A crowd watches the third and final Presidential debate, hosted by U.S. Rep Seth Moulton, at Trio’s Mexican Grill on Wednesday (Photo by Paula Muller)
By Gayla Cawley
LYNN — Many of the people who headed to Trio’s Mexican Grill for the third presidential debate watch party, hosted by U.S. Rep Seth Moulton (D-MA) and local Democrats, are decided voters, but appreciated a stronger focus on the issues between the two candidates.
Before the debate, Moulton said it should not be forgotten that voters have the opportunity to elect the first female president of the United States, Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee.
“I don’t think I need to go through all the reasons why Donald Trump (the Republican nominee) is dangerous for this country, why he’s fundamentally un-American, why he doesn’t know anything about the Constitution of the United States or the values that make us who we are,” Moulton said. “He is exploiting our differences. He is scapegoating Muslims, he is attacking minorities and he lies every single day in what he says. That’s not someone we can look up to as a leader. That’s not someone our troops can trust as commander-in-chief and it’s certainly not someone who is going to make a stronger America.
“When Hillary Clinton talks about being stronger together, that’s not just a campaign slogan,” he continued. “That’s fundamentally who we are as Americans. And she understands that because she’s been in public service her entire life. In fact, some people say there hasn’t been a more qualified person to run for president since maybe Dwight Eisenhower and I agree with that.”
Rodney Raposa, a Swampscott resident, said he’s a liberal so he supports Clinton. He said she has more substance in her responses than Trump, when discussing policy.
“Sometimes I feel Donald Trump flails his responses around,” Raposa said. “I kind of get confused sometimes of what he actually stands for … I don’t think he has a lot of hardcore stances when it comes to a lot of things.”
The debate watch party was attended by mostly Democrats and Clinton supporters. Watching from other locations were Alexander “Sandy” Tennant, former executive director of the MassGOP, and Amy Carnevale, a Marblehead resident who serves on the Republican State Committee.
“I’ve been impressed in this debate by the focus on the issues, at least to start the debate,” said Carnevale. “I would say I think Donald Trump has come out better rehearsed on some of the issues than he has on past debates, sticking to his message a little bit better than he has in the past.”
Carnevale, who was a delegate for Trump at the Republican National Convention, where he was selected as the party’s nominee in July, said that she agreed with him on his stance on the kind of Supreme Court justice who should replace the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia, a long-time conservative judge who died last February.
Trump said he has a list of 20 potential candidates, and said he would nominate a judge who strictly interprets the Constitution as the country’s founders wrote it.
Clinton said the Supreme Court should represent all of the United States and that the Senate has not done its job by confirming the nominee President Barack Obama set forward, Judge Merrick Garland.
“I think most conservatives agree that the Constitution should be strictly interpreted,” said Carnevale.
Carnevale said Trump’s discussion on the United States/Mexico border was strong.
“I thought it was really strong how Donald Trump pointed out that one of the issues that’s important to come out of border security is controlling the drug trade from Mexico,” she said.
Tennant, a Swampscott resident, said it was an outrage that Clinton seemed to suggest that she accepts abortion at all stages of pregnancy. He also said that while the country is $19 trillion in debt, the Clintons have vastly increased their personal wealth since President Bill Clinton was in office.
Elina Mihalakis, a Lynn resident, said Clinton is more knowledgeable.
“She has been in politics for so many years and she knows what she’s talking about,” she said.
Mihalakis said Trump only tries to appeal to certain segments of the population by focusing on issues like the second amendment, the right to bear arms.
Sally Palmer, a Topsfield resident and Lynn native, said while watching the debate that she was feeling that Clinton is the most sensible candidate and believes in all of her statements for what’s best for the country.
“I’m confident that she’ll steer us in the right direction,” Palmer said.
Palmer added that it appeared to her that Trump was trying very hard to keep restraint in what he wanted to say early on. She said it was his last shot in gaining the support of people who stand behind him, mentioning the “Access Hollywood” video that came out recently, where Trump bragged to then-host Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women, and the subsequent women who have come forward accusing him of inappropriately touching them.
Gene Record, a Marblehead resident, said the debate was much more reasoned, with no yelling and shouting like previous ones.
“They’re talking about issues, which is really good,” he said.
Record identifies as a centrist, or someone who has moderate political views, and said he decides which party to vote for based on who he agrees with more on policy. He wouldn’t say his mind is made up, but he is leaning away from one candidate.
“I don’t feel I could vote for someone as volatile and unrepresentative of the United States as Donald Trump,” he said.
Gayla Cawley can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @GaylaCawley.