PBS’s Charlie Rose program aired live for much of Monday night’s show recapping the first presidential debate and BBC’s Katty Kay credited debate moderator Lester Holt for his “dog whistle politics” question to Donald Trump about Hillary Clinton’s looks but hammered the “political malpractice” of Clinton barely having to discuss her e-mail scandal.
Kay began her first set of comments by ruling that “Hillary Clinton had the stronger debate tonight, but there were no knockout blows against Donald Trump” even though Trump suffered at certain moments such as when Holt asked him about Clinton’s appearance.
“[T]here was not a woman in the audience or a woman watching that who didn’t understand the dog whistle politics of Lester Holt`s question about that she doesn’t have the look of a president and he handled that very badly,” boasted Kay.
Turning to Clinton’s massive scandal, however, Kay unloaded on some “political malpractice” that transpired (even though she never directly blamed Holt for this problem) but somehow complimented the former secretary of state for a “frank apology” about it when it’s clear she intentionally set up the server:
There was, however, also political malpractice. She got away incredibly lightly with the whole e-mail server issue. I’m sure her campaign is thinking right now, why on earth, did she not handle it like this right from the beginning of this campaign. A frank apology, she said it in about a few sentences and that was it and there was no follow-up. He didn’t go after her again when the question came up about cyber-security, so I think that Donald Trump missed opportunities to raise the character issues of whether she is trust worthy or not.
Continuing on that theme of Clinton, Kay admitted that “the only area” in which Clinton “was on defense” and Trump “was on offense that was quite effective for him and because it came at the beginning of the debate, that may have more weight was on the trade issue.”
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“When he pinned her with NAFTA and you know, anyone who traveled around in this campaign keeps hearing the issue of trade and globalization, which is a huge theme, it seems, not just here in the states but in other countries as well and I think he did a successful job there of making her go on defense, of having to apologize for her husband,” she added.
Kay used her final set of comments to conclude that “[t]he Clinton campaign will come out feeling that this was a good night for them....but I think that the bigger issue for Hillary Clinton over the next few weeks and going into the next debate is that I`m not sure she came out of this really giving a clear, compelling view of why you should vote for her.”
The BBC America personality complimented Clinton for having “spent a lot of her life working for middle class American families” but ruled that this supposed trait “somehow doesn’t come across as very compelling”:
I think rather than just knock down Donald Trump and say why he’s inadequate, her real challenge for the next debate is this is — this is my story and this is why you should vote for me in a nutshell. It needs to be — it’s got to be better than stronger together which most people don`t understand anyway. You know, she didn’t make that case very forcefully tonight.
The relevant portions of the transcript from PBS’s Charlie Rose on September 27 can be found below.
PBS’s Charlie Rose
September 27, 2016
11:15 p.m. EasternCHARLIE ROSE: Katty Kay joins us from the BBC. She is at Hofstra. Katty, what were the moments for you that may have a lasting impact on the way this campaign — this debate is perceived and this campaign progresses?
KATTY KAY: Look, I think Hillary Clinton had the stronger debate tonight, but there were no knockout blows against Donald Trump. He proved that he can have the stamina and the focus for 90 minutes. I should probably correct that. He proved he can have it for 85 minutes because the last five minutes of the debate were pretty much a disaster for him and there was not a woman in the audience or a woman watching that who didn’t understand the dog whistle politics of Lester Holt`s question about that she doesn’t have the look of a president and he handled that very badly. There was, however, also political malpractice. She got away incredibly lightly with the whole e-mail server issue. I’m sure her campaign is thinking right now, why on earth, did she not handle it like this right from the beginning of this campaign. A frank apology, she said it in about a few sentences and that was it and there was no follow-up. He didn’t go after her again when the question came up about cyber-security, so I think that Donald Trump missed opportunities to raise the character issues of whether she is trust worthy or not.
(....)
KAY: The one area, I mean, you know only a fool would disagrees with John Heilemann, but the only area that I would suggest that she was on defense and he was on offense that was quite effective for him and because it came at the beginning of the debate, that may have more weight was on the trade issue. When he pinned her with NAFTA and you know, anyone who traveled around in this campaign keeps hearing the issue of trade and globalization, which is a huge theme, it seems, not just here in the states but in other countries as well and I think he did a successful job there of making her go on defense, of having to apologize for her husband. He called her out, was it Barack Obama`s fault? Was it Barack Obama’s fault then about TPP and I think that was a weak moment for her. She didn’t seem prepared for that. I think that is just him going now.
ROSE: Yes, and that is the Trump helicopter leaving now?
KAY: He is waving good-bye.
(....)
KAY: The Clinton campaign will come out feeling that this was a good night for them. That she didn’t come across as too cold and frosty and that she didn’t have any major clangers, but I think that the bigger issue for Hillary Clinton over the next few weeks and going into the next debate is that I`m not sure she came out of this really giving a clear, compelling view of why you should vote for her and it’s sort of the conundrum of Hillary Clinton. She has spent a lot of her life working for middle class American families and she — and she addressed that right at the top of the debate when she talked about income inequality in the country and she went back to it when she talked about African-Americans and legal inequality in the country, but it somehow doesn’t come across as very compelling and I think rather than just knock down Donald Trump and say why he’s inadequate, her real challenge for the next debate is this is — this is my story and this is why you should vote for me in a nutshell. It needs to be — it’s got to be better than stronger together which most people don`t understand anyway. You know, she didn’t make that case very forcefully tonight.
