Incredibly painful viewing. I don't understand how people claim Trump's campaign is over on the back of that performance. Yes, he was boorish, bombastic, rude, incompetent, misogynistic, hypocritical, blatantly misinformed - all of the "qualities" that have gotten him to this point. What about the % of audience who (rightly) switched off after 20 minutes because Hurricane Trump was just destroying any semblance of a "debate" with customary WWF style bluster.
Of course, Clinton won easily with regards to content, knowledge, etiquette - I'm not so sure any of these are particularly important to half the American voters any more. They want to express raw, incoherent anger and Trump embodies that. Crazy as it sounds Trump was right in a real broken-clock-is-right-twice-a-day type manner. Trade deals like NAFTA only serve to increase wealth disparity and strengthen the legal positions of corporations. Clinton is incredibly hawkish on foreign policy and no doubt IS on the very politicians who voted for the Iraq War and out of that "vacuum" (Trump's used that word) - created ISIS. Fortunately, Trump is too stupid and ignorant to make any of this shit stick - his policy knowledge is inch-deep, mile wide. Soundbite without substance. And Clinton has too many skeletons in her (family) closet to really attack Trump, opening up pandora's box and she's risks being swept away in the Trump tornado.
In that sense, Clinton's strategy is probably correct in maintaining her civility and playing the rope-a-dope tactic and hoping Trump will hang himself. But if nothing has hung him so far, I don't see it happening. Clinton must go to bed (with Bill on the couch in the basement) wondering how on earth she dedicated her entire life immersed in public service and international relations, and now see her life work and ambition torn down by a silver-spoon buffoon with absolutely no experience, qualifications or idea about policy or government.
I think we can all see behind her smile and poise there must some kind of toxic anger for not only Trump, but their "democracy" and the American people in general. Contempt, perhaps rightfully so, that she is so hated by a general populace who largely has no ******* idea what it takes (for a woman no less) to rise to the position she has in America. That is fundamentally why I think Hillary Clinton is so unpopular and in danger of losing this election to a borderline psychopath and illiterate - every day she must hear how "deeply unpopular" she is - but looks at Obama - same exact candidate, only less experienced - how he swept into power twice so easily. She's a woman who embodies all of the same contradictions and ruthless ambitions all male politicians do and is held to a much higher standard than any of them, particularly her husband. (even the email scandal - when you consider some of the accusations Bill dealt with, in office no less) I'm intrigued whether Hillary Clinton has anything other than hatred and contempt in her heart sometimes, because I sure wouldn't.