3 things you should read before Sunday night’s second presidential debate
Plus, one thing you should listen to.
The much-anticipated first presidential debate was certainly a raucous affair, with scientific polls, among other indicators, signalling that Hillary Clinton was the clear winner among record-breaking audience.
But the second debate is setting up to be very different.
It follows some strategy re-calibration by Donald Trump and a less-watched vice-presidential debate. The Sunday night event, moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper and ABC’s Martha Raddatz in St. Louis, will also take the format of a town hall, with audience members asking half the questions.
Here are four things to read (and one thing to listen to) before Sunday night for a better debate-viewing experience.
A different format means a different approach
The task in the next debate’s town-hall setting: Connecting with voters—Washington Post
As the Post reports, the town hall format poses challenges for both Clinton and Trump.
Rather than taking questions primarily from a professional moderator, “candidates will be responding to the specific concerns of individual Americans.”
“Voters will be studying the candidates for their ability to relate to those concerns,” writes the Post‘s Karen Tumulty, who talked to advisers of former town hall debate participants.
For Trump, that means the town hall could be a less than ideal setting to try to settle scores or “re-litigate” the first debate by attacking Clinton. For the Democratic nominee, the question will be how she connects or deals with skeptical voters.
How are the candidates preparing this time?
New Debate Strategy for Donald Trump: Practice, Practice, Practice—The New York Times
One thing to look for Sunday: Trump will push the narrative that he will change the status quo in Washington, D.C.
Sean Spicer, the chief strategist for the Republican National Committee, who is working closely with the Trump campaign, told the Times that will create a contrast between the GOP nominee and Clinton.
“What needs to be done next is that he is seen as the element of change,” Spicer said.
Clinton debate prep is focused on what happens once the debate is done—Washington Post
As demonstrated by their subsequent ads, Clinton, as well as her running mate, Tim Kaine, aren’t solely interested in winning the debate. The two Democrats also approach debates with an eye on the day(s) after.
As the Post‘s Abby Phillip wrote, both Clinton and Kaine (the latter of which most thought lost his VP debate) have worked to bring up offensive things Trump has said, in an effort to bait either of the Republicans on-stage. Often, Trump and Pence denied the nominee ever said such things.
Then, after both the debates, the Clinton campaign has released ads splicing together clips of Trump’s comments with his or his running mate’s denial of those same comments.
After a reported five-hour debate session at her home Wednesday, Clinton is expected to come Sunday with another book of Trump quotes to make her opponent defend.
Bonus: A pre-debate must-listen
One thing that is sure to come up in Sunday’s debate is last week’s New York Times report on Trump’s tax records (which the candidate was refused to release, a break in tradition for presidential nominees).
If the Times‘s more than 2,700-word article strikes you as too formidable a weekend read, digest the findings in podcast form.
In an episode of the Times’s politics podcast, The Run-Up, two of the reporters who broke the story, Susanne Craig and David Barstow, explain how they obtained Trump’s tax returns, verified them, and how the billionaire could have avoided paying federal income taxes for nearly two decades.
Listen to the podcast on the Times website, or on iTunes or Google Play.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com