Trail Mix

Seems like a fitting time to remember Emma Lazarus, the poet who authored our nation’s greatest promise:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Is this getting ridiculous or what?

Washington Post: “Hackers targeted voter registration systems in Illinois and Arizona, and the FBI alerted Arizona officials in June that Russian hackers were behind the assault on the election system in that state.”

By Dvitale300, a Trail Mix Contributor

I’ve seen lots of posts and comments about whether or not Clinton should debate Trump.  Now, the common wisdom is that if a candidate is really ahead – they should avoid / diminish the number of debates.  After all, if you are going to win – there’s no upside to debating – only a downside – let’s say you curse at your opponent, or compare yourself to Kennedy, or perhaps misspeak about what territory Russia is controlling!

Fearless leader says Clinton should not debate Trump.  I’m leaning in that direction.  I thoroughly believe that the media (whatever that means) is not interested in a debate, a discussion of contrasting ideas on how to solve such major issues like immigration reform, crime in cities, overpopulated prisons, foreign trade agreements, etc. . .  Instead, a media faced with the possibility of an electorate bored with a foregone conclusion, is focused on instigating a cage fight between two septuagenarians.  We won’t see questions about how the United States should handle Syrian refugees, but rather we will see questions about who is the biggest bigot.

In an interesting post, Steve McQuinn from Quora, gives his sage advice to Clinton as to how she should approach the Presidential debates:

“My advice to Hillary:

1. Do not ever engage Trump directly in verbal exchange, do not respond directly to his provocations. A debate is not a dialog. A shouting match of zingers and putdowns will only depress the turnout.

2. Keep nonverbal reactions to Trump very subtle and mild. Don’t roll your eyes, just raise your eyebrows. Don’t laugh out loud, just smile wryly. Respond to Trump’s style with a deconstruction of his demagoguery, directed at the audience in terms that show Trump is disrespecting the audience.

3. Respond to Trump’s misstatements with simple, informative corrections that not only set the record straight, they educate the audience without being condescending. Use down to earth metaphors, analogies, and stories about real people.

4. Always speak to the audience, not to the moderators, who are mostly interested in provoking spectacle. Everything uttered should be couched as values that serve people. Everything should be a positive assertion of faith in the best of human nature.

5. When in doubt about how to conduct yourself, ask yourself, “What would Elizabeth Warren do?”

So what say ye Trail Mixers?  Should Clinton debate or not – and what should the strategy be if she decides to?

More Posts by Dvitale300

By Jace, a Trail Mix Contributor

A big work for a Sunday morning. Concerto for four hands. Enjoy the music and have a wonderful Sunday!

More Posts by Jace

Come Labor Day would be a good time for Hillary Clinton to rise above it. Why respond in kind to Donald Trump’s insults? You’ve got this thing, he’ll be soon forgotten. Ignore him. Build forward, positively. Let surrogates do whatever dirty work needs doing. And as for the debates, just pretend he isn’t there (still think you should skip them, nothing but pointless risk).