Who watched the debate, raise your hand. OK, good. I watched for about the first 40 minutes, before I realized that game 4 of the Dodgers-Cubs was on, and never really went back to the debate. Trump started strong, but, really missed some big opportunities to hit back at Hillary with facts that matter. He really whiffed early on when the questions turned to the economy. Then there was this, which has sent the NY Times editorial board into apoplexy (not that they need much impetus when they’re writing about a Republican. It’s what they do)
Donald Trump’s Contempt for Democracy
Donald Trump turned, in the third and final presidential debate, from insulting the intelligence of the American voter to insulting American democracy itself. He falsely insisted there were “millions of people†registered to participate in the election who did not have the right to vote and declared he would not commit to honoring the outcome.
Dead people voting in Chicago and illegal aliens were very upset by Trump’s comments.
Hillary Clinton was clearly shocked that he was attacking the very foundation of the republic, the American tradition of peacefully transferring power. “That’s horrifying,†she said, rightly. At one point, Mr. Trump even said, outrageously, “She shouldn’t be allowed to run.â€
She should be in front of jury, if not in jail. The fix was in, and almost anyone else would have been prosecuted.
Mr. Trump arrived at the debate in Las Vegas after days of making venomous attacks on the democratic process, and by implication, the voters’ ability to make sound choices. Asked about whether he would accept the election result, he tersely answered, “I will look at it at the time.†In rejecting his answer, Mrs. Clinton noted that Mr. Trump is a chronic complainer when he loses, even in an Emmy award competition. But applying his loser’s lament to an American presidential election is a far different proposition than whining about a TV show. “He is talking down our democracy,†Mrs. Clinton warned.
Oh, noes, he might not accept the results!!!!!! Here’s what he actually said, via the transcript
Trump: I will look at it at the time. I’m not looking at anything now, I’ll look at it at the time. What I’ve seen, what I’ve seen, is so bad. First of all, the media is so dishonest and so corrupt and the pile on is so amazing. “The New York Times” actually wrote an article about it, but they don’t even care. It is so dishonest, and they have poisoned the minds of the voters. But unfortunately for them, I think the voters are seeing through it. I think they’re going to see through it, we’ll find out on November 8th, but I think they’re going to see through it. If you look —
That keeps going for a bit, winding through the things the NYTEB complains about and spins a bit. Just search “horrifying” in the transcript, and it starts a bit up the page. Because this is not the point. Many Republicans are rightly raising what Al Gore did in 2000. And they’re correct.
Al Gore and his people refused to accept the results of Florida 2000. Even though 27 of the 28 voting precints with issues were run by Democrats, they kept pushing and pushing, taking it too court, trying to circumvent the law. And the media did not want the illegal recounts to end. They wanted Gore. Gore never has fully accepted the loss, nor have so many Democrats. They’re still writing articles about it. They’re still saying that the election was stolen. They same the same about Ohio 2004.
And going into the 2004 elections, Democrats were talking about not accepting the results if Bush won. Wait, wait, let me write the name like Democrats: B*sh. Or B***. Or even ****. They also like the pResident. And Occupier in Chief. Everything was about having George Bush as the illegal resident of the White House (along with utter Bush Derangement Syndrome). They talked about not accepting the decision if McCain won in 2008.
Hillary and her team didn’t want to accept the results of the 2008 Democratic Primary, and, instead, fought right to the end, when they were demanding a floor count. They were complaining about massive voter fraud during the primary, mostly from Team Obama.
This is politics, folks. It’s a dirty, nasty business. All sides engage in shenanigans, and claim the other side engages in shenanigans.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
Read: Big Takeaway From 3rd Debate: Trump Hates Democracy Or Something »
