Presidential Debate: A Test in Temperament

Posted by CNN | @cnn

History was made last night at Hofstra University in Long Island, NY. It was the first time that a woman participated in a presidential debate and it was the first time the 2016 candidates debated face-to-face.

Moderated by Lester Holt, the debate covered three major topics: achieving prosperity, America’s direction in regards to race, and securing America. This highly anticipated debate went just how Valley expected it to go — including a few good quotes by the outspoken Donald Trump.

However, one moment was shocking. In the final segment of the debate Trump claimed that he has a better temperament than Hillary Clinton.

“I have a much better temperament than she does. I think my strongest asset so far is my temperament,” said Trump. “I have a winning temperament.”

Clinton, and some of the audience, immediately responded to these comments with a chuckle. Viewers have seen time and time again that Trump can be unpredictable. Clearly, Clinton thought it was amusing because Trump has built part of his campaign with outrageous and rash comments.

Of course, Clinton couldn’t let these accusations linger without a response.

According to Clinton, a “man who can be provoked by a tweet” should be nowhere near the nuclear codes. Over the course of the election, Trump has become quite well-known for his twitter fights.

Trump couldn’t let Clinton make a comment without putting in his own two sense. When Clinton accused him of agreeing with the Iraq war and she mentioned his “long record of engaging in racist behavior,” Trump couldn’t wait to respond. While Clinton was still speaking, Trump would lean toward the microphone, stare and the audience and firmly say “no,” “wrong,” or any other statement to prove that Clinton’s accusations were false.

On the other hand, Valley noticed that whenever Trump directly attacked Clinton, Clinton would just stare with a petty smile and not make a sound until Trump finished his thought.

Race was also a hot topic Monday night. Trump wants law and order, while Clinton wants trust and communication. Trump wants to stop and frisk citizens and Clinton wants to properly train the police. Even though Holt deemed stop and frisk as a form of racial profiling, Trump remained firm on his plan.

According to a poll created by CNN, Clinton came out on top for round one of debating. 62% of voters who watched marked Clinton as the winner while only 27% believed that Trump finished victorious. However, even though viewers said Clinton took the cake on this debate, the national polls still remain very close. Clinton is only ahead of Trump by two with 48%. Election day is still over a month away and with two more presidential debates set, anything can happen.

While this debate was not as feisty as the Democratic and Republican primary debates earlier this year, it still drew a large crowd. With a national Snapchat story, several live streams and live tweets, it was almost as if Americans couldn’t escape the debate. But, Valley isn’t complaining about that.

Valley loved how engaged the Penn State student body was Monday night. UPUA and PSU Forensics sponsored a Presidential Debate Watch Party in the HUB Flex Theatre. The Penn State Campus Story was chock full of comments and presidential face swaps. Twitter was blowing up with opinions and memes. Monday was a beautiful night for political activism among young people.

As college students, you finally get to have a voice in the future of America. Look past Clinton’s pantsuits and Trumps spray tan. Watch the debates, understand the issues and take pride in this country. Voting is a beautiful right and Valley is here to encourage you to participate in our democracy. The future is in your hands and Valley is itching to see the outcome on November 8!

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