Thursday, October 20, 2016

Hillary Debate Cartoons






Interim DNC boss Brazile denies receiving question before March town hall


Interim Democratic Party Chairwoman Donna Brazile vehemently denied receiving a question about the death penalty and tipping off the Hillary Clinton campaign prior to a March town hall hosted by CNN and TV One.
The revelation came after WikiLeaks released a batch of emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta last week. The day after apparently receiving the question it was provided by TV One’s Roland Martin verbatim to CNN.
“I’m not going to try and validate falsified information,” Brazile told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly after the third presidential debate.
“I have my documents. I have my files. Thank god I haven’t had my emails ripped off from me and stolen and given to some criminal to come back altered.”
The leaked email showed that Brazile wrote in the subject line “From time to time I get the questions in advance” and Kelly added that CNN said Martin, or someone at TV One, had given them to Brazile.
“As far as I know, CNN has never provided me with questions…ever,” Brazile responded.
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Kelly followed up, asking what Brazile was referring to when she said she got the questions in advance.
“A lot of those emails I would not give them the time of the day.” Brazile said denying the comments once more, saying they were not verified emails and may have been altered.
Brazile said in a statement after the leak last week that she would never share questions with candidates ahead of time.

The top 9 moments of the third presidential debate


The Top 9 Moments Of The Third Presidential Debate

Donald Trump on Wednesday night didn’t threaten to prosecute his opponent should he win the presidency on Nov. 8. Hillary Clinton didn’t spout off any obviously canned phrases for “Saturday Night Live” to mock. But there were still plenty of fireworks during the third -- and final -- presidential debate of 2016.
Here are the night’s top nine moments:
1. “Bad hombres”
Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, raised eyebrows during his response to a question about border security. The content of his answer wasn’t surprising for anyone who’s listened to Trump since he began his run for the White House -- build a wall and deport the “bad, bad people in this country.” But near the end of the remarks, Trump suddenly used a slang Spanish word for “men.”
“We have some bad hombres here and we’re gonna get them out,” Trump said.
Social media immediately lit up with reactions, and “Bad Hombres” was one of the top Twitter trends within minutes. The phrase had been tweeted out nearly 130,000 times by the time the debate ended.
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Even Clinton’s digital team quickly jumped on the phrase, tweeting out “Hombres”? #debatenight
2. “Open Borders”
Moderator Chris Wallace pressed Clinton on a controversial remark she made during a paid speech to a Brazilian bank shortly after she ended her tenure as secretary of state. Clinton has resisted releasing the transcripts of her so-called “Wall Street speeches” despite pressure from her primary and general election opponents. Some of the transcripts, however, recently leaked out when WikiLeaks published a trove of stolen emails allegedly belonging to Clinton campaign chair John Podesta.
“We've learned from WikiLeaks that you said this, and I want to quote, ‘my dream is a hemispheric common market with open trade and open borders,’” Wallace asked.
Trump immediately leaned into his microphone and said “Thank you.”
Clinton said the line had been misconstrued. She said she was talking about “energy” coming across borders, not illegal immigration.
Trump rolled his eyes and smirked at the explanation.
3. Vladimir Putin
After the topics of WikiLeaks and the Podesta hack were broached, the discussion turned toward Russia, the nation many intelligence experts believe was behind the Podesta hacking. Clinton attacked Trump for being too cozy with Russian president Vladimir Putin and said Trump would be Putin’s “puppet as president.”
Trump responded: “No puppet, no puppet. You’re the puppet.”
After some crosstalk, Trump continued to counterpunch.
“She doesn't like Putin because Putin has outsmarted her every step of the way,” he said.
4. Abortion and The Supreme Court
The next president might appoint as many as three Supreme Court justices, Wallace noted, a number that could influence whether the court leans left or right for an entire generation. The hot-button topic of abortion was discussed in this context, with Clinton unable to answer if she could ever support any regulation on the controversial procedure.
