The Final Debate
October 20, 2016

That’s all folks! The third time’s the charm in presidential debates as both candidates saved their best performances for their last encore. Unfortunately since the bar was set lower than Gary Johnson’s Jeopardy score, that’s not saying much. However those of you who tuned in were almost certainly impressed with the single-minded determination of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in their quest to bring down Trump’s campaign. The deciding moment was when Trump injected some suspense into the debate by refusing to say whether he’ll accept the results of the election. Cue a collective national gasp, a predictable Twitter meltdown and a trademark Clinton Smirk. There have been so many gaffes and scandals which have apparently spelled the end of Trump’s 2016 campaign, but openly undermining the entire American democratic system for purely personal gain surely takes the cake.
Donald Trump arrived in Vegas wearing his game face, donning his presidential hat and using his indoor voice. He used the first half hour to talk about substantial policy on immigration, the economy and the Supreme Court. He also stepped up his attacks on Clinton, painting her as a failed politician with serious issues. Trump was desperate for victory and for a while it looked like he might actually pull it off. But then Clinton began baiting him and things unraveled faster than Melania Trump’s speaking career. While Clinton kept her cool, Trump’s arguments tumbled into each other like sleepy puppies and his bizarre attacks ranged from playground arguments (I know you are but what am I) to sexist insults (such a nasty woman) to Spanish lessons (bad hombres) to an impressive Alec Baldwin impersonation (wrong!).
Clinton attacked Trump's misogyny, flip flopping and inexperience with a rarely-encountered energetic passion. She’s regularly been compared to a mechanical robot devoid of emotion and far too scripted; but her fans needn’t have worried. She was as confident, relaxed and powerful as her crisp white pantsuit, no doubt a result of her amazing rise in recent polls – or rather Trump’s amazing fall. She was particularly effective at getting under Trump’s skin (think: Russian-puppet, women-groper, Mexican-hater), forcing him to be on the defensive for most of the night. In fact, the only person who had a better night than Clinton was moderator Chris Wallace who kept everything supremely controlled and rolling smoothly. But Clinton’s winning streak hasn’t ended with Vegas, and now she’s one step closer to winning the election jackpot.
Feel that what happens in Vegas should stay the hell there? Movie for your mood: The Hangover