist comments, Trump’s stream of lies proved to Americans that he cannot be trusted. (And that’s before we even talk about his racism.) When Trump refused to release his tax returns, he only reinforced how much he is hiding.”
Meanwhile, the Libertarian Party of Rhode island made the case for their own “win” on Monday
“I never would have imagined our candidate Gary Johnson's exclusion from the debate, to be a win,” said Pat Ford, Chair of the LPRI. “It was like a political drivers ed film — horrifying to watch, yet oddly riveting."
Winners, Losers, and Defining Moments in First Clinton - Trump Debate
Darrell West, Brookings
1. Who do you think won?
Clinton won the debate by controlling the conversation and getting many more of her attack lines into the debate. He barely mentioned her emails and made no mention of Benghazi.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
He missed many opportunities to criticize her. Her killer line was that she prepared for the debate and is prepared to be president.
He got irritated easily and had many sighs and groans. He did not have a good answer on why he has not released his tax returns.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
He had a number of factual errors in his statements. This was not a close debate. She dominated from start to end.
Jennifer Duffy, Cook Report
1. Who do you think won?
I think Clinton "won," but I don't think she scored any knock out blows.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
As expected, Trump wasn't prepared. Clinton threw a lot of bait and Trump took it every time.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
I don't know that there was a defining moment. Whatever impact this debate may have will be short lived. I don't think this moved the needle much for either candidate.
Jennifer Lawless, Professor at American University
1. Who do you think won?
Clinton, and it wasn't even close. She won on substance, style, and reminding viewers of her opponents weaknesses. She was prepared, kept her cool, and was very respectful of both Trump and Lester Holt.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
Donald Trump was on the defensive the entire night. He attempted to bait Clinton and it never worked. But every time Clinton tried to do the same, Trump took the bait. You know it's bad when a candidate has to reference private conversations with Sean Hannity as a defense of his character and policy positions.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
When Hillary Clinton responded to Trump's criticism that she wasn't campaigning this week, she told voters that she spent the week preparing for the debate, and that she'll also prepare when she's president. That one response really highlighted a key difference between them and the fact that experience matters. It also seemed that at that point, Trump started to come undone.
I should also note that there will likely be a lot of discussion about the extent to which Trump was sexist or was beating up on a woman. Here's my take: He was behaving EXACTLY the way he did with Bush, Rubio, etc. I see little here that is about Clinton being a woman. Trump has demonstrated time and again that he has no respect for people he debates, women or men. That's not to say that Trump isn't sexist. I think the evidence suggests he is. But I'm not sure that his behavior tonight is the best evidence for that claim.
June Speakman, Professor at RWU
1. Who do you think won?
The two candidates stayed true to their primary contests styles. Trump was unscripted and undisciplined. Clinton was practiced and policy-focused. Clinton... is likely to have moved some of those undecideds her way.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
Trump probably did not lose his hard core supporters tonight because he performed pretty much as he had in the primaries. What is likely is that voters who were leaning his way but undecided, may have moved away from him.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
I watched the debate with about 100 students about 25 of whom were sporting Trump hats and shirts. As the debate went on, the Trump supporters became increasingly quiet and then began to leave. Hilary's contingent, for its part, became more jubilant. That should tell you something.
Matt Guardino, Professor at Providence College
1. Who do you think won?
On most measures, I would say Clinton won, but it was close. She didn’t start out well – her answers seemed stiff and too full of policy details that were hard to digest. But Clinton got better and stronger as the debate went on. She exhibited policy knowledge, competence, and a calm but firm temperament in the face of some tough questions and provocations from Trump.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
In the end, Trump lost because I think he failed to convince a lot of undecided voters that he has the temperament and command of issues to be president. While he may have outperformed many people’s expectations on these fronts, it wasn’t enough to give him a significant boost. He did really well in the first half or so of the debate – for example, his segments on trade were right on point with his message and he had Clinton on the defensive – but he couldn’t maintain that momentum.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
It’s hard to pin down a defining moment in this one. I would say that it was about half-way through, when Clinton began to go on the offensive about Trump’s tax returns, his business record, his company’s past issues with race relations and his skepticism about President Obama’s citizenship. All those moments – but especially the exchange about the president’s birth certificate --- were great for Clinton. She was aggressive while remaining dignified, while Trump was overly combative and provided fairly unpersuasive answers.
I think largely because of that sequence, Clinton may get a bit of bump in the polls from this debate. Given the volatility of this campaign, it’s hard to say how lasting that will be.
Joe Paolino, Clinton Apointee, Ambassador to Malta
1. Who do you think won?
I don't know if there's a big winner -- I know that some said there was a high bar set for Hillary Clinton and she surpassed it
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
I think Trump lost a lot of points about his taxes. Give us something -- he's the only person in 40 years who hasn't released them. And when it came to nuclear bomb and the whole discussion about NATO he didn't have the grasp that she did.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
I think that when [Lester] Holt asked at the end, the Trump line that she didn't "look Presidential," I thought she'd give a Lincoln Chafee response and just end it there, but she didn't. I think it showed that Trump just doesn't have the temperament.
