Vee

NYT on Trump's post-debate fallout and internal autopsy.

But it does matter. That is the whole point - the polls are moving for her because of this and everyone in the media got knocked back and came out talking about how incredible she was and how terrible he was. She's up +5 in Michigan in the last day, there a bunch of other polls I can cite. But it's not just about polling, it is perception. And everything has tilted back to her. She didn't just avoid damage, she seriously helped herself. And if you haven't watched the debate, you owe it to your peace of mind. Meanwhile, Donald's post-debate one-man spin show is going great. The mute expressions are priceless.

I just think there's a way to be balanced and pragmatic about the tone and tenor of the coverage - as I like to think I am - without going to the most negative take or assuming what the worst of the population or the media is going to say. The fact is Hillary destroyed Trump the other night and almost everyone is talking about it. It is established fact. It is a triumph and it deserves to be recognized and celebrated, which is what the mainstream media is actually doing. It's okay to feel that and acknowledge it, not immediately try to look for a way to devalue it or say it's not going to matter. It does matter, it is mattering to people. Sweeping past it and looking for the downside is neither productive nor IMO fair to the reality of the immediate public conversation. Not everything is bad. I understand being guarded, but there's a point when guarded becomes something counter-productive to our own state of mind. And y'all should watch that debate if you haven't. It was a thing of beauty and everyone should see it. Meanwhile, back at the Berghof:

The official iTunes UK preview of The Secret History of Twin Peaks.

Did you watch the debate, Carl?

No one is saying that outside the right wing. This was a triumph. No, I don't think so. He already had that break for most of September. I think it's over for him. They gave him his honeymoon after August to try to shore up the numbers, and he responded with the hotel press conference fiasco which they took as an insult - and insulting them is what matters to the press. Then he did this. I think they may try to see if he can come back, but he won't. They're not going to kowtow to Breitbart or Rudy Giuliani. It's not going to happen. Watch the debate itself, then watch the press. Everyone - even Fox News - is saying Hillary destroyed him. The most they can spin it is a handful of people trying to claim he was okay for the first 15-30 minutes (he wasn't). It's not changing. Sometimes a cigar is a cigar, if you pardon the tortured backstory.

Rudy was out there crying that Lester Holt was biased, and that Trump should refuse to do any more debates unless the moderators stop fact-checking. Trump, of course, blames his microscope conspiracy. The alt right kids spammed a lot of polls - not enough to change the prevailing opinion that she wrecked him - and then tried to make a "TrumpWon" hashtag happen, but it's been hijacked entirely by people mocking them.

Not quite topic, but Lachlan Buchanan (Kyle, Y&R) is all over Instagram with a gay designer who seems an awful lot like his boyfriend. Good for them, if so. He's hot.

Focus groups on CNN and FOX call it for Hillary.

Watch the debate! Even Corey Lewandowski is down.

They're not. Trust me. 90% of the media are calling it what it was: A devastating victory for Clinton. Watch the debate. Please.

Watch the debate, then decide. Hardball on MSNBC is going through this debate line by line. God, her strategy was a work of art.

Oh, they're Trump surrogates. Forget 'em. When even Chuck Todd and Andrea Mitchell are giving up the ghost it's done.

Watch the whole debate, everyone. It was unbelievable. I thought Trump would be able to clear the media's super-low bar here while Hillary's was incredibly high. He bombed from moment one. She was unflappable and smiling and he was falling apart. That means you, Carl. It was one of the greatest things I've ever seen.

Trump was sweating, fidgeting, snarling, struggling and drank maybe 9-10 glasses of water. Hillary had none and kept smiling. Hillary won the CNN debate poll, despite intense alt right troll votespamming.

Pretty sure that's a parody account.

The silly point a couple commentators are trying for is that he did OK for the first 15 or 30 minutes. No. He was off-balance, scared and uncomfortable from the moment she smiled at him, and his very first answer was stiff and struggling. It was a blowout, and even people like Chuck Todd are basically admitting it.

Jane is right. Everyone is replaying the split-screen of his insane expressions and constant movement.

They did, but then they loudly applauded her (and laughed at him) multiple times. Then it became a competition between the Trump holdouts near the end while the rest of the audience was heavily with Hillary. Watch it yourself. It was a slaughter. CNN: 18 of 20 undecideds say they will now vote for Hillary.

And admitted to not paying taxes. And admitted to cheering for the economic downturn. And admitted he had nothing to say to the black community. It was incredible.

The sniffing is already a meme. Everyone was saying coke, but I have no idea. I think it was a tic - he can't handle rules. He can't handle having to focus for 90 minutes, let alone 10. He can't handle being talked back to or denied. He can't handle women.

Chris Matthews: "She cleaned his clock tonight. It was a bit embarrassing. It was A Few Good Men, she was Tom Cruise, he was Jack Nicholson. It was not close. It was over tonight." Please, please watch the full debate. The split-screen is amazing. MSNBC is analyzing his insane expressions!

He never had his cool tonight. He was way off-balance from the very beginning. This went very, very well. The alt right may try to spam the online polls, but there is no denying she crushed him.