Tonight’s the night — the third presidential debate that (unfortunately) doesn’t end with a “three strikes and you’re out” rule. Because this election season has become a race to the bottom, a bottom so deep most Americans are questioning how we got here, the mark of a successful Round 3 for scandal-ridden Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is nothing a campaign should ever brag about.
Both Trump and Clinton have had enough smh-inducing missteps that now the conversation turns to what each candidate must do to capitalize on what will keep the undecided voter at home.
That’s right. The goal is no longer voter turnout.
When you can’t make people like you and therefore vote for you, it’s best to double down on your opponent’s unlikability in hopes that the undecideds stay home. Because in an unconventional, tabloid-style election, anything goes.
Here’s what we can expect in Round 3. To your corners, please.
The return of “you’re fired!”
As polls increasingly turn in Hillary Clinton’s favor (especially among women) with 19 days to go, it’s likely that Team Trump thinks its best bet is to solidify the base and keep undecideds away from Hillary.
So expect the return of Donald at his “finest.” (And by “finest” I mean worst.) We’ll likely hear about “crooked Hillary,” her health (including drug testing), emails, a rigged election, one-liners like his highly successful “you’d be in jail” and talk of Bill Clinton’s past indiscretions. Expect Donald Trump to up his game and throw “seeming presidential” out the window. Expect Donald Trump, the Twitter Troll.
We’ll watch as he peers over the top of her manicured coiffe, rolls his eyes, and perfects his duck face. His words and actions will double down on a base that cheers him when he takes any establishment politician to task, especially Hillary Clinton.
But he also needs to realize the power of silence. If his goal is to keep undecideds at home, Trump should let her speak. In other words, don’t interject so much that she doesn’t try to defend herself. There’s a reason why Hillary has the fewest number of press conferences this year — her campaign knows that she does best when she’s not seen or heard. Donald Trump has the opportunity to score major points if he allows Hillary to defend her record because she rarely does it well.
Doubling Down on Temperament
Expect Hillary to play it safe … because she can. Polls are turning in her favor, and Trump’s scandals and past debate performances have done very little to increase his likability. What she’s done has worked, so don’t expect her to rock the boat.
But she has a tough hill to climb. Chris Wallace is not an easy interview. This will be a better moderated debate; this will be a tough debate. And we’re also fresh on the heels of the WikiLeaks dump. She needs to have a good response to every question or accusation in order to ensure her own base turns out on election day.
If Hillary can answer questions about, and pivot away from, her scandals to put the spotlight on Trump, she has a good chance to win Round 3 … or just not lose it. Especially if she once again reminds undecided voters of Trump’s temperament. Sure, Hillary lies. But Trump is erratic. With the increase of violence at home and violent threats on the world stage, the temperament argument may keep people from voting for Donald Trump even if they could never vote for her. If people don’t know yet what they want to do, her best bet is to put him in an unvotable category and pray they don’t turn out or at worst vote third party.
In summary:
Trump’s goal for Round 3? Walk a fine line — double down on the brand his supporters will show up to support, but also allow Hillary to dig a deep enough hole that the undecided voter stays home.
Clinton’s goal for Round 3? Also, walk a fine line — answer the tough questions well so her base turns out on Nov. 8th, but also underline Donald Trump’s temperament as a means to turn off enough undecided voters that they just stay home.
To end on a positive note, it’s still October and we have baseball. The “three strikes and you’re out” rule doesn’t apply to much in 2016, but at least we can always count on America’s favorite pastime.
Beverly Hallberg is president of District Media Group. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
