patrick.net

Another added that her preparation this year “is more style than substance. They’re trying to prepare her for the different Trumps that might show up.”

Several Democrats who have spoken to the participants tell POLITICO that the main person playing the role of interlocutor – up until this weekend anyway, where there will be a real Trump stand-in – was campaign chairman John Podesta, a sharp-tongued veteran operator known less for bluster than behind-the-curtain scheme-spinning. The wiry Podesta is quick on his feet, and is famous for a lashing tongue when angry. The buttoned-down, courtly Klain has also stood in parrying questions with Clinton, according to people close to the situation – but both men have been less concerned with imitating Trump than preparing Clinton for the substance of the attacks, two keen attorneys framing Clinton’s reactions in the precise, disciplined language their lawyerly candidate thrives on.

“It’s an unconventional year, and he’s an unconventional candidate, so maybe preparation doesn’t matter,” said David Axelrod, a former top strategist to President Obama. “But in my experience, the candidate who comes on the stage, and can anticipate the rhythm of the thing, and knows what they want to do, has a huge advantage.”

Insiders said Clinton's debate group has tried to frame every minute on the stage as a referendum on the issue of trust -- to convince voters with doubts about Clinton to contrast those concerns with how they feel about Trump handling the nuclear codes. But there is still fear of the unknown that is the other half of the equation on stage with her.
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What Trump, Clinton said when they were asked about age

By Nolan D. McCaskill

“You’re just not sure who is going to show up, so you have to do it, you have to assume he may be aggressive, or he may lay back,” communications director Jennifer Palmieri said. “That’s hard to game out.”

Clinton’s experience and confidence can make her an intimidating person to prep -- when you count her own three dozen on-stage debates there is arguably no one in American politics with more prime-time experience. Her coaches, however, are also longtime debate aficionados -- campaign consultants Joel Benenson, Jim Margolis and Mandy Grunwald all sit in on prep, as does Palmieri, longtime attorney Bob Barnett, senior policy adviser Jake Sullivan, Podesta, occasionally Bill Clinton, younger policy aides who have helped compile the thick green binders of prep materials, and others.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/09/hillary-clinton-debate-prep-228558#ixzz4L6osrVhH
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