Trump responded with one of the most passionate -- and graphic -- answers he’d given during any debate.
“If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby,” Trump said. “Now, you can say that that's okay, and Hillary can say that that's okay, but it's not okay with me.”
5. Sexual misconduct allegations
Since lewd comments Trump made on a hot mic in 2005 were revealed two weeks ago, several women have come forward with claims that Trump sexually assaulted them. Trump denied all of the charges and accused Clinton “and her very sleazy campaign” of being behind the stories.
“Well, first of all, those stories have been largely debunked,” Trump said. “Those people, I don't know those people. I have a feeling how they came. I believe it was her campaign that did it.”
Clinton responded: “Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger. He goes after their dignity, their self-worth, and I don't think there is a woman anywhere who doesn't know what that feels like.”
6. Violence at rallies
Clinton lambasted Trump for being responsible for the rhetoric that she said provoked several violent incidents during his primary and general election rallies.
“This is a pattern, a pattern of divisiveness of a very dark and in many ways dangerous vision of our country where he incites violence, where he applauds people who are pushing and pulling and punching at his rallies,” Clinton said.
Trump, however, said it was Clinton who was guilty of starting the unrest. He cited an edited, undercover video released this week by a conservative activist. The footage allegedly shows Democrat operatives discussing how they have incited violence at Trump rallies.
“So sad when she talks about violence at my rallies and she caused the violence,” Trump said. “It's on tape.”
7. Clinton Foundation vs. Trump Foundation
Clinton and Trump traded shots about their respective namesake charity foundations, both of which have come under fire for various scandals.
When Clinton initially said she was “thrilled to talk about the Clinton Foundation,” Trump saw an opening.
“It's a criminal enterprise,” he said. “Saudi Arabia giving 25 million dollars. Qatar, all of these companies. You talk about women and women's rights. So these are people that push gays off buildings. These are people that kill women and treat women horribly. And yet you take their money. So I'd like to ask you right now why don't you give back the money that you have taken from certain countries that treat certain groups of people so horribly? Why don't you give back the money?”
Clinton retorted: “And I'd be happy to compare what we do with the Trump Foundation, which took money from other people and bought a six-foot portrait of Donald,” Clinton said. “I mean, who does that?”
8. Trump may not accept election results
Though he said during the first presidential debate that he would accept the results of November’s election whether he won or lost, Trump on Wednesday said he wasn’t so sure anymore. Trump has been frequently talking during rallies about his belief that the election is “rigged.”
“I will look at it at the time,” he said Wednesday night. “I'm not looking at anything now I will look at it at the time. What I've seen is so bad.”
Trump also said Clinton shouldn’t be eligible to run for the presidency because of her secret server scandal. Though authorities said Clinton was careless, after a lengthy investigation the FBI declined to charge her.
“She's guilty of a very, very serious crime,” Trump said. “She should not be allowed to run...What I'm saying now is I will tell you. I will keep you in suspense, okay?”
9. Rigged
Following up on Trump’s talk of a “rigged” election, Clinton said the rhetoric was not only untrue, but also a tool commonly employed by the billionaire businessman.
“Every time Donald thinks things are not going in his direction, he claims whatever it is is rigged against him,” she said. “The FBI conducted a year-long investigation into my e-mails. They concluded there was no case. He said that the FBI was rigged. He lost the Iowa caucus; he lost the Wisconsin primary. He said the Republican primary was rigged against him. Then Trump University gets sued for fraud and racketeering. He claims the court system and the federal judge is rigged against him. There was even a time when he didn't get an Emmy for his TV program three years in a row and he started tweeting that the Emmys were rigged.”
After hearing Clinton’s comment about the Emmy’s, Trump interrupted: “I should have gotten it.”

Strong night for Trump, but headline is his refusal to say he'll accept election outcome


