Jonathan Chait: “The evidence here is so comically thin — Clinton came down with pneumonia, and here she is coughing — that the ad comes off as parody. But it is apparently a real ad. And the ad’s argument is that some voters may be willing to vote for Hillary Clinton, but they should consider the possibility that Clinton will not make it through her term and would then hand power to Tim Kaine. If you’re happy to vote for Hillary Clinton, but the notion of madman Tim Kaine having his finger on the button terrifies you, then this is a strong case for Trump.”

“It is not acceptable to ask a moral, dignified man to cast his vote to help elect an immoral man who is absent decency or dignity. If the consequence of standing against Trump and for principles is indeed the election of Hillary Clinton, so be it. At least it is a moral, ethical choice.”

— Glenn Beck, in a Facebook post.

The Atlantic: “Herein lies the most potentially devastating effect of Trump’s florid and public propulsion of a ‘rigged system.’ His corps of challengers may very well sow chaos on election day, but the laws allowing them to do so are at least laws—able to be repealed or updated (or kept in place), but at the very least subject to formal legislative governance.”

“Public trust, however—the core of our social compact—is not a matter of legislation: It is a terrible thing to lose, and a difficult thing to regain. And Trump has lately determined that his survival may be contingent its erosion; the last three days, after all, have shown the country how much he’s prepared to risk. It’s a dangerous play for the candidate, but unquestionably, a far more hazardous one for democracy.”

“It is so nice that the shackles have been taken off me and I can now fight for America the way I want to.”

— Donald Trump, on Twitter.

“In any normal election season, Trump’s debate performance would be graded a campaign-killing disaster. But 2016 is no ordinary year, and Trump was already so gravely wounded, with Republicans across the country rescinding their endorsements, that his ability to avoid a complete meltdown Sunday night ranks as a win,” Ben White writes.

“And Clinton for her part opted not to go for the kill shot. She mostly laughed off Trump’s attacks and declined to bring up the sexual assault allegations against him, instead pivoting to her own vision for the nation’s future. The lack of aggression irritated some Democrats who wanted to see Clinton knock down a staggering opponent.”

“But the high-road approach appeared to work with voters who declared Clinton the winner of the debate in multiple polls. And Clinton may have held back for strategic reasons, preferring to keep Trump alive rather than bait him into campaign killing moments that could drive him off the ticket in favor of Mike Pence . Clinton would likely win in any scenario but a Trump withdrawal would create significant uncertainty in a race that is now tilting back heavily in Clinton’s direction.”

A new PRRI/Atlantic poll finds Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump nationally by 11 points, 49% to 38%, with Gary Johnson at 2%.

A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds Clinton leading by five points, 42% to 37%, followed by Johnson at 10%.

“I may be limping across that finish line.”

— Donald Trump, quoted by the Washington Post.

“Top Democratic strategists are moving to capitalize on the extraordinary events of the last several days, now believing they have a real shot of retaking the House majority after a slew of Republican lawmakers renounced their support of Donald Trump over his lewd comments captured on video,” the Washington Post reports.

“Democrats are working quickly to ensure that no Republican lawmaker who has ever expressed support for their party’s presidential nominee can easily separate themselves from Trump following his 2005 comments about groping and kissing women in unwanted advances.”