Travis Rowley, Conservative Activist
1. Who do you think won?
It’s anybody’s guess how voters will respond to what mostly amounted to incoherent blather, and an exhibition of personality. With that said, Hillary did manage to successfully blame the Obama economy on George W. Bush and free-market economic policies several times.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
Trump failed over and over again to connect economic despair with eight years of top-down progressivism. When you combine that with Clinton’s success in keeping Trump on the defensive most of the night, reasonable people could decide that Hillary was last night’s winner.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
I can’t imagine two less articulate candidates, particularly the apish Donald Trump. I also can’t imagine a bigger waste of time – in terms of substantive debate. Clinton’s personal attacks spawned petty bickering over the origin of the birther movement, Trump’s tax returns, Clinton’s physical endurance, and who is the kinder and less racist individual. This crowded out important discussions over foreign policy, freedom, socialism, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, policy specifics, and Hillary’s corrupt dealings and scandals in regards to Benghazi and the Clinton Foundation.
Of course, Trump – an impulsive liberal who happens to be championing several important conservative issues – remains the better choice, largely because he operates from within the Republican Party, a more conservative network whose members will undoubtedly have access and influence over the direction of the Oval Office should he occupy it.
John DePetro, WPRO Radio Host
1. Who do you think won?
I think Trump won. Donald Trump hit all the key points with his supporters (trade, ISIS, crime), and hit Hillary on 30 years of failed leadership.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
Hillary was overly prepared, had obvious set talking points, and never touched on inner city crime . Hillary had a fake smile, fake laugh, and condescending attitude.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
Key moments were missing question: Clinton foundation, Benghazi, and email scandal. Lester Holt was clearly more aggressive towards Trump on taxes and birther issue.
Mike Stenhouse, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
1. Who do you think won?
Clinton better accomplished her goal of getting under Trump's skin, than Trump did in trying to show that he has thick skin ... even though Trump may have won two of the three debate sections.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
The American people lost, as it more obvious than ever that we have very poor Presidential choices this November 8.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
Very early on ... when Trump showed that he could not maintain equanimity, he lost a major opportunity to attract voters skeptical of his presidential demeanor.
Lauren Niedel, RI Coordinator for Bernie Sanders
1. Who do you think won?
The clear winner of the debate was Clinton.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
The clear loser the entire Republican Party and mainstream media for allowing Trump to be the Republican nominee. He is a buffoon.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
Best moment for Trump - he was right the Obama administration had no exit strategy for Iraq - and in all likelihood that most likely did a cause a resurgence in Iraqi citizens aligning themselves with Al Qaida and other terrorist organizations (I contribute these alliances to be a last resort).
Pat Ford, Chair of RI Libertarian Party
1. Who do you think won?
The winners? Third Party Candidates like Stein, Johnson, whose focus is on the issues, which represents the essence of their campaign.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
The losers were the American people. We were treated to an extended “conversation” about government’s ability to create jobs -- total fiction. And stop & frisk's Constitutionality? “A very against police judge”? Really?
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
Watching Trump begin to unravel towards the end, when his… veracity was challenged, was eerily reminiscent of a Law & Order episode, when Sam Waterston would start challenging the accused manhood on the stand … and out of sheer desperation, said perp would admit his guilt. Not a pretty picture, if the Secret Service is gonna use your name & POTUS in the same sentence.
Jim Vincent, NAACP Providence
1. Who do you think won?
Hillary Clinton clearly won the debate. The bar for her was high and she exceeded expectations.. She was prepared, cool, calm, collected and answered all the questions with specifics.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
Despite the bar being low for Donald Trump, he clearly underperformed. Beteeen not answering the questions because of being woefully unprepared, interupting Hillarly all night, fighting with the moderator, and having a complete melt down over the final half hour like a marathober hitting the wall, Donald Trumps performance was completely underwhelming.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
The defining moment for me is when Donald Trump said thst he had a better temperment than Hillary Clinton and the audience laughed. Seldom have we seen a candidate for president look and sound so erratic at a debate.
Martha Stamp, GOP Activist
1. Who do you think won?
Trump. But he did get less time than Hillary.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
I just don't trust her with all the rhetoric no action for 30 years.
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
You release your taxes when you release your 33,000 emails.
The biggest issue s the trust factor. I don't trust her but do trust Trump.
As for jobs, when she was senator she didn't too good in New York.
Don Brand, Professor at Holy Cross
1. Who do you think won?
I would call Clinton the winner.
2. Why do you think the other candidate lost?
Trump was on the defensive more than Clinton (hardly anything on Clinton's email).
3. What was the defining moment - what does it mean for the campaigns moving forward?
The turning point was the discussion on race. Trump's defense on birther issue was weak, and claiming he settled a racial discrimination suit with no admission of guilt is hardly proclaiming innocence.