Donald Trump had his strongest debate performance here in Las Vegas, and Hillary Clinton had to deal with probing questions about Wikileaks disclosures, late-term abortion and open borders.
In the end they were evenly matched, an outcome that favors Trump as the less experienced debater. But the 90 minutes moderated by Chris Wallace did little to change the dynamic of a race in which the Republican nominee is trailing.
Instead, in an unusually substantive and largely civil encounter, the candidates played to their respective bases on such issues as immigration and abortion.
So while Trump supporters have reason to cheer their man, who was far more sure-footed than in their first faceoff on Long Island, he did not shake up the race.
But Trump may have undone whatever progress he made with a single answer, refusing to say he would accept the results of an election he has increasingly described as rigged. “I will look at it at the time,” he said, adding that “the media is so dishonest and so corrupt” that it has “poisoned the minds of voters.” Clinton called that answer “horrifying” and said Trump often blames a loss on a rigged system, even when his “Apprentice” show didn’t win an Emmy three years in a row.
That will undoubtedly be the big headline coming out of the debate and will dog Trump between now and Election Day.
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Trump’s shakiest moment came when he was asked about the allegations of sexual misconduct by nine women. He said their stories were “largely debunked,” that they want their “10 minutes of fame” and said, without evidence, that he believed the Clinton campaign was behind it.
Clinton countered by saying Trump had denied the allegations by suggesting the women weren’t attractive, adding: “Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger.”
The Democratic nominee stumbled when asked about conflicts at the Clinton Foundation. When Clinton responded by praising the charity’s work, Wallace cut her off and tossed the question of Trump, who called it a “criminal enterprise.”
After two weeks of immersion in allegations of bias, misbehavior and a rigged election, the “Fox News Sunday” anchor brought the focus back to serious issues—and was tough on both contenders.
Some of the sharpest exchanges took place on immigration. Trump made his usual push for strong borders against “bad hombres”; Clinton said massive deportations would “rip our country apart” and accused her opponent of having “choked” by not bringing up his proposed wall during his meeting with Mexico’s president. She also accused him of bashing immigrants.
When Wallace asked Clinton about a Wikileaks disclosure that she had favored “open borders” in a six-figure speech to a big bank, she deflected the question and blamed Russian espionage for trying to influence the election. “That was a great pivot off the fact that she wants open borders,” Trump said.
She shot back by saying that Vladimir Putin wanted a “puppet” as president, prompting Trump to say they had never met and were hardly best friends.
An opening question on the Supreme Court produced a study in contrasts: Clinton talked about the court defending women’s, gay and abortion rights. Trump hit Ruth Bader Ginsburg and said the Second Amendment is under siege.
Prodded repeatedly by Wallace, Trump would not say he wanted the high court to overturn Roe v. Wade but said that would be the outcome since he will appoint pro-life justices. Clinton, of course, said she strongly supports the decision, noted Trump’s criticism of Planned Parenthood and recalled his walked-back remark about punishing women who had abortions if the procedure is outlawed.
Pressed by Wallace on why she voted against banning partial-birth abortion, Clinton said the government should not step in in making that “most personal of decisions.” Trump spoke of the gruesome nature of the procedure.
Wallace, who fought to enforce time limits, was also tough on Trump, saying that when it came to his financial plans, “even conservative economics” say “the numbers don’t add up.” Trump didn’t address that point but attacked NAFTA, pushed through by Bill Clinton, and accused his opponent of flip-flopping on the Pacific trade deal. “There’s only one candidate on this stage who has shipped jobs to Mexico,” she countered.
It is harder for a trailing candidate to shake up the race in a third debate, as impressions harden after the first two. Trump, who owns a major casino in this city, did not win enough chips to change the betting odds. And he continued to question whether the house rules are fair.
Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.

Trump won’t commit to accepting election results, at fiery final debate with Clinton


Donald Trump would not commit Wednesday night to accepting the results of the presidential election if he loses on Nov. 8, in a striking moment during his final debate with Hillary Clinton that underscored the deepening tensions in the race – as the bitter rivals defined the choice for voters on an array of issues not three weeks from Election Day.
The debate in Las Vegas, moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace, started with a measured discussion on policy disputes ranging from gun rights to abortion to immigration. But it ended with the candidates hurling a grab-bag of accusations and insults at each other.
Trump called Clinton a “nasty woman.” Clinton called Trump the “most dangerous” person to run for president in modern history.
The most pointed moment came when Trump – who for weeks has warned of a “rigged” election – was asked whether he will commit to accept the results of the election.

