Donald J. Trump desperately tried to discredit Hillary Clinton's decades of public service at every turn of the final presidential debate Wednesday evening.
That desperation became downright ugly when Trump uttered these four words about his opponent: "such a nasty woman."
SEE ALSO: Not even the audience49 street erotice bronxtake Trump seriously when he says he respects womenThe aside became yet another prism through which to see Trump's true character. Not content to criticize Clinton's policies through a thoughtful but pointed discussion, Trump must always make it personal.
This no doubt thrills a swath of the American public that has loathed Clinton since the moment she became a first lady with aspirations beyond the East Wing of the White House. The controversies over her use of a private email server, the attack on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi and the recent release of hacked emails sent by her staff have only emboldened her detractors to the point where they feel comfortable shouting things like "hang her in the streets" at Trump's rallies.
While encouraging and playing to that unrestrained hate may score points with Trump's base, it's a losing strategy with voters who want dignified presidential leadership. They're also not fooled by Trump's insistence that no one holds women in higher regard than him and yet he can't keep himself from calling the first major female presidential candidate "nasty" to her face.
It was this moment in particular that repulsed Marcy Stech, vice president of communications for EMILY's List, a political action committee that supports Democratic women, including Clinton.
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"How is a woman who is having a rational conversation with you on stage about the most important job in the country a nasty woman?" Stech said.
Watching a belligerent, unqualified man attack a woman with proven experience was both familiar and frustrating for Stech. She expects, however, that it will energize many voters, especially women, who deem Trump unfit for the presidency.
"These types of remarks can really be galvanizing for those of us ready to knock on doors and bring every vote home," she said.
Yet despite Trump's best efforts, Clinton could not be provoked. Not even when he spit out patronizing and incendiary comments like "she's been proven to be a liar," "your husband disagrees with you," and "she should never have been allowed to run for the presidency."
"These types of remarks can really be galvanizing for those of us ready to knock on doors and bring every vote home."
When Trump, who has no military or foreign affairs experience, lectured her on the fight to reclaim Mosul, Iraq, she cooly pointed out that he originally supported the Iraq war. When Clinton suggested she would "translate" Trump's rambling on trade deals and he insinuated she was stupid by interrupting with a snide "you can't," she remained calm.
She didn't even laugh when Trump said no politician has gotten trade right — not even President Ronald Reagan — but that he would finally achieve the impossible.
Only a scientist could quantify Trump's hubris, but some of his favorite words — enormous, huge, tremendous — will have to suffice in the absence of an algorithm.
It's worth noting that the presidential election didn't have to look like this. Any of the Republican primary candidates would have aggressively challenged Clinton's record and judgment, but it's hard to imagine Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Ted Cruz or Gov. Jeb Bush engaging in a campaign of ad hominem attacks.
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"It's an entertaining SNL skit," Stech says of Trump's antics, "but it certainly doesn’t make for a president."
Whether or not people believe Clinton demonstrated superior character will likely depend on their ideological affiliation. Still, it's hard to argue that Trump succeeded on that front.
When talking about late-term abortions, which are rare and occur when a mother's life is in danger or the fetus has a catastrophic abnormality, Trump described the medical procedure as "rip[ping] the baby out of the womb." He blamed Clinton's campaign for the spate of sexual assault allegations made against him and admitted he hasn't apologized to his wife "because I didn't do anything."
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And faced with the possibility that he might lose the election, Trump effectively threatened American democracy by saying he'd keep the public in "suspense" over whether he would accept the outcome of the race on Nov. 8.
"We've never seen this before," said Stech, referring to Trump's reluctance to abide by the will of voters. But this election, she added, is also unprecedented because it features the first female presidential candidate who happens to be running against someone who doesn't just disagree with her positions, but abhors her as a person.
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That Clinton has withstood these deeply personal attacks, Stech said, speaks to her resolve — and the misogyny that still haunts women in their public and private lives.
"She kept her cool in this entire campaign in a way that’s really impressive," Stech said. "She had real answers to the questions that were asked [tonight]. She brought context to the policy debate. She listened. She showed a lot of passion for what she believed in."
If the final debate was the penultimate moment in a campaign increasingly dependent on how Trump treats women, it's likely that many of them have heard his message and are poised to deliver his defeat.
"I did feel like this was a rallying cry for so many women," she said. "People are fired up and ready to go."