BOSTON (WHDH) - Congratulations! We’re all winners tonight, because the presidential debates are over!
They’re supposed to bring us closer to the candidates. Instead, they inflamed our differences and perverted our politics.
By now, you know the drill: Donald Trump attacks, Hillary Clinton counters. Trump gets angry, Clinton looks disgusted. Clinton talks policy, Trump repeats himself.
That dynamic meant a win for Clinton in this debate, just as it did in the first two. She had a smart strategy: Let Trump say whatever he wanted to, ignore his interruptions, and by contrast, she would look presidential. Which she did.
Trump again was the loser. Saying he might not accept the result of the election was a major mistake. He just can’t control himself, and that weakens his strongest arguments.
What he’s always missed is that debates are about winning new voters, not just keeping those you already have.
Millions of Americans were watching tonight. My guess is very few changed their votes. The next presidential debates are four years away. That almost sounds too soon.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)