The last of the presidential debates is set to begin this evening at 9 PM Eastern Daylight Time from the campus of the University of Nevada — Las Vegas and will be moderated (refereed) by Fox’s Chris Wallace. While it looks less and less likely that Donald Trump has a shot in hell of winning the election, if he’s to have any chance at all it will need to begin tonight.
Trump’s last debate stage, but is it too late?
Recent polling both nationally and in key battleground show Donald Trump trailing Hillary Clinton big and a good portion of that is owing to the fact that he’s been outperformed in the first two debates of this election cycle. That and the fact that the man is a pig of a human being along with some his other failings like braggadocio, ignorance, thin-skin, narcissism and I only have 550 words, so I’ll stop. Clinton, a truly horrible person in her own right, will be riding a wave of recent polls and will hope to make it a clean sweep with tonight’s debate, despite the fact that Trump believes that he’s one the first two outings, that is being billed as “Fight Night.”
What will be said is anyone’s bet but one could comfortably expect some well-planned sound bytes from Clinton before Trump says something completely crazy and forces her out of her bubble.
I say anyone’s bet as while it’s illegal to bet on politics even in Las Vegas it still exists informally and out of country oddsmakers have reported heavy wagering ahead of tonight’s televised debate. Pat Morrow, chief oddsmaker for Bovada, located on the island of Antigua is giving even money on whether the two will shake hands tonight, paying out if WikiLeaks is said four times or more and will even pay customers if Trump says the word “tremendous” nine times or more.
The Internet is also alive with a number of drinking games that cater to the debate based on what is said and frankly if the two preceding debates are anything to go by, I plan on being drunk well before the debate just to stomach the countenances of either candidate and their equally deplorable voices.
While there is certainly no way to no which direction Trump will go and I’m guessing he doesn’t have a clue and even if he did he can be goaded, chided, and tricked into saying ridiculous shi* quite easily. That said, the son of Mike Wallace, Fox’s Chris Wallace has selected six topics for discussion this evening to provide a framework to the debate before the wheels and gloves come off tonight.
What has Chris Wallace deemed important for tonight’s debate?
For many voters faced with what can only be called two truly deplorable people who couldn’t beat anyone but each other in this election, the fact that as many as four Supreme Court seats could become vacant in the next four years including the empty seat presently on the court following the unexpected death of Antonin Scalia.
Consequently, Chris Wallace has selected a conversation about the Court as one of the six topics tonight and certainly one of the biggest issues facing many voters.
There is a question as to whether or not the Senate will rush to appoint the 62-old Merrick Garland who is viewed by many to be quite moderate and if Clinton were to win the election she is not beholden to the name put forward by President Obama and may try to put forward a more liberal and younger justice. I would expect Clinton to be asked about whether she would stick with Garland if she won the election and if the Senate went back to the Democrats.
Trump has put forward to lists of people he would name for Scalia’s vacancy and it’s likely that he will be asked if it’s his intention limit himself to this list as he has no legal reason to do so and many don’t trust that he would anyways.
The other five topics that the professional Mr. Wallace has chosen for tonight are immigration, entitlements/debt, the economy, foreign policy and each candidate’s “fitness” to serve as president.
Despite his work at the (less than) “Fair and Balanced” Fox News, Wallace is largely viewed by both sides as professional with a propensity for asking the tough questions that could leave both candidates a bit off balance.
To stream the debate legally, your best bet is likely YouTube as Google will be live streaming the debate beginning a half an hour before the candidates take the stage.
Watch Live Stream Here: