The hardest kind of week for me to sift happens when we’re all staying up Sunday night watching a major news event and still buzzing about it Monday morning. So expect everything to be slow today.
My snap judgment on the debate is that both candidates did what they needed to do. Clinton was trying to stay on track to victory, so she wanted to appeal to the majority of the country. Trump was trying to stop a meltdown in his support by rallying his base. So if you already believed that Hillary belongs in jail, you were thrilled to hear Trump all but promise to put her there. But if you came to the debate looking for an American president rather than a third-world despot, you probably weren’t impressed.
I considered writing about something not related to the debate, Trump, and his 2005 discussion of sexual assault and trying to get married women into bed. But I came to the conclusion that nobody would hear it. I think that most people who aren’t paying attention to this issue are avoiding the news altogether right now. Also, there are some things worth saying about it — and a lot of things not worth saying, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. So for the second week in a row I’m going to take the name of this blog seriously and do some sifting: The voices you should hear are already out there, for the most part. I just need to collect and annotate.
I’m not sure how long that’s going to take. I’m guessing I’ll have an article out by 10 and a weekly summary by noon or so, but I don’t really know.
The Weekly Sift 
Comments
good luk with THAT. Wotta mess.
How about some discussion and comment on the format and structure of these “debates”. Who’s responsible for the formatting?….the WWF?
I feel like I just watched a Hunger Games spectacle or a Jerry Springer episode.
A contrived event staged to create a spectacle rather than inform.
Degrading to the candidates and insulting to anyone with an ounce of thoughtfulness.
I need to go shower….again.
I agree. Put the “audience” behind soundproof glass and turn off the mike when a respondent’s time has expired.
I thought Hillary Clinton was poised, personable and persuasive. I was very impressed by her restraint and ability to focus on policy while Trump was theatening to throw in jail and hurling ugly insult after insult at her. I don’t know many people who could have kept their cool under that kind of vicious attack.
Sent from my iPad GEB
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