Subject: Re: Debate Missed Op's
"But when she criticized his personal failings, she went after the stuff that would make him mad - leaders laughing at him, "his generals" thinking he's terrible, his crowds being bored with him. Stuff he couldn't lay off of, so that he would show how easily provoked he was live on national TV - and would get so wound around his own axle that he wouldn't be able to go after her at all."

Yep. By going after him on things that she knew would get him wound up and defensive, she accomplished three things:

1. By making him defensive, she knew he would then talk about those things he was being defensive about rather than the things he wanted to talk about.
2. It showed quite clearly how easy he was to control and manipulate. If he is this easily manipulated in a debate, he is easily manipulated by foreign leaders (or anyone really who actually wants something from him).
3. By manipulating him in into going into his defensive rants, he looked like the crazy old uncle that everyone rolls his eyes at. Not very presidential at all.

This presidential race is going to be decided by the few undecided voters. These undecided voters already know Trump and do not like Trump (heck there are lots and lots of Republicans who don't like Trump but will vote for him anyway), but they might have been willing to hold their nose and vote for him if the alternatives were either an old demented man or an unknown crazy liberal. The main thing Harris had to do during the debate was to appear presidential. She had to show those few undecideds that she wasn't a crazy liberal woman and she could be presidential. I think she was able to do that on her own, but just in case, she made sure that the contrast to Trump was an easy one. After all, it is much easier to look presidential when being compared to a crazy old uncle who spews wild conspiracy stories.