The Note: The Debate Before the Debate

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September 8, 2016

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The Debate Before the Debate

Trump Says Putin Better Leader Than Obama in Military Town Hall

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were grilled last night by veterans in a wide-ranging forum that touched on Clinton's email scandal and the fitness of both to be commander-in-chief. During the forum -- where the candidates appeared separately in front of an audience made up largely of veterans -- Trump suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin has been a better leader than President Obama. "The man has very strong control over a country," he said during the town hall was hosted by MSNBC/NBC on the Intrepid aircraft carrier. "Now it's a very different system and I don't happen to like the system, but certainly in that system, he's been a leader. Far more than our president has been a leader." Trump did very little to tamp down controversial talk about how he has been friendly with Russia throughout his campaign. More from ABC's MEGHAN KENEALLY: http://abcn.ws/2cq6nsU

Clinton: No Ground Troops in Iraq 'Ever Again'

Hillary Clinton on Wednesday said she wouldn't put ground troops in Iraq "ever again" and would not use boots on the ground to defeat ISIS.

Clinton Says No Ground Troops in Iraq 'Ever Again'

Hillary Clinton yesterday said she wouldn't put ground troops in Iraq "ever again" and would not use boots on the ground to defeat ISIS, ABC's LIZ KREUTZ notes. "We are not putting ground troops into Iraq ever again and we are not putting ground troops into Syria," the Democratic presidential nominee, who has consistently said she does not want to put ground troops into Iraq, said during a forum on national security on NBC News. "We're going to defeat ISIS without committing American ground troops." http://abcn.ws/2ceE9CS

Analysis - ABC's RICK KLEIN

Let's stipulate that both campaigns are glad they have two-plus weeks more of debate prep time. The first joint forum of the general election, coming less than 20 days before the first debate, previewed the sharp messaging both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump plan to employ for the stretch. They couldn't help but make their own arguments about their opponents. But their individual weaknesses were on stark display. Clinton's halting, frustrated answers about her email practices dominated her half of the forum, as did lingering (still) questions about her Iraq war vote, and Libya ("we didn't lose a single person"). Trump, meanwhile, wrongly said he was always against that war, while insulting US generals ("reduced to rubble"), praising Vladimir Putin ("he does have an 82 percent approval rating"), and suggesting that intelligence officers who are giving him security briefings are secretly opposed to President Obama's major policies. Both would have a hard time coming off as the candidate of steadiness and conviction on foreign policy. The forum also underscored an oft-overlooked point: Clinton and Trump defy conventional labels around foreign policy, especially as they traditionally attach to their respective parties, to an unusual degree. Who's the hawk? Who's the dove? That's not a judgment that can be made based on their policies, and also their demeanors: This campaign is about them – the people – far more than it is about their convictions.

Pence Denies Trump's 'Birther' Theory

Donald Trump's running mate, Mike Pence, threw cold water on the real estate mogul's longtime espousal of "birtherism" -- the theory that President Obama was not born in the United States. Speaking to a group of reporters aboard his plane yesterday afternoon, Pence said: "I believe Barack Obama was born in Hawaii. "I accept his birthplace." More from ABC's INES DE LA CUETARA and ADAM KELSEY. http://abcn.ws/2c9mVmW

Flashback - The Last Time Donald Trump Talked About 'Birtherism'

Mike Pence says he believes President Obama was born in the United States. What about Donald Trump? Trump supporter Ben Carson said Tuesday it would be a "good idea" if Trump apologized for his embrace of birtherism but Trump has studiously avoided the issue since he launched his presidential campaign last year -- just yesterday telling Bill O'Reilly "I don't even talk about it anymore, Bill, because I just don't bother talking about it." But Trump did address the issue, at some length, in an interview with ABC's JONATHAN KARL at the beginning of the 2016 presidential cycle. And he left no doubt that his feelings on the issue had not changed. http://abcn.ws/2bUGgNj

Why a Pro-Trump Super PAC is Going Positive in New Ad

As the final sprint of the campaign approaches, a pro-Donald Trump SuperPAC, Rebuilding America Now, says they will change focus to air positive spots backing Donald Trump as opposed to the attack ads hitting Hillary Clinton they have previously run, notes ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE. They say the change in strategy is due to a test they did in the Youngstown, Ohio market where they aired a positive one minute ad titled "America Soaring" and they saw their internal polling jumping from a statistical tie to a double digit lead. The ad depicts Trump as the candidate to bring back the country's manufacturing sector: "Factory workers have seen the jobs they love shipped thousands of miles away. It doesn't have to be this way. We can turn it around," the narrator says in the ad. "We are going to make America Great Again for everyone, greater than ever before." WATCH: http://bit.ly/2ctJrId

ABC News Spoke to the PAC's Strategists and Pollster Jim McLaughlin

...who said they believe the jump they saw is because "people are looking for a reason to vote for Donald Trump." Strategist Curt Anderson said "If you just go out and talk to people they essentially will tell you nicely or not so nicely they don't like either candidate," adding the spot shows voters "I can be for something instead of against something in a race that has been negative the entire time." McLaughlin said their test showed "a lot of Republicans coming home." "They want hope and change again, but they don't want his hope and change," McLaughlin said referring to President Obama's signature line, adding this strategy is about "giving some hope on the economy and jobs" and helping to answer voters' insecurities on the economy.

The PAC Is Not Releasing Ad Buy Details Yet

...but did say they are not ruling out running more negative ads in the future. Rebuilding American Now has spent about $12.8 million up to this point in advertising backing Trump, according to an ABC News analysis of advertising data from CMAG/Kantar Media. Their first ad linked Hillary Clinton's private e mail use with the Monica Lewinsky scandal, using Bill Clinton's famous denial of their relationship.