Two Badger Herald opinion columnists offer their analysis and opinions in regard to Wednesday night’s third and final presidential debate.
Connor Touhey
Senior majoring in political science, history and journalism.
If this election were a court case, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton offered up a powerful, effective closing argument.
Meanwhile, the Republican nominee Donald Trump continued to act like a child, shying away from facts and specifics and lying at an alarming rate.
Clinton looked presidential as Trump fell apart.
Latest Marquette poll shows Clinton pulling ahead in presidential race
This was most evident during the segment where the candidates discussed “fitness to be president.”
In possibly the most powerful moments of the night, Clinton offered up brutal takedowns of Trump over his treatment of women.
Clinton outlined his pattern of heinous, cruel and bigoted comments on women, minorities and the disabled which Trump has made in the last several years.
He interrupted with his now famous “wrong” line, despite the fact that much of what he has said and done is on video and has been seen by millions of Americans.
College Democrats, Republicans gather for final presidential debate
Then, in another brutal moment for Trump, he refused to follow suit with his daughter and his running mate by claiming he would not respect the results of the election.
For weeks, Trump has claimed the election was going to be “rigged” against him despite lacking any evidence.
He had the opportunity to hop off the crazy train on this specific topic. Instead he said he would “look at the results when they come in.”
Hillary CRUSHED him on that answer, laying out Trump’s numerous claims of things being “rigged” from the Emmy awards to the Iowa caucus.
Then, she ended him.
In maybe the most quotable line in the debate, she referred to his refusal to respect the outcome as “talking down our Democracy.”
Frankly, if he had any chance of winning this election, it went out the window Wednesday night.
Clinton dominated this debate, giving an effective closing statement to this circus of an election season.
She won the debate and by doing so ensured she won the election.
Lisa Heverly
Freshman majoring in international business
Let me first say, that was a cringe-worthy performance from both Trump and Clinton regarding immigration.
In the first half of the immigration debate when the candidates were able to focus on the topic at hand, I agreed with both candidates’ points that drug lords, terrorists and other dangerous individuals should be taken care of and dealt with seriously.
Clinton failed to announce a plan for getting rid of or monitoring these people, which is a red flag, whereas Trump did. I, however, do not agree with his proposal as it will undoubtedly cause more harm than good.
College Republicans officially endorse Donald Trump for president
Personally, I have friends whose parents have illegally crossed the border to escape peril in their home country and provide a safer haven for their children. Putting any bias aside, these parents as well as their children are good people and have established a good life here in the states.
To rip apart these families in an effort to weed out the few terrorists and drug lords hiding in this country would be anarchy. Countless immigrant families are comprised of hard-working, intelligent and caring people who are bettering the U.S. Unfortunately, this is often overlooked.
Both candidates went far off the topic of immigration after Clinton was questioned about her stance on creating an “open border.” Thus, the blame-and-deny game commenced. To be honest, I cannot discern who is lying and denying the most.
I believe both candidates have something to hide and mistakes to deal with from the past. I can see how Trump would cooperate with the Russian government to exploit Clinton and influence the election using WikiLeaks. I can also see how Clinton has changed her opinions on immigration when comparing her past views to those advertised in her current campaign. She is struggling to draw the line between admittance, apologizing and moving on.
From this debate, I conclude that neither candidate presented a stronger argument than the other. Trump’s wall is irrational and will cause massive riots, while Clinton needs to devise a plan for more secure borders while keeping relationships between countries strong and open.
