Trump has been ratings gold for news networks. While I have no doubt that Hillary will win the debate, my fear is the headlines the next day being nothing but Trump one-liners. The substance of the debate won't be reported.
It won't really matter a whole lot what the media reports if the debates are as highly watched as is being predicted. People will be able to see for themselves what the debate was like. And who is going to be watching it the most? Hardcore Trump supporters who have already decided Trump? Hardcore Clinton supporters who have already decided Clinton? Or the undecideds and moderates who the debate is structured and geared towards? Guess which the audience is mostly going to lean toward.
Also, the idea that the debates can be 'won' by one-liners and zingers is generally a myth. There's the infamous Reagan zinger about age that is considered the thing that won him the debates, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a lot of other debates that were 'won' similarly to that.
I know. He wants the other candidate to fact check him, not Lester. Hence my comment.
Okay, I guess?
I'm kind of worried. When it was the incompetant (Bush) vs. The insufferable (Gore), Bush won in the end (albeit with some shadiness in Florida). Trump doesn't have to tell the truth or be more thoughtful, or anything. He just has to be a great snake oil seller and he has always been that.
The difference between candidates like Bush or Reagan that benefited from lower expectations to the debates it that, despite what you think of them, they knew policy, they knew what they were talking about, even if they weren't great at vocalizing that. Trump doesn't...like, at all. He's shown, on a constant basis, that he's clueless about almost every major thing. One-liners and zingers will only get you so far in a situation that is, by design, a place to show off how much you know, how well you know it, and how poorly your opponent knows.
