NEWS AND OPINION:
The press remains in a state of disarray over the presidential debate. The nominees, however, must move on. Amazingly enough, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dined together in New York City on Thursday evening, not 24 hours after their encounter in Las Vegas. The occasion: the 71st annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a very swell affair staged Manhattan-style in the ritzy Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
Was there a truce? Well, here and there. Both of the nominees had their 20-minute say, reading from written pages rather than off a teleprompter, surrounded by men in white tie and tails, ladies with sparkling gems, fancy linen and white flowers. Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton launched barbs, zingers and some genuinely funny one-liners, though Mr. Trump caught more boos and hisses from the audience than his rival.
Mrs. Clinton drew a few sighs however, as her speech grew weighty with policy. Both candidates, however, reminded the crowd that it was a charity event. And it was. The dinner raised $6 million for needy children.
The candidates were close, but not too close. Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump sat on either side of Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, surrounded by a gracious, well-heeled group indeed.
“The evening offers the nominees an opportunity to come together with the country’s most prominent civic, business, and religious leaders to support charities that serve New York’s neediest children. The dinner honors a cause that transcends the polarizing political rhetoric of the day and exemplifies the vision of Gov. Alfred E. Smith, known as ’The Happy Warrior’ for his ability to maintain his positive outlook even as he tackled the pressing social issues of his day.”
Well let’s hear a round of applause for that.
“Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will attempt the improbable, if not the impossible Thursday night,” predicted Bloomberg News.
The two got through it. Now it’s back to the campaign trails for both. See the event replayed on demand at C-SPAN.org
STANDING UP FOR TRUMP’S DEFENSE POLICY
Will this get reported in the mainstream press? A lengthy list of lawmakers and policy experts have stepped forward to praise Donald Trump’s robust plan for national defense, which includes commonsense proposals like simply rebuilding the U.S. military.
The list include a dozen members of Congress, led by Reps. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Jeff Miller, chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Also on the roster: a spate of retired generals and admirals and federal officials, including Michael Wynne, former secretary of the Air Force.
“The men and women of our nation’s military have served gallantly over the last 15 years, and we as a country owe them a debt that can never fully be repaid. We must now provide them every resource necessary to execute their missions and come home safely. We believe that Donald Trump is a better choice than Hillary Clinton to move our military in the right direction as President of the United States,” the esteemed gents note in a glowing letter of support.
Other safety-minded folk have stepped up to show their support for Mr. Trump, meanwhile. In recent weeks, he has won the endorsement of 354,200 law enforcement officers, including the Fraternal Order of Police, National Border Patrol Council and National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council.
“We need a person in the White House who doesn’t fear the media, who doesn’t embrace political correctness, who doesn’t need the money, who is familiar with success, who won’t bow to foreign dictators, who is pro-military and values law enforcement, and who is angry for America and not subservient to the interests of other nations. Donald Trump is such a man,” noted the Border Patrol officers in their endorsement.
THE TRUMP HOMESTEAD
Paramount Realty USA, an auction house specializing in real estate, originally intended to auction off Donald Trump’s childhood home in Queens, New York on Wednesday night. The event was suddenly postponed.
“The media coverage of the auction for the property, located at 8515 Wareham Place in Jamaica Estates, has been significant, particularly leading up to the planned auction. The sellers elected to postpone the auction in order to provide prospective bidders with more time to evaluate the property,” the organization noted in a public statement.
“The auction will likely be held later this year after the election and would provide details regarding the new date and location on the company’s website, www.prusa.com. The auction will be closed to the media, but bidders who wish to participate must bring a $90,000 bank check to the auction and purchase access to certain Due Diligence Information in advance of the auction.”
THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT
No, we’re not talking about Hillary Clinton this time. Behold, it’s “Madam President: The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson” by William Hazelgrove, which meticulously recounts the first lady’s presence in the Oval Office after President Woodrow Wilson suffered a stroke in 1919.
“Though her Oval Office authority was acknowledged in Washington, D.C. circles at the time — one senator called her ’the Presidentress who had fulfilled the dream of suffragettes by changing her title from First Lady to Acting First Man’,” the author notes. The substantial, 350-page book was published Monday by Regnery History. Find the book here
THE ALSO-RANS
“A stronger America for a new day, Strength and fairness, Progress for the rest of us, A future worth fighting for, Move up, Rise up, It’s your turn, Get ahead and stay ahead, She’s got your back, No quit.”
— Ten of the 84 campaign slogans ultimately rejected by Hillary Clinton’s advisers, gleaned from the latest WikiLeaks release of Clinton campaign emails by Ad Age columnist Simon Dumeco. The slogans were contained in a 2015 email from Mrs. Clinton’s media adviser Oren Shur, sent to several staffers and advisers. #RejectedHillarySlogans has become a popular Twitter hashtag, in the meantime.
POLL DU JOUR
• 77 percent of registered U.S. voters say the media should emphasize “inaccurate statements” made by a presidential candidate; 71 percent of voters who support Donald Trump and 83 percent of those who support Hillary Clinton agree.
• 65 percent of voters overall say fact-checking is a “major” media responsibility; 53 percent of Trump voters and 77 percent of Clinton voters agree.
• 60 percent overall say the media should emphasize a candidate’s “offensive statements”; 49 percent of Trump voters and 72 percent of Clinton voters agree.
• 53 percent overall say Mr. Trump gets too much coverage; 34 percent of Trump voters and 65 percent of Clinton voters agree.
• 34 percent overall say Mrs. Clinton gets too much coverage; 53 percent of Trump voters and 14 percent of Clinton voters agree.
Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 3,616 registered U.S. voters conducted Sept. 27 to Oct. 10.
• Sighs of relief, crabby commotion to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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