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POLITICS ANDREWHARNIK—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE Hillary Clinton speaks in Warren, Mich. By Julie Pace and Ken Thomas The Associated Press WASHINGTON Byvirtueof her long political resume, Hillary Clinton will en- ter her highly anticipated fall debates with Donald Trump facing the same kind of heightened ex- pectations that often sad- dle an incumbent presi- dent. Trump, as the politi- cal newcomer, will be more of a wild card with a lower bar to clear. A month before the first faceoff, Clinton allies are working to prevent that dy- namic from turning into an advantage for the Republi- can nominee. Boosting debate expec- tations for her opponent requires a tricky balanc- ing act for Clinton. At the same time she is encourag- ing Americans to take seri- ously Trump's controversial policy proposals, including a temporary ban on Mus- lim immigration and build- ing a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border, she's paint- ing him as unprepared and temperamentally unfit for the presidency. "I think on the one hand it's a serious chance for Americans to tune in," Clinton said Mon- day on ABC's "Jimmy Kim- mel Live" show. "But you've got to be prepared for, like, wacky stuff that comes at you and I am drawing on my experience in elemen- tary school. You know, the guy who pulled your pony- tail." The presidential debates kick off Sept. 26 at New York's Hofstra University. Two additional confronta- tions will follow in October, along with a vice presiden- tial faceoff between Dem- ocratic running mate Tim Kaine, a Virginia senator, and Trump's No. 2, Indi- ana Gov. Mike Pence. Clinton's campaign has narrowed in on a candidate to play Trump in practice sessions, though aides are keeping tightlipped about the identity. One aide said it was possible more than one person would be tapped. "She has to prepare for wild Trump, uncharacter- istically mild Trump and something in between," said Bob Shrum, a veteran Democratic consultant who has helped prepare presi- dential candidates for de- bates. "She's a terrific de- bater but you have to get her into a context that she responds to the Trump who actually shows up." Clinton's preparations are being overseen by ex- perienced Democratic de- bate experts, including Ron