UPDATE, OCT 11: A chat with Monocle 24’s The Daily on Monday night — listen from 6:04:

Many Republicans will now try to concentrate on retaining control of Congress. And beyond that, they want to try and find an identity which isn’t a batshit-crazy identity — getting back to talking about the economy, talking about their version of health care, talking about their ideas on foreign policy rather than having this guy who has no sense, no coherence when he talks about the issues.

See also US Analysis: Politics Is in the Gutter — The 2nd Clinton-Trump Debate
US Audio Analysis: Is Trump Finished?


UPDATE 1945 GMT: A discussion with BBC Radio Coventry about the debate and what happens now:

Listen to discussion

You talk about political limbo — how low can that man go? Every time we think the bar has dropped, he slides underneath it….

I’m saddened about my native country.


UPDATE 1320 GMT: I chatted further on BBC Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine Program about the 2nd Presidential debate, appearing alongside Trump supporter Charlie Wolf.

Listen to discussion

Trump is still in the game, but only by ripping up the rulebook. I did not think the campaign could get much lower, but whereas Clinton at least tried to present issues last night — health care, education, foreign policy — Trump didn’t want to engage with issues. Or couldn’t.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: I crawled from the wreckage of the 2nd US Presidential debate to speak with BBC Hereford and Worcester on Tuesday morning.

Listen to discussion

My hopes to give a calm, productive analysis of the discussion were dashed, even before the first question, by the furor over Donald Trump’s bragging about his sexual abuse — and his attempt to overtake this by presenting Bill Clinton as a “rapist”.

It did not get better in the debate. Despite Hillary Clinton’s attempts to engage with key issues — from health care to education to foreign policy, including on Russia and on Syria — Trump was unwilling to do so. Indeed, he was unable to do so, displaying near-total ignorance on some overseas issues (listen carefully and you realize that he does not know the difference between Syria and Iraq, and you also will notice lies on topics from Russia to the Iraq War) and vagueness and evasion on domestic matters.

So who won? No one, really. One can only hope that there is some salvation with likely voters further recognizing — whatever the discussion that can be held about Hillary Clinton’s positions on the issues — the impending disaster of a Trump Presidency.