Hillary, Trump neck and neck heading into first debate
AFP
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump prepared to square off yesterday in their first presidential debatea keenly awaited clash that comes as they sit nearly neck and neck in the polls, reports AFP from Washington. The debate, which is expected to be watched by tens of millions of Americans, could draw a record number of viewers when it kicks off at 9:00 pm (0100 GMT Tuesday).
Many Americans are uncertain what to expect from the clash, which pits two vastly different candidates against each other on one tiny stage.
Clinton, 68, enters the fray as a polished former secretary of state and ex-senator, who after almost 40 years of public service is well versed on the issues. Trump, a 70-year-old billionaire and former reality TV star, is good on his feet, and unpredictablemore comfortable in the limelight than on issues. As many as 90 million people are expected to tune in as the pair face off at Hofstra University in New York six weeks before the November 8 election.
The debate is being held one day after a Washington Post-ABC News poll revealed that Clintons slim advantage over Trump from last month has evaporated.
She is tied with Trump at 41 percent among registered voters, with Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson at seven percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at two percent, according to the poll. In a two-way match-up, Trump and Clinton were even at 46 percent of registered voters. The survey showed a statistical tie among likely voters as well.
Another poll out Monday, by CNN/ORC, showed them separated by just a point in two battleground states, Pennsylvania and Colorado. Many analysts say debates usually dont win candidates the election but can well lose it for them. A single sentence or the slightest slip can do serious damage.
I think this thing will be close right up until the end, said Clinton running mate Tim Kaine. We have to make our case every day. The debates are a great way to do that. The Clinton campaign expressed concern Sunday over what it called a double standard, with a number of experts saying the bar has been raised higher for her.
Its unfair to ask that Hillary Clinton both play traffic cop with Trump, make sure that his lies are corrected, and also to present her vision for what she wants to do for the American people, campaign manager Robbie Mook told broadcaster ABC. Her team is concerned that the moderator, Lester Holt of NBC, will toss simpler softball questions in Trumps direction while pressing Clinton with a much more challenging interrogation.
All that were asking is that if Donald Trump lies, that its pointed out, Mook said. But Trump has already stated that he does not believe Holts purpose as moderator is to police each candidate.
Mind games were also on display as Trump threatened to invite Gennifer Flowers, a former lover of Bill Clinton, to watch the high-stakes battle from a front-row seat. Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said it was meant to show the New York billionaire had ways to get inside the head of Hillary Clinton but she told CNN there were no plans to actually invite Flowers. Nine percent of voters by some estimates still dont know who to cast their ballot for, after a long campaign in which bitter attacks have often replaced talk of substance.
And this year has been like none in the past, with Trump using social media around the clock in combative fashion, while often making mistakes, misstatements and blunders that do not seem to trouble his base. Ahead of the debates Clinton has been cloistered with aides and her papers at home in Chappaqua, north of New York, even practicing with relatives playing Trump. She has been focusing on his psychological profile, with a goal to get Trump to crack, to show that he cant control himself and lacks the even-handed temperament a president needs. If he reacts by attacking, Trump risks losing votes from women. He already has a harder time with women voters, and they make up 53 percent of those who turn out.
