Trump unhinged while Clinton calm

As the first presidential debate wore on, Donald Trump became increasingly unhinged. His schoolyard bullying, pouting facial expressions and childish retorts were in stark contrast to Hillary Clinton’s calm, “presidential” demeanor. But personal attacks with unverified and often false accusations is all Trump has to offer. And sadly, it’s all his supporters can, and do, expect of him.

Trump’s frequent interruptions with immature comments, his refusal to answer the question posed and his disrespect of the rules regarding time limits will continue during the next two debates. Lacking the ability to compete on an intellectual basis or offer a knowledgeable response, a bully will always resort to meanness and intimidation.

And the debate moderators, like all of Trump interviewers to date, are powerless to stop him. Again, it’s what his supporters expect and hope for.

To keep the next debates more civil and meaningful, I propose using a clock to show the candidates how much of their two-minute talking time remains. If they go beyond that limit, an orange warning light appears at 2-1/2 minutes, followed by a red light 30 seconds later, at which point the speaker’s microphone is turned off.

If that sounds like how one deals with a belligerent child, it’s meant to. Remember, were talking about Donald Trump here.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Trump unhinged while Clinton calm."