THE MADISON BRIEF

With a little over a month to go before the General Election, presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will share the same stage for the first time tonight in a much anticipated 90-minute debate, predicted to be the most watched television event in American history.

Here’s what to look for:

Game Plan Team Hillary:  According to her debate team, Clinton feels good, is studied, and ready for whatever Trump brings to the debate tonight.  She has been working with a Trump stand-in for mock elections so she can be prepared for Trump’s combative,”made for reality TV” demeanor.  Her goal is to be uplifting, to talk about her plans for America’s future, but she will not hesitate to call out Trump when he makes false claims or denigrates women or minorities.  Watch for her voice to be more modulated, and her answers to be tight.  She is likely to throw a little shade his way — a chuckle, a momentary look of befuddlement  — trying to get under his skin.  Clinton will be working to address her perceived untrustworthiness, particularly as it relates to her emails and the Clinton Foundation activities.  Her primary goal is to make sure that voters view her as  the only candidate with the experience, knowledge and fitness to be president.

Game Plan Team Donald:  “Let Trump be Trump” is the prevailing strategy coming from the Trump camp.  He has done little or no debate prep, because his campaign operatives know that debates are rarely decided on substantive policy issues; if you don’t think so, watch this CNN clip about past presidential debate defining moments.   In truth, Americans want to see if Trump can “fill the suit” of the Commander in Chief.  He must demonstrate self control, and keep his “facts and figures to a minimum” since he often quotes them incorrectly.    He might even be well advised to throw a compliment Hillary’s way to appear confident and magnanimous.  Since he doesn’t have a teleprompter, or foreign policy credentials, expect him to talk mostly about his campaign:  the recent polls that show him leading in key battleground states,the millions  being spent against him, and how the media doesn’t treat him fairly.  “Fear” and the “System is Rigged” will likely be his  major themes. Trump’s bar is much lower than Clinton’s, so if he can behave politely, and  look presidential next to Clinton for 90 minutes without turning the debate into a circus, social media will light up in his favor.  For Trump, his success tonight is all about how he comports himself.   Period.

The Media:  Lester Holt, who will be moderating the debate, is already under fire for suggesting that he may correct misstatements from the candidates if they are particularly egregious.  The Trump campaign was particularly vociferous about not allowing fact checking while the Clinton campaign welcomed it.  To be fair, both candidates have misstated facts during their campaigns; Politifact recently published a fact check comparison here.

The Audience:  This week we saw both candidates exercising gamesmanship by suggesting that their respective provocative guests, Mark Cuban for Clinton and Gennifer Flowers for Trump, would be invited to sit in the front row of the auditorium.  No word yet whether either guest will be present, but the debate organizers have stated that there will be no cheering and/or jeering from the audience.

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At the conclusion of the debate, look for the Dolley Madison Dinners MQlicker Debate Survey on Facebook and our website and tell us what you think about the debate and the election!  All submissions are anonymously solicited.

Debate Time:  9 p.m. EST, 6 p.m. PST; simulcast over major network channels and cable channels