“I will look at it at the time,” Trump said, citing his concerns about voter registration fraud, a “corrupt media” and an opponent he claimed “shouldn’t be allowed to run” because she committed a “very serious crime” with her emails.
Pressed again whether he’s prepared to concede if he loses, Trump again said: “I will tell you at the time. I’ll keep you in suspense.”
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Clinton delivered a sharp rejoinder: “That’s horrifying.”
“That is not the way our democracy works,” she said. “He is denigrating, he’s talking down our democracy and I for one am appalled.”
Trump responded by calling the Justice Department’s handling of her email probe “disgraceful.”
The exchange was among many contentious moments at Wednesday’s debate, which covered several issues including the national debt that have gotten little attention in the race so far – but flared with arguments between the candidates over WikiLeaks, over Russia, over the Clinton Foundation and over women’s allegations of groping against Trump.
Through the thicket of accusations and personal animus – they never shook hands on stage – the candidates tried generally to mount a closing debate-stage argument about experience.
“For 30 years, you’ve been in a position to help. … The problem is you talk, but you don’t get anything done, Hillary,” Trump said. “If you become president, this country is going to be in some mess, believe me.”

Clinton countered by contrasting some of her experiences against Trump’s. She said when she was monitoring the Usama bin Laden raid in the Situation Room, “He was hosting ‘The Celebrity Apprentice.’”
“I’m happy to compare my 30 years of experience … with your 30 years, and I will let the American people make that decision,” Clinton said.
Trump, meanwhile, again disputed the multiple allegations of groping that women have leveled against him since the candidates’ last encounter. He also said he thinks the Clinton campaign is behind the claims, charging, “They either want fame or her campaign did it.”
Clinton said, “Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger.” Trump repeated that “nobody has more respect for women” than him.
Trump then shifted to blast the Clinton Foundation as a “criminal enterprise.” He pointed to donations from countries like Saudi Arabia to question Clinton’s commitment to women’s rights. He asked her if she would return money from countries that treat certain “groups of people horribly,” which she did not answer directly.
The candidates’ third and final debate now sets a bitter tone for the homestretch of the 2016 presidential campaign – a race that already stands out as arguably the most personal, caustic and unpredictable White House battle in modern politics.
Trump, slipping in the polls amid various campaign controversies, said at the last debate that Clinton should be in jail. Clinton has blasted Trump all along as temperamentally unfit for office.
Since the second debate, numerous women have come forward to accuse Trump of groping them, allegations he denies. WikiLeaks also has embarrassed the Clinton campaign by releasing thousands of hacked emails purportedly from her campaign chairman’s account. FBI files alleging a State Department official sought a “quid pro quo” to alter the classification on a Clinton server email added to the campaign’s – and Obama administration’s – woes.
The WikiLeaks controversy came up Wednesday night when Clinton asked if Trump would “condemn” Russian espionage. He denied knowing Vladimir Putin but said the issue is the Russian president has “no respect” for her.
“That’s because he’d rather have a puppet,” Clinton shot back.
Trump responded, “Nope. … you’re the puppet.”
Trump later said he condemns any interference by Russia in the election.
The candidates also sparred over gun rights, with the Republican nominee charging that the Second Amendment is “under absolute siege” and would be eroded if his opponent wins.
“We will have a Second Amendment which will be a very, very small replica of what we have now” if Clinton wins, Trump said.
The Democratic nominee countered, “I support the Second Amendment.”
In a graphic exchange, Trump said Clinton’s position on abortion is nearing a point where one could “rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month.” Clinton accused him of “scare rhetoric.”
They also clashed on immigration, with Trump saying they need to deport “drug lords” and deal with “bad hombres” in the country. Clinton said violent offenders should be deported but then mocked Trump for not pushing his controversial border wall proposal during his high-profile meeting with the Mexican president. “He choked,” she said.
Trump said Clinton “wanted a wall” when she voted for an immigration overhaul a decade ago – and now wants “open borders,” which she denied.
To date, the mounting controversies facing both campaigns have appeared to hurt Trump more than Clinton, who gradually has expanded her lead over the GOP nominee in recent polls.
A Fox News national poll released on the eve of the Las Vegas debate showed Clinton with a 6-point, 45-39 percent lead over Trump in a match-up that includes Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Trump, in the final three weeks, is thought to be zeroing in on several key battlegrounds including Florida, Ohio and North Carolina – but the polls suggest his path to the presidency remains narrow, as even once-reliably red states like Texas are being contested by the Clinton campaign.

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