Alfonse D'Amato

The presidential debates, Round 1

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On Sept. 26, our very own Hofstra University hosted the first of three presidential debates between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. This was the third time Hofstra has hosted a presidential debate, and once again it proved to be thoroughly professional in its handling of security and ticketing. Trust me, it was no easy task.

I was present for the debate, though I’m not sure I had a better or more exciting view than the 84 million people who tuned in for the most-watched presidential debate in history. My view was obstructed by the television cameras!

Many analysts have concluded that the debate was a great victory for Clinton. Voters around the nation set the bar low for Trump, and did not expect him to have a victory in the first debate. Keep in mind that then Sen. Barack Obama suffered a clear loss in his first debate with Sen. John McCain. Last week, Clinton was certainly a more seasoned debater and probably won, but Trump may have done enough to keep the pressure on her and strengthen his base.

In this election, there is something unique about how voters view their candidates and the political system. Many people are dissatisfied with the overall direction of government. During the debate, Trump appealed to those who are sick of “politics as usual.”

He needs to do more in the next two debates if he wants to win. He must better explain how his tax initiatives would lower the country’s corporate tax rate and help the nation’s working class by creating economic activity here and stopping corporations from taking their jobs abroad.

Currently, there is an estimated $3 trillion in corporate dollars trapped abroad due to our high corporate tax rates. If you could bring that money back to the U.S. at a rate of 15 percent, it would generate $300 billion in additional revenue. This money could be used to rebuild our infrastructure and create thousands of jobs.

Trump failed to seize the opportunity to nail these points. One area in which he was able to make strong arguments, however, was attacking Clinton on several trade agreements that she supported during her years in government service.

The loss of manufacturing jobs in the heartland has been a key campaign issue for Trump, and it is a message that is resonating with voters in key swing states. During the debate he stated, “You go to New England, you go to Ohio, Pennsylvania, you go anywhere you want, Secretary Clinton, and you will see the devastation where manufacturing is down 30, 40 and sometimes 50 percent.”

The North American Free Trade Agreement is a widely criticized deal that was passed on Clinton’s watch, and many blame it for the decline in our manufacturing industry. Then there’s the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which she labeled as the “gold standard” while secretary of state, but she is now opposed to it.

“She has been doing this for 30 years,” Trump stated. “And why hasn’t she made the agreements better?” He’s right. He was able to reinforce the fact that nothing will change down in Washington if Clinton is elected.

Let’s talk about the debate itself. Republicans are used to the liberal media putting their slant and spin on debates and interviews. I have always respected NBC’s Lester Holt, and thought he was fair. While he didn’t do anything to overtly flip the debate, he failed to ask Clinton the same sort of pressing follow-up questions he asked Trump.

Holt brought up the fact that Trump has not yet released his taxes, but failed to ask Clinton anything regarding the Benghazi, Clinton Foundation or private email server scandals. He did, however, interrupt Trump a few times, saying that the record indicates that he did support the Iraq War and that the New York City Police Department’s stop-and-frisk policy was deemed unconstitutional in New York.

The next debate is this Sunday, and Trump must do better. If he wants to attract the independent and undecided voters, he must hit Clinton hard on the Clinton Foundation’s “pay to play” scandal, and ask why she deleted more than 30,000 emails on her private server.  These are the issues that will remind Americans that she is unfit for office and cannot be trusted.

Al D’Amato, a former U.S. senator from New York, is the founder of Park Strategies LLC, a public policy and business development firm. Comments about this column? ADAmato@liherald.com.