"Pimping the Refs?"

[countryguy]

It would appear The Orange One is trying a ploy from the old Bobby Knight play book.  Knight was sorta famous for trying to "pimp the refs" before a big game.  He'd make very public statements about how the refs will call the game, favoring his opponent.  He did this, in the hopes that the refs would try to appear fair to Knight, by overcompensating and taking it easier on his Indiana Hoosiers.

This seems to be what Trump has been trying to do regarding the upcoming debates.  He's spent a goodly amount of time, lately, complaining about the scheduled moderators, declaring that he can't get a fair deal from them.  (Except for Chris Wallace, of FOXnews -- go figure).  He's hoping that the moderators, afraid of looking too tough on him, and too easy on Ms. Clinton, will overcompensate by doing just the opposite.  The last thing he's worried about, is hoping that the moderators are fair and equal to both of them.

Trump even came up with his idea of a "fair format" for the debates -- no moderator, at all, just the two of them on the stage having a free-for-all "discussion" on the issues.  One only has to hark back to his behavior during the Republican debates, to see what a farce that would be, with him spending the whole time yelling over the top of Hillary, totally dominating simply because he can yell louder. 

The fact is, both campaigns, not very long ago, agreed to the debate format -- including the identities of the moderators.  Now, he's trying to accomplish two things -- intimidate the moderators into favoring him, and jacking up his followers to cry foul, after the debates are over.  For sure, he'll accomplish the later.  We'll have to see how his first objective turns out.

[A159]

Trumper closely displays tactics that Christie kinda uses. We all know how much a bully Christie was during his days as a prosecutor and then Gov. Trumper has been that all his life!! So yes, they will try to control the room everytime they step into one.

Trumper will have to bite his tongue so hard during the debate that I expect to see blood coming out of his whatever. I kinda doubt that moderators will buckle under his "pimp" thumb, because if they ever would, that damages their own careers. But, point well taken cg ..... Trumper is applying that tactic.

[Plato Potato]

Reportedly, natural-born ranter Bobby Knight has been advising Trump to back it down a few notches. Man, when Bobby Knight thinks you're outta control, you're edging into Tasmanian Devil territory.