We are now a day away from the last debate of the 2016 presidential race. After what has culminated to over a year of petty arguments, false claims and an overload of politics, we are now close to the finish line.
Both candidates used the first debate to go back and forth on different insults while not answering the right questions and ignoring voters’ issues. Let’s hope they use this last chance in front of a national audience to talk about topics that matter instead of lobbing jabs at each other for 90 minutes.
The opinion desk will discuss if either candidate can do enough to win over undecided voters or if it is too late.
[tabgroup][tab title=”Frank Campos”]Opinion editor Frank Campos
Both candidates need to establish that they care about something other than winning. In both previous debates, we saw two children who would rather spend time arguing than talking about important issues. I am sick of it, and so are many viewers.
What both can do is just try to ignore each other as much as possible and focus on the moderators and their questions. This way the candidates don’t talk themselves out of answering important questions.
I don’t think it is too late for either candidate to reach undecided voters, but it is also up to the voter to care enough to not get tired of politics and see the third debate. Watching the first two doesn’t count if you skip the last one.
I just hope we can get through the night with a minimal amount of sniffing and petty arguments from both candidates.
[/tab][tab title=”Thom Dwyer”]Assistant opinion editor Thom Dwyer
The coming debate will be Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s final stride to sway the few remaining undecided voters in this ridiculous election.
At this point in the election, most people are simply too tired to even follow the day-to-day media coverage of both campaigns and what is going on inside their camps. Nothing else can be done to make more voters change their stances or even decide to vote, in my opinion.
As for what the debate will be, I do not predict any major deviation from the general tit-for-tat strategy that both candidates used on each other.
[/tab][tab title=”John Brucato”]Columnist John Brucato
The debate on Wednesday will be the same as those in the past. Trump will end every sentence by talking about his wall, Clinton will try to attract the young voter by referencing the latest trending meme or dodge her criminal negligence for the federal law.
Most importantly, however, nothing productive will be discussed.
Not that the debate matters anyway; the media has already decided who is winning this election. There has been so much noise in this election to distract voters from reality that what each candidate says right now no longer matters.
To voters: Remember that picking between the lesser of two evils is how we got to this point.
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