That he was even on stage Monday night at Hofstra University’s David Mack Center can be deemed a tremendous – read: yooge – fete in itself.
Or an indictment of the Grand Ol’ Party, the electorate, ultra-partisan politics, and/or present leadership.
Whether you choose to believe that Donald Trump earned the nomination and that lectern in Hempstead, LI; or that his candidacy and presence at the first cage match/presidential debate is merely a reward for being the last clown to emerge from the car, he was why we, The People – well over 80 million of us – chose to watch that broadcast brouhaha.
So there he was, The Donald, Jamaica Estates’ very own, in all his resplendent orange glory. His opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton, emerged from stage-left in her Powerade-red pantsuit, a sentient candy apple ready to take on the world – or the improbable Republican nominee.
Many political pundits predicted an all-out war of words, with scant attention paid to policy and plans, or issues and concerns of U.S. citizens.
Surprisingly, said pundits were right.
Trump, a political novice, if you will, opened strong. The incessant sniffing did distract us, however.
“Our country is suffering because of what people like Secretary Clinton have done,” he said, a hint of his borough brogue emerging as he cited broken promises and failed policies of career politicians like “Crooked Hillary Clinton” and the cronies he was aiming to overthrow.
What promises? Which policies? Extraneous things like specifics and details—or lack thereof—became a running Trump theme. Just like the campaign trail. At least he’s consistent.
Clinton raised the question of Trump’s reluctance to release his tax returns early on in the debate. Trump bobbed and weaved, maybe even performed an interpretive dance around the question. Then he answered it.
Sort of.
“I will release them as soon as the [IRS] audit is complete,” Trump reasoned. “I will release my tax returns, against my lawyers’ advice, as soon as she releases the 33,000 emails.”
This elicited a loud cheer in the jam-packed facility.
Clinton pivoted.
“I think we’ve just seen another example of the Trump bait-and-switch. Maybe he’s not as rich as he says he is? Maybe he’s not as charitable as he says he is?”
Then issued a stale mea culpa.
“I made a mistake using private emails, and if I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I’d do it differently. But I take full responsibility for it.”
They traded jabs all night, with both sides landing at least one brutal uppercut each. We surmised that they tried to keep it as civil as politically possible. But the beast reared its extra-orange head more than a few times – constantly interrupting Clinton when he wasn’t avoiding some of moderator Lester Holt’s questions.
She was no angel. While the consensus was that she defeated The Donald handily, Clinton did not do much to attract new acolytes. Her meme-worthy facial expressions, and GIF-gifting head movements proved off-putting – even immature at times.
Instead of a WWE wrestling ring, or a UFC octagon, we pictured Trump and Clinton in an oversized sandbox on that Hofstra stage.
Yes, Clinton may have emerged as the clear winner over what has consistently been a cartoon candidate. But more importantly, the loser was evident even before either nominee walked to their respective lecterns.
Us.
tracks the health of more than 71,000 impacted by the attack. This program also was extended and will provide medical coverage for the next 75 years for those affected.
While we are pleased that our government sees fit to take care of our First Responders and workers, it should not be a constant battle to obtain these benefits. They suffer now because they went in without hesitation to try to save lives and then to get our city and our country up and running. This is not a handout. They are entitled not only to our love and admiration, but our assurance that they and their families will be taken care of medically by their grateful country.
Catherine M. Stanton is a senior partner in the law firm of Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP. She focuses on the area of Workers’ Compensation, having helped thousands of injured workers navigate a highly complex system and obtain all the benefits to which they were entitled. Ms. Stanton has been honored as a New York Super Lawyer, is the past president of the New York Workers’ Compensation Bar Association, the immediate past president of the Workers’ Injury Law and Advocacy Group, and is an officer in several organizations dedicated to injured workers and their families. She can be reached at 800.692.3717.
