This was the third and final debate for the 2016 presidential election. It was moderated by Chris Wallace of Fox News. I didn’t care much for Chris Wallace, but he was probably the most fair as compared to the previous debate “moderators”, which isn’t saying much.
It started out with issues that weren’t personal. They were actually policy issues. It started with the Supreme Court. I wish someone would point out that there is something wrong with our whole government when five out of nine justices are deciding policy for 325 million (or more) people.
On abortion, Trump took the proper constitutional stance that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and left to the states. I doubt Roe v. Wade will be overturned even if Trump becomes president, but his position was essentially the correct one. It is a position of decentralization and federalism.
When they were arguing over immigration, Hillary Clinton brought in the accusation that Russia has been hacking the U.S. government (which she nor anyone else has any proof of) and is responsible for the emails on Wikileaks.
From a non-interventionist point of view, Trump’s response was great. He said he doesn’t know Putin, but just that he wants to get along with him. He pointed out that there are thousands of nuclear warheads pointed at us and Hillary wants to play a game of chicken with them.
If I can find a reason to actually vote in this presidential election, it would be this. If I thought that there would be a difference of having a major war versus not having a major war, then I would vote for Trump.
On the economy, Hillary Clinton brought out the Bernie Sanders plan of free college. She even mentioned Sanders by name, probably trying to get and/ or keep some of his supporters.
Trump actually sounded better than in the past regarding trade. He continues to say he doesn’t like the trade agreements, which libertarians can agree with. But he did say he wants free trade, which is good to hear. He continues to say that he wants tax cuts for individuals and businesses. The major thing to criticize Trump on (and Clinton too) is that he proposes no major (if any) cuts to the federal government.
Hillary Clinton said she would not add one penny to the national debt. The most recent annual deficit was over $600 billion. So unless she proposes to reduce federal spending by $600 billion (and more for her free college), then it is a complete lie. Even if she could get through tax hikes on the “rich”, it wouldn’t come anywhere close to closing the annual deficit. It probably wouldn’t close it at all.
Overall, from a libertarian perspective, they are both bad on economics, but Trump gives a little bit of hope.
I don’t have much to say in terms of the personal stuff. Some women have made accusations against Trump. Maybe some of them are true. Maybe some of them are half-truths. Or maybe they were put out there by the Clinton campaign as Trump said, which wouldn’t be surprising. My overall inclination is that Trump is “a player”, but he is not violent (unlike others). This will upset a lot of people, but I think Trump is a lot like John F. Kennedy. He may have his moral indiscretions, but I believe he means well for the country. Let’s hope he doesn’t end up like Kennedy.
The last policy question of the debate was on entitlements. This is a major issue in which neither candidate has an actual answer for. The only answer will be for piecemeal defaults in the future, whether that means increasing the government retirement age and/ or fewer benefits for all. That is just a statistical reality, but nobody wants to hear that, so they don’t answer the question.
I have no idea what will happen on November 8th. I know Hillary Clinton is the favorite to win, but Brexit was also supposed to lose. There are a lot of silent people out there who will vote for Trump. Actually, it won’t be so much of a vote for Trump as it is a middle finger to the establishment. Stay tuned for the fireworks.