8 Takeaways From The Second Presidential Debate
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Politics and Activism

8 Takeaways From The Second Presidential Debate

Spoiler Alert: Nothing's Really Changed

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8 Takeaways From The Second Presidential Debate
Quartz

Last Sunday, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri (Go Blues, it's hockey season!) hosted one of the most memorable events in its history. There was also the second presidential debate. As customary, the second debate was a "town hall" format in which half of the questions were asked by undecided voters (Really? You're still undecided at this point?) and the other half of questions asked by moderators Anderson Cooper from CNN and Martha Raddatz from ABC News based on trending political topics on social media. Let's begin with a handshake...

Or not. Anyway, here's the eight takeaways from the second presidential debate.


1. Baby, It's Cold Outside

As you all probably saw, Donald Trump walked back and forth across the stage at times. Ok, he did it a lot! Whether it was lurking behind Hillary Clinton while she answered an audience member's question or just pacing back and forth, Trump definitely made things super awkward! What would have been more awkward is if both candidates interrupted the debate (Someone interrupting? Shocking!) and gave their rendition of the classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside." They both had microphones, so it was possible. My inside sources told me that they did plan to sing the song, but Trump backed out after his lewd comments about women leaked a couple of days before the debate. "I was so looking forward to singing this song," Trump said. "It would have been my best recording since I sang theme song to 'Green Acres' at the Primetime Emmy Awards. The sales would have been huge!"


2. Another Dead Guy Gets Mentioned In A Debate

First, there was General Douglas MacArthur. Now it's Abraham Lincoln! Who will be dead guy for the final debate? Sammy Davis, Jr.? The Lincoln reference came about for Hillary Clinton's somewhat bizarre comparison used in responding to a question about one of her Wall Street speeches that appeared on WikiLeaks. As usual, Trump called Clinton a liar after her response and said Honest Abe would be rolling over in his grave after hearing that. "Honest Abe never lied!" I sure he did, Donald. Everybody lies. Everybody.


3. Bill Clinton Must Have Been Super Uncomfortable

With a combination of four women in the audience who claimed the former president sexually abused them at one point and his wife being verbally criticized by an individual who definitely knows more about everything than anybody else, Bill Clinton was justifiably "on edge" and looked like he could have snapped at any minute. Maybe his daughter, Chelsea, could have harped more about his four month old grandson, Aidan, and his Tickle Me Elmo toy in order to ease the tension. The biggest lesson learned from all of this: don't piss off a former president!


4. Are Those Questions The Best You Got?

As part of the second debate, several undecided voters are given the opportunity to ask a question to one or both of the candidates. Usually, the questions are valuable and hold much merit. This election's questions, however, if I had to put in a nice way...sucked. "Do you believe you can be a devoted president to all the people of the United States?" What does that even mean?! "Secretary Clinton, does Mr. Trump have the discipline to be a good leader?" Big fat no. Why did you even ask that question?! I seriously feel sorry for those two individuals for wasting a golden opportunity being on television and, more importantly, wasting millions of Americans' time. Now that I think about it, these debates have been a whole waste of time. Can we vote already?


5. Martha Raddatz Secretly Wanted To Slap Donald Trump

Co-moderator Martha Raddatz became somewhat upset for being constantly interrupted by Donald Trump and for consistently not answering the original question and going off on tangents. Hypothetical example: "Mr. Trump, what is your favorite flavor of ice cream?" Trump responds, "That's a great question. I get asked this question a lot. First of all, ice cream is the king of all desserts. There are so many flavors out there that Baskin Robins was founded. I have so many investments in Baskin Robins, it's unbelievable. When was the last time you didn't see a Baskin Robins? Probably never just like me, because ice cream is so presidential. I tell you who's not presidential...Hillary Clinton. Hillary Clinton has never eaten ice cream in her life..." "Mr. Trump, your time is up and you never answered the question." "Um, excuse me, yes I did and I'm not finished. Hillary Clinton does not have a sweet tooth and if the emails weren't enough, not liking ice cream should have her put in jail and I will do that after becoming president." "MR. TRUMP, you're being ridiculous!" Kudos to Ms. Raddatz for keeping her cool for the most part.


6. Ken Bone

The photo speaks for itself! Just remember to keep your mind out of the gutter when repeating his name.


7. The Epic Final Question

Perhaps the only bit of saving grace in the second presidential debate was the final question of the evening: "Regardless of the current rhetoric, would either of you name one positive thing that you respect in one another?" Clinton responded that she admired Trump's children while Trump commended Clinton on being a "fighter" who "doesn't give up." Trump also said Clinton's admiration of his children was a "very nice compliment." When it comes to running for President of the United States, you pretty much don't have to put up much of a fight against the woefully underqualified Donald Trump. Trump was obviously just finding something to say in order to actually answer a question. Here's to ending on a high note carrying over the final debate. Yeah, right!


8. Can We Seriously Just Vote Now?

Two debates down, one to go. Wait, there's one more?! Are you serious? For everything that is good for the United States of America, can we please just vote already? None of the debates have caused significant shifts in support for one candidate to the other and I think it's safe to say the final debate will have the same outcome. I suppose I'll still watch though so I can write another article. Oh, the perks of writing for the Odyssey!


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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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