Millions of Americans and others around the world were transfixed to their televisions and computers Monday as the two major candidates vying to be the next leader of the free world traded blows during an often surreal debate that prompted one expat in Chapala to observe, “The United States has 340,000 million people and two bad candidates.”
Unfortunately, the campaign has centered more on the defects of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump than their attributes and vision for the United States and the world.
The first debate did nothing to alter this.
Michael Hogan, the Emeritus Humanities Chair at the American School Foundation of Guadalajara, was disheartened at the deficiencies of both candidates: “So sad to see the future leaders of our country engaged in a low level argument that was even embarrassing to our students at the American School. The kids made a list of the fallacies: hasty generalization, ad hominem, ad populum, false analogy, and non sequitur. Trump was clearly the worst offender, but Clinton wallowed in the same demeaning bog.”
While most news channels and reliable polls marked down the Democratic candidate as the clear “winner” of the debate, many viewers in Mexico were far from convinced.
“It’s difficult to say that Trump lost it completely, because at the end of the day his supporters aren’t interested in constructive arguments, facts or figures, given that they won’t be voting with their brains or for ideas, but with their fears or against something, such as immigration or Islam,” said Mickaël Thomassin, a French resident of Guadalajara and former journalist.
“I was laughing the whole time. There is no substance in either of them,” said Javier Melgoza, a Mexican-American resident of Guadalajara. “It causes me a lot of pain to say it, but when Trump says Clinton has been around for 20 years and hasn’t done anything, he is right. The debate was about the same old issues that Reagan or Carter talked about. The politicians see the people as just a means to get elected. Trump is not the real problem. He should be a wake-up call to both Democrats and Republicans and God forbid it doesn’t get worse. Trump represents a bunch of lies but he brought up so many issues the politicians were ignoring.”
In contrast to the polls, some Mexicans believed Trump did just enough to swing the outcome.
“Who won the debate? Rather who gained more from the debate?” asked Informador columnist Ivabelle Arroyo. “Trump. Not because of his intelligence, his diagnostics, or the soundness of his policies, but because he reinforced basic Republican economic stereotypes, assailed against Latinos and was careful not to beat up on Hillary.”
Observed Javier Garcia of Chapala: “In terms of a boxing match, Clinton won on technical points, not by a knock out. Towards the end of the bout she scored by throwing some punches at Trump’s vanity and huge ego.”
Others found Clinton’s performance far too measured for their liking.
“Her discourse was predictable,” said Francisco Hernández of Atotonilquillo, Jalisco. “She needs to be more daring. Trump is crazy, but he’s a showman. He comes off strong even though his words are empty. I was disappointed that neither of them spoke to young people and that’s the sector that is going to decide the election.”
Generally, most Mexicans interviewed by this newspaper were keen to praise Clinton’s performance, if only for the fact that they find the prospect of a Trump presidency totally unthinkable. Many commented on the Democratic candidate’s composure compared to her rival.
“She seemed very sure of herself in the debate and made Trump sound like a pendejo (jerk). He’s always so volatile and talks pure nonsense. He’s a fool,” said Martin Rojas of Ajijic.
“Clinton was magnificent. Toward the end, he lost it and she was totally in control,” noted Fernando Diaque, a Guadalajara businessman. “They say there’s never been a race between two such despised candidates or they call Clinton the lesser of two evils. But after the debate I talked to 25 or 35 people — relatives, friends and people who work with me — and 100 percent of them thought she did beautifully and not one of them was for Trump.”
Expats
Michael Rosenblum of Ajijic, who attended the Democrats Abroad debate viewing with around 100 others, said Clinton “definitely” won the debate. “Number one she answered the questions and she was well prepared. Trump wasn’t prepared, he wasn’t informed. He constantly interrupted the moderator and Clinton.”
Rosenblum also posed the question: “How could any immigrant living in this country support Trump?”
Quite easily, according to Bob Furr of Chapala. “I’m for Trump. He was better at answering the questions. She just rambled. His strongest point was on trade, what he’ll do to handle the Chinese and charge tariffs on cars built in Mexico. In the next debates I hope he’ll expose how the Clinton Foundation collected millions and didn’t spend one dime on earthquake relief in Haiti.”
Other expats seemed appalled by Trump and his fulminating. “I found it very difficult to sit through Trump’s almost maniacal rants,” said Cam Esser of Guadalajara.
“It’s frightening to imagine him at a round table of world leaders. The country needs a change, but he’s not it,” said Gary Henderson of Ajijic.
For many the most astonishing moment of the debate was Trump’s almost boastful affirmation that it is “smart” to avoid paying taxes.
“The highlight was when she asked why Trump is so secretive about his tax returns and her comeback that he doesn’t feel the need to support our troops, our vets and infrastructure,” said Rosenblum.
Thomassin said any candidate in France who admitted in a debate that he took advantage of the country’s system and laws to avoid paying taxes would “immediately reduce his possibilities of becoming president to zero.”
The second presidential debate is on Sunday, October 9 in St. Louis, Missouri, at Washington University, moderated by ABC News’ Martha Raddatz and CNN’s Anderson Cooper. This debate will be in a “town meeting” format, in which questions will be posed by undecided voters in the audience.
Reporting by Dale Hoyt Palfrey, Elaine Halleck and Michael Forbes.