Lessons learned, maybe

To me, Donald Trump during the debate appeared like a spoiled, petulant teenager who is just been told he can't have the new car he wants. Hey non-statistically significant survey of commentary from and readers of the New York Times, Washington Post etc. finds that conclusion that Donald Trump was perhaps not a disaster but was soundly defeated. So what. It has become more and more clear that the opinions of the elite, the intelligentsia or any other similar term, are relatively unimportant. Whatever effect this and the next debates will have we'll only be measured by the effect it has on the narrow group of undecided or those leaning towards third party candidates.

We can expect Trunp to be better next time. That will mean he will tend more towards opinions and and stay away from issues that have a factual basis. He will simply say that the country has gone to hell and it is the fault of the Washington elite, particularly the Democrats. He will also claim he has the best plan to revive the economy and create jobs, while insisting that anything that what Hillary Clinton proposes is just the same old.

Hillary Clinton has two problems on the economic point. First, although any consensus of competent economists would say that Trumps plan is ridiculous, he has Professor Navarro to cite as an expert who supports them. There is no way to reasonably expect the American voting public to choose between competing experts opinions, particularly since they will be only briefly stated by the candidates. The other big problem Hillary Clinton has in this sector is the TPP. She was for it. She changed position not because of anything Trump said but because of the primary fight with Bernie Sanders. She should be advocating that trade deal. Over 80% of a broad spectrum of economists said that it was a good deal for the US. There was months ago an article in the op-ed section of the New York Times, I think by either Thomas Friedman or David Brooks, discussing the type of trade deal Trump would like to make and demonstrating that this was it. Republicans have long been for free trade, probably more than Democrats. The authorization for the TPP was bipartisan. She has really dug herself a hole and I don't know exactly how she gets out of it . The best she can do is state



 in so many words, Yes I was for it but after mature consideration I changed my mind. She has got to quit disassembling on this issue.

She needs to direct the next debate as much as possible towards foreign-policy. Donald Trump displays total ignorance and nobody believes he has a "secret plan." She should be as specific as possible about her own plan. It is as to foreign-policy that Donald Trump's reckless language and demeanor concerns the voting public the most. She needs to exploit tha