From: progress@americanprogressaction.org
Date: October 20, 2016 at 02:10PM
It's killing us. October 20, 2016 Have a minute? Take this survey to tell us what you think of the Progress Report. The Suspense Last night Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump traded barbs in the third and final presidential debate. Clinton reminded everyone that while she was in the situation room, Trump was hosting "Celebrity Apprentice." Trump called her a "nasty woman." But the most shocking moment of the debate came when Trump would not say whether he will accept the results of the election, saying "I will look at it at the time," and "I'll keep you in suspense." This may sound like typical Trump hyperbole, but it is a huge deal. The success of our democracy depends on the acceptance and respect of election results. And no presidential candidate has tried to discredit the election system before. All have conceded the election graciously—George H. W. Bush and Al Gore are moving examples. Trump's threat to not accept the election came after days of ramping up the conspiracy that the election is rigged against him, despite disagreement from basically everyone. Trump claims that the election is rigged at every level, from "large scale voter fraud" to the "dishonest" and "corrupt" media. First, the media has actually been generous to Donald Trump this election cycle, according to recent studies. And we'll say it again: large scale voter fraud is not a thing. According to the most comprehensive investigation of voter fraud, out of 1 billion votes cast between 2000 and 2014, there were just 31 instances of possible impersonation. Nevertheless, Trump remains convinced that it exists and has called for his supporters to watch polling booths in "certain areas"—an incredibly dangerous suggestion threatening to bring the country back to an ugly past. Trump's claims that the election is rigged undermine the integrity of our election system and look past the real threat voter suppression laws pose to the right to vote of many Americans. Trump's threat to democracy aside, the debate was surprisingly policy focused. Here's what else they talked about: The Supreme Court. It's looking more and more like the next president could be tasked with filling the ninth seat on the Supreme Court, which thanks to Senate Republicans has been vacant for over 200 days. Clinton said the Supreme Court needs to be on the side of the American people, and stand up for the rights of women, LGBT, and minority communities. Meanwhile, Trump said that he would appoint pro-life justices to try to overturn Roe v. Wade and fight to uphold the Second Amendment. Immigration. Trump talked about keeping "bad hombres" out of the country, while Clinton committed to comprehensive immigration reform, which would increase U.S. GDP by $1.2 trillion and raise the wages of all American workers by $625 billion over the next decade. ISIS. Clinton proposed an articulate strategy for securing America and fighting ISIS, which includes an intelligence surge at home, working with allies to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Syria, implementing a no-fly zone in Syria, and working to close the terror gap at home. Other than offering his regular defense of Putin and suggesting U.S.-backed efforts to retake Mosul in Iraq was a conspiracy, Trump gave virtually no insight on his plans to defeat ISIS. Reminder: ISIS is rooting for Trump to win. Taxes. Clinton kicked off the taxes section of the debate with a long list of policy plans that would help working families: raising the federal minimum wage, ensuring equal pay for equal work, investing in clean energy jobs, debt-free college, and more. Trump, on the other hand, didn't really detail his plan, but he did forget to mention that he will raise taxes on some single parents. Even though this debate was more substantive than the past two, Trump still managed to fit in several of his hallmark lies. When it comes to Russia, he denied having ever met Vladimir Putin (he has) and refused to accept evidence of Russian hacking in the U.S. election, despite being personally briefed by the intelligence community on the matter. He lied, again, about his support for the Iraq War. He also lied when he claimed the recent accusations of sexual misconduct have been debunked—they haven't been. WHAT'S TRENDING Trump TV. There has been much speculation that the sole reason Trump is running for president is to build a base for a Trump TV network. And last night could have been a soft launch. Just before the debate Trump's official Facebook page linked to live video offering an alternative for people "tired of biased, mainstream media reporting (otherwise known as Crooked Hillary's super PAC)." Meanwhile, the Financial Times reported that Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner has met with an investment firm about the possibility of a Trump TV network. Gains. It didn't come up in the debate, but Trump has also pledged to end DACA, the program that provides work authorization and temporary relief from deportation to eligible unauthorized immigrants who entered the country at a young age. DACA doesn't just benefit those impacted by the program, it benefits the entire economy. The program has allowed over 740,000 young people to get better jobs and more education, in turn supporting their communities and the economy as a whole. In fact after receiving DACA 54 percent of DACA recipients bought their first car, and 12 percent bought houses, raising important revenues for states and localities that Trump threatens to put in jeopardy. Share On Twitter Planning Ahead. The election may not be over yet, but it's already got a lot of people thinking about the policy challenges that lay ahead for the next administration. A big item on the list is much-needed criminal justice reform, and CAP's Danyelle Solomon is out with some wise advice on how we achieve that. 18 DAYS And the suspense is killing us. Early voting opened in North Carolina today. Check here for early voting information in your state. And go here to register. 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