“Mike Pence did an incredible job and I’m getting a lot of credit.”
— Donald Trump, quoted by NBC News, praising his running mate’s debate performance.
Quote of the Day
“Senator, you’ve whipped out that Mexican thing again.”
— Gov. Mike Pence, quoted by the New York Times in last night’s vice presidential debate.
How Pence’s Debate Win Actually Hurts Trump
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Republicans Ready to Pretend Trump Never Existed
David Frum: “The Trump candidacy succeeded because of a massive revolt among rank-and-file Republicans against their leaders. Should the Trump candidacy fail, as now seems likely, those leaders stand ready to deny that the revolt ever happened. Instead, they’ll have a story of a more or less normal Republican undone only because (as Pence said last night) ‘he’s not a polished politician.’ The solution for 2020? Bring back the professionals—and return to business as usual.”
“It’s unlikely to work. But you can understand why it’s an attractive message to a party elite that discovered to its horror that it had lost its base and lost its way.”
Clinton Opens Up Wide National Lead
A new Fairleigh Dickinson Public Mind poll finds Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump by nine points nationally, 45% to 36%, with Gary Johnson at 11%.
Said pollster Krista Jenkins: “The post-presidential debate landscape is clearly favoring Clinton. Trump’s continued weight shaming of a former Miss Universe and the weekend disclosure of his 1995 tax returns are but a sample of difficult news coverage for the Republican candidate.”
Trump Supporters Grow Angrier With Clinton
Washington Post: “For years, they have not liked or trusted her — many say it’s fair to describe their feelings as hatred — and the nine days since Trump’s poor debate performance have only confirmed and intensified their feelings. At several recent Trump rallies, anti-Clinton sentiment felt stronger than ever as attendees screamed out nicknames and criticisms of her, erupted in chants of “Lock her up!” and angrily accused reporters of promoting her candidacy.”
“Trump supporters have long worn shirts or buttons labeling Clinton a ‘bitch,’ but there’s a new T-shirt popping up at recent events with an even harsher message: ‘I wish Clinton had married O.J.,’ the former football star who was acquitted in 1995 on charges that he murdered his ex-wife.”
Democrats Don’t See Many Undecided Voters
Greg Sargent: “Top Democratic strategists have concluded that at this point, there are very few undecided voters left, based on both public polls and on private polling that attempts to push undecided voters to make a choice.”
Most Say It’s ‘Unpatriotic’ Not to Pay Taxes
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll finds that 67% of Americans said it is “selfish” for a presidential candidate to pay no taxes, while 61% said it is “unpatriotic.”
“At the same time, the results showed some respect for a candidate who can figure out how to reduce their tax bill. Some 46% of Americans, including 35% of Democrats and 62% of Republicans, thought a presidential candidate who pays no taxes is ‘smart.'”
Gore Will Hit Trail for Clinton
“Al Gore will start campaigning for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, according to individuals briefed on the plan, in an effort to mobilize young voters who see climate change as a key issue,” the Washington Post reports.
“The decision by Gore to plunge into the campaign during the final weeks shows the extent to which Democrats remain concerned that Clinton has yet to connect with many millennials, some of whom are backing third-party candidates this year. The former vice president, a climate activist, will speak about not just Clinton’s plan to address global warming, but also the idea that voting for an independent presidential candidate could deliver the White House to Republicans in the same way that Ralph Nader’s candidacy helped undermine his presidential bid in 2000.”
Trump Could Release His 2015 Tax Return
“Donald Trump may have one last tax card to play, and it’s a doozy: his 2015 tax return,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In little-noticed comments after his first debate with Hillary Clinton, the Republican presidential candidate suggested he would make that return public within weeks.”
“Although Mr. Trump’s campaign didn’t respond to questions about that comment, his latest tax return is likely in the final stages of preparation… He could forgo otherwise allowable deductions to make his tax return more politically palatable. He could do so without imperiling his stated rationale for releasing returns from the recent past, because the 2015 return presumably wouldn’t be under Internal Revenue Service audit at the minute he files it.”
Is Trump Angry with Pence?
CNN reported that a source close to Donald Trump notes that the reviews that Gov. Mike Pence did better in his debate “won’t go over well with Trump.”
John Harwood quotes a Trump adviser after Pence passed up opportunities to defend the top of the ticket: “Pence won overall, but lost with Trump”
Instant Poll Finds Pence Narrowly Won Debate
A new CNN/ORC poll finds that 48% of those who watched the vice presidential debate thought Gov. Mike Pence performed better while 42% said they thought Sen. Tim Kaine won.
