A great deal riding on Clinton-Trump debate

By any objective measure, the Republican presidential primary debates were a three-ring circus with Donald Trump playing the role of ringmaster.

Trump’s strategy was to flummox the other candidates vying for the GOP nomination with bombast and bluster.

The political novice and New York City business tycoon chose style over substance and garnered 14 million votes in his victory.

By contrast, the Democratic presidential primary debates saw the two leading candidates, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, engage in intense policy discussions on a wide array of issues. Viewers who tuned in to the televised debates were treated to substance over style.

Clinton, former U.S. senator from New York and former first lady, won the Democratic nomination for president. She received almost 15 million votes.

The contrast between the two party standard bearers has been evident from the day their candidacies were launched.

That contrast will be on full display Monday night when Clinton and Trump participate in the first of three televised debates. It will be aired on NBC with Lester Holt, the anchor of “NBC Nightly News”, serving as moderator. The other two will be on Oct. 9 on CNN and Oct. 19 on Fox News.

Tomorrow’s debate occurs against the backdrop of a country deeply divided along, political, racial and social lines. National polls show that most voters don’t trust either of the candidates. Indeed, many Americans who haven’t made up their minds tell pollsters that they’re learning toward sitting out the presidential election.

Therein lies the challenge for Clinton and Trump as they share the stage.

If the debate winds up being nothing more than a slugfest with the two candidates going for the jugular, viewers who are still uncertain about the election will switch channels.

On the other hand, if Clinton and Trump conduct themselves in the manner befitting an election to the most powerful office in the land, viewers will stay tuned. Most voters want to hear how the Democratic and Republican nominees will deal with the major challenges confronting the nation.

Main topics

NBC has said that the main topics for the debate are “America’s Direction,” “Achieve Prosperity,” and “Securing America,” according to the website Politico.

Politico reported that the announcement came with a caveat that the topics could change as a result of news development. The debate at Hofstra University on Long Island, N.Y., will consist of six 15-minute segments over a 90-minute period with no commercial breaks.

Two of the 15-minute segments will focus on each of the announced topics, Politico reported.

Last weekend’s terror incidents in New York City and Saint Cloud, Minn., will undoubtedly be raised in the context of America’s war on domestic and global terrorism.

No one died in the attacks, but 29 people were treated and released from the hospital in the Manhattan pipe bombing. Ten people suffered stab wounds in the attack in a Saint Cloud shopping mall.

The suspect in the New York incidents was captured in Linden, N.J., after a shootout with police forces that left three officers and Ahmad Khan Rahami wounded.

In Minnesota, Dahir Adan, who went on the stabbing spree, was killed by an off-duty police officer. The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility.

While Trump wasted little time in politicizing the incidents, we would remind both candidates that the American people are eager to hear how lone-wolf terrorists and global-terror organizations such as Islamic State and al-Qaida can be brought to heel.

Monday’s debate is an opportunity for Clinton and Trump to clearly demonstrate that they have temperament and judgment to be the leader of the world’s lone superpower.

Serving as president is serious business, and anyone seeking the office has a responsibility to the nation to articulate his or her positions on foreign policy, with an emphasis on national security, and domestic policy, with emphasis on immigration.

These are troubled times, and America needs a leader who can bring us together and calm our fears.

We’ll find out tomorrow night if we should be reassured or worried.