Political Update: Trump backtracks, debate looms

After an awkward week of questions aimed at Hillary Clinton’s health and the release of Donald Trump’s recent physical on the “The Dr. Oz Show,” the debates could not have come at a better time, as the media struggles to fill their 24/7 news cycle.

Trump has seen a rise in polls across the country, but the presidential debates can make or break a candidate. Let’s just hope we get more fireworks and more viable information on policies in 90 minutes than we have had these past few weeks.

Backtrack again

Trump is now a master of backtracking. Throughout his campaign, he has had to explain away his tendency to flip-flop depending on his mood.

This is unlike Clinton, who has had to explain why five years ago she said one thing and is now saying the another. Trump goes back and forth on issues months, or even hours, at a time.

Trump has it down to an art. He will say a comment, wait for the public response and either change his mind or stick to his guns depending on what he feels people will like best. He has done it most recently with his immigration softening-then-hardening.

Trump has continued that tradition this week by admitting that President Barack Obama was born in the U.S. after years of questioning the commander in chief’s birth certificate.

An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2012

Clinton’s plan for justice

In the wake of yet another police shooting of an unarmed black man, Clinton’s campaign have released her plan to combat police shootings by setting up national standards.

“There are no set of national best practices on how to manage situations. These situations are handled by local policies currently. And what she is proposing is that we actually set up national standards so that localities have better policies to work with and train towards.”

 

— Robbie Mook, Hillary for America campaign manager

Clinton said she plans to speak directly to white people in regard to the obvious bias in an effort to stop violence against minorities. By doing so, she is showing a understanding of the issue and a want to change it.

Both the Department of Justice and state authorities have started an investigation into the most recent shooting of Terence Crutcher.

Another unarmed Black man was shot in a police incident. This should be intolerable. We have so much work to do. #TerenceCrutcher -H

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 20, 2016

Debate inches closer

With the nonsense that has been going on in the primaries and the non-stop political coverage, I understand if people are tired of talking politics. Good news, though: The presidential debate is, finally, almost here.

We now have an opportunity to judge both candidates on their actual policies and character. No more talk about health or where Obama was born. We will just get both candidates and their own thoughts on Monday evening.

There is also good news for people who are out of the house or have no television at home. Both Twitter and YouTube will livestream the debates, which makes it harder for people to blow this debate and election off like they usually would.

Twitter to Live-Stream Bloomberg’s Presidential Debate Broadcasts https://t.co/ijnvKauFO3

— Variety (@Variety) September 21, 2016

Here is an opportunity to ignore all the noise from your talkative neighbor who never gets the facts right and to stop being influenced by the media companies that constantly tell you how to cast your vote.

This is to actually watch the debates so that this year you can exercise one of the greatest rights afforded to you: voting.

Opinion editor Frank Campos is a media production senior and can be reached at [email protected]