More Reactions to the Vice Presidential Debate
Dan Balz: “Overall it was an unsatisfying, disjointed debate, as the two candidates brushed past specific questions to open up other arguments at will. It probably changed few minds and no doubt brought some encouragement to the bases of the two parties. In that way it was a typical vice-presidential debate.”
Jonathan Chait: “Pence provided an evening of escapist fantasy for conservative intellectuals who like to close their eyes and imagine their party has nominated a qualified, normal person for president. It is hard to see how he helped the cause of electing the actual nominee.”
Robert Costa: “It was a dutiful, deflective and prepared performance for a campaign that rarely fits that description. Instead of causing Trump or his aides campaign-changing headaches, Pence played it safe and, when he could, sought to reassure the movement conservatives he knows well and who have been wary of Trump’s murky populism. Beneath the smooth patter, however, there were significant cracks with Trump — especially with regard to Russia and its role in the war in Syria — that showcased how far Pence’s instincts stray from Trump’s.”
Glenn Thrush: “The Virginia senator has a reputation for being a nice guy, but he was given a hit man’s job on Tuesday. And the target was Trump, not Pence, whom the Clinton campaign regards as a political bit player who will vanish into obscurity after the election. Hence, Kaine’s task was a slightly awkward one: to aim over Pence and hit Trump. It didn’t really work, and not for lack of trying.”
Andrew Sullivan: “As for Kaine, I don’t think he appeared presidential; he failed to defend the past eight years clearly and aggressively enough; he did nothing to rouse the Obama coalition. He seemed like a classic politician. He was strong on abortion at the end, and on his faith. He seems like a hugely decent guy – but he missed a few moments to really expose Trump’s extremism the way he needed to.”
Reaction to the Vice Presidential Debate
The vice presidential debate was pretty much a mess.
Moderator Elaine Quijano had no control over the candidates and raced through topics as if the goal was to cover everything possible in just 90 minutes. She robotically read through her list of questions but seemed to disregard the answers.
Neither Tim Kaine or Mike Pence came off very well either. They didn’t answer questions. They tried and failed with canned attack lines. They were disrespectful of the weak attempts by the moderator to keep them on topic. They both talked over each other so much that it was annoying to almost everyone watching.
Pence had a much tougher job at the outset. After Donald Trump’s disastrous debate performance last week, Pence needed to do something to reverse the momentum. He didn’t do it. Aside from brushing aside what Trump has said, it’s not clear what his strategy was. On some issues, like Russia and Syria, Pence actually disagreed with Trump.
All Kaine needed to do was make the debate about Donald Trump but he couldn’t do it either. He came off as nervous and overly rehearsed. He didn’t effectively call out Pence for denying basic facts about Trump.
If you scored the debate on style, Pence probably won narrowly. He looked into the camera and came off as the calmer of the two. I suspect most instant polls will find Pence the winner.
However, Kaine was a much better running mate. He defended the nominee at the top of his ticket. Pence wasn’t willing to do it.
After watching the debate, it’s clear that Kaine is running for vice president in 2016. But Pence sounded more like he’s running for president in 2020.
The Vice Presidential Debate
Sen. Tim Kaine and Gov. Mike Pence face off in the first and only vice presidential debate of the campaign at 9 p.m. ET.
Leave your reactions in the comments.
Weld Will Now Focus on Stopping Trump
Libertarian vice presidential candidate William Weld told the Boston Globe “that he plans to focus exclusively on blasting Donald Trump over the next five weeks, a strategic pivot aimed at denying Trump the White House and giving himself a key role in helping to rebuild the GOP.”
“Weld’s comments in a Globe interview mark a major shift in his mission since he pledged at the Libertarian convention in May that he would remain a Libertarian for life and would do all he could to help elect his running mate, Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico.”
RNC Says Pence Already Won the Debate
The RNC declared Gov. Mike Pence the winner of the vice presidential debate — two hours before it even happened.
Accountant Says Trump Was No Genius on His Taxes
Donald Trump’s former accountant challenged the Republican presidential nominee’s assertion that he “brilliantly” used tax laws to avoid paying federal taxes, Politico reports.
Said Jack Mitnick: “I did all the tax preparation. He never saw the product until it was presented to him for signature.”
