Wow! What a night! I had become a nervous wreck. Trump’s movements in the polls were beyond scary. I literally could not sleep Sunday night worrying about the debate. Last night I had trouble getting to sleep because I was so excited and exultant. This is a turning point. As much as the pundits last night were declaring it a big win for Hillary, I think they are missing the major point. I don’t think they realize that the average voter has only been exposed recently to Trump and Hillary through a few soundbites every day. The Repubs had developed the idea that the poor old lady was not only a liar but had pneumonia or Parkinson’s and was too weak for the job. People had doubts SHE was presidential. And they did not know what a @$%k up Donald was. They would hear a few bits of his speeches every day and they seemed sort of reasonable.
Last night completely changed that. Most of the pundits were emphasizing how terrible Trump was (I was watching MSNBC) – incoherent, could not sit still, had to keep interrupting, looked like a 3 year old, etc. All true. But I think they are wrong. Those commentators know Hillary and are used to seeing hours of her on tape every day. I do not think they understand that the average viewer does not really know her, except through soundbites and the filter of Fox News. Last night they saw what, in my opinion, was the best performance ever in a presidential debate (and I go all the way back to Kennedy). They saw a strong, brilliant, calm poised woman – someone that clearly looks the part of president of the United States. She also explained to them, maybe for the first time, what a crook and cheater Trump is and how he wanted to cut his and his billionaire friends taxes. But that is much less important than just the overall impression that they will take away of Hillary. I am not generally an optimist and, as I have said I literally could not sleep worrying about this election. But I am confident that on November 8 we will look back on last night as a turning point.
