Take your one shot at him calling him a coward who can’t face a TV anchorwoman when he may have to face Vladimir Putin as president and move on. We get it. He appears to be afraid of a woman’s direct questions. Whatever. Who knows (or cares) why he says he's skipping the debate.
The guy who sucks the energy out of a debate hall won’t be there. Take advantage. If you looked like a wimp when he was in the hall, show us you're strong with him out of the hall. Stop using him as the excuse for your poor performance or you not getting enough time to talk and show us your stuff.
Quit the belly aching. If you think he made a bad move, then let it be a bad move…take advantage of it. If you think it’s a good move and he beat you to it, figure out a strategy to counter it….take advantage of it. The stage is yours tonight as long as he’s not there.
Okay, afterwards folks may say you were strong because he wasn’t in the room. Personally, the way the GOP race has been shaping up…I’d accept that if it got me into the first tier and on a more even keel with the front-runner. It’s better than where you are now.
He announces he’s not attending and, once again, commands the center of media attention for 24 hours. Use the two hours of debate time when he won’t be there to seize attention for yourself. Show us you have not just the smarts and temperament to be president, but the wherewithal to demonstrate that in a debate when the clown in the room isn’t there.
I get that a bully can suck the oxygen out of a room. I get his “damn the rules I’m the best performer in the room and I don’t care about political correctness” attitude has dominated the race. But, for two hours, he won’t be there – it’s free time to show your stuff.
‘Nuff said. Start the debate and let the fool stay on the hill.