A Hillary Clinton presidency could very well depend on Wednesday night’s final debate against GOP nominee Donald Trump. The Democratic candidate must find a way to counter criticism while managing to convince voters she has the abilities to hold the highest office in the land.
The last televised face-off between the two presidential candidates will take place at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Starting at 9 p.m. EST, this debate will be similar to the first round, as opposed to town hall-style, with Chris Wallace of Fox News moderating.
Here are five Hillary Clinton strategies going into the final presidential debate:
1. Hillary should strive to maintain her composure — Questions still surround Clinton's email server scandal as secretary of state, and now the frequent John Podesta-WikiLeaks dumps of the past week have raised new questions about inside campaign strategies. There are also the FBI documents released Monday that reportedly detailed the possibility of misuse of classified information and allegations of a possible "quid pro quo" between a senior State Department official and FBI. The notes also revealed how security personnel in the State Department disliked Clinton, according to the New York Post. With plenty of ammo, Trump is sure to hammer her, and she will have to respond without appearing distressed or angry.
2. Hillary should address the groping allegations against Trump, albeit briefly — While Clinton should certainly tie in Trump's "Access Hollywood" comments to the recent groping allegations that came out in the wake of the second debate, it likely won't do her any good to have an all-out slugfest with the GOP nominee.
"Does the Democratic nominee seek to protect her lead with only three weeks to go in the race or will she slug it out with Trump in a nasty, personal confrontation, as she did during the first two debates?" posits CNN's Stephen Collinson. "Clinton could try to hover above the fray, portraying herself as a president-elect in waiting, and seek to make the kind of emotional and philosophical connection she has yet to really forge with the American people through decades on the political stage and a grueling campaign that has dragged on for over a year-and-a-half."
3. She needs to appear positive — Health issues still concern some voters after Clinton's bout with pneumonia last month, and her "basket of deplorables" remark aimed at Trump supporters also put off some people, according to Vox. Her responses on Wednesday need to be upbeat and encouraging in order to reflect a positive attitude.
4. Hillary should act more spontaneous, and less rehearsed, when possible — True to form, Clinton has taken a few days off from the campaign trail to prepare for the final debate. Jennifer Palmieri, her communications director, said the time off is “very worthwhile,” according to ABC News.
However, the extensive prep sometimes backfires, in that Clinton can appear too rehearsed. This week's "Saturday Night Live" sketch capitalized on just that, with comedienne Kate McKinnon turning Clinton into a robot counting her steps on stage and attempting a "casual lean" on the stool in order to appear more relatable.
She should go off script when appropriate to try and forge a connection with the American people.
5. She should defend herself from some attacks — Clinton has brushed off most of Trump's attacks on stage, but she should strike back and defend herself when it’s necessary. But she needs to do so while avoiding the mudslinging and sticking to her “when they go low, we go high” comment, according to The Wall Street Journal's Gerald F. Seib.
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