Hillary Will Do Fine in Tonight's Debate

In watching the MSNBC pundits last night, we again see the tendency to by hypercritical of trivial things when analyzing her.

She has to be careful how she treats Bernie because if she insults him then his supporters won't vote for her. Then again she has to be ready with answers.

The basic idea is that she has a lot to lose as she's up in the polls.

Even her strengths like her knowledge of facts and details on the issues might be a negative as for someone reason this is not authentic.

If not knowing the issues is authentic then I guess the GOP is where to look. Even this Politico piece is trying to set her up for a fall.

"Tuesday night should be a cakewalk for Hillary Clinton. The last time she was in “the arena,” as I’ve learned she loves to say, she faced two dozen debates with a whole scrum of top-notch Democratic contenders, tangling with Barack Obama, John Edwards, Christopher Dodd and Joe Biden—remember him?!—on networks across the dial. This year, it’ll be just six—and her few fellow candidates in the Las Vegas debate, the first of the merely six she’ll face in the 2016 campaign, mostly don’t seem up to her level.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/10/hillary-clinton-debate-2008-213238#ixzz3oSY5I0cp

See that? It should be a cakewalk so if it isn't it's some huge stumble. 

My overall thought is that Hillary will do fine. This is not her first rodeo. She knows the issues back and front. 

No doubt there are issues that Bernie will attack her on-by creating a contrast as he puts it. He will boast that he was against TPP from the beginning. I think there are all kinds of ways she can come back on this. 

If it were me I'd ask why was he against it from the beginning-shouldn't he have read it frist? Is he just blanket against all trade with other coutnries? Is this what is called Socialism in One Counrty?

Now she won't use that last part about socialism but it's a fair question. A big part of it is remembering what Krugman said about the Accidental Theorist. 

http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Theorist-Dispatches-Dismal-Science/dp/0393318877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444747896&sr=8-1&keywords=krugman+accidental+theorist

The key is to demand that he show his own priors. Not just come out against all trade deals but why? What theory of world economics does he have where all trade deals are bad? It's fair to get him to tel us what kind of trade deals he'd support. 

The fact that she was actually in on the negotiation of TPP as Secretary of State may be pointed out to attack her as being a hypocrite in making it sound like she's against it now. 

But she can easily turn this bug into a feature. She can remind everyone that yes, she's the one who was Secretary of State and this gives her unique experience and knowledge in getting the best deal. 

In her book Hard Choices she did come out against the part that might allow foreign multinationals to skirt regulations for labor and the environment. 

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_18?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=hillary+clinton+hard+choices&sprefix=hillary+clinton+ha%2Caps%2C155

Overall, his meme is going to be I'm consistent and have been since 1975. I think she should point out that this can just be pigheadenss as well. Shouldn't you sometimes change your mind Is every issue really black and white?

What she can say is that she shares with Bernie the need to put and end to stagnating wages and the compression of the American Dream but that she doesn't always agree with him on the means to get there. Some of his  means are a little out of date. 

And he lacks the gravitas and the coalition to get things done. After all-she probably won't be this blunt-he's not a Democrat. 

It's not just about ideology but party. 

Then of course there is gun control where Martin O'Malley-who does have some excellent ideas on gun control-will go after Bernie hard. 

Overall if Hilary is herself-and ignores the boobirds pretending to give advice, she'll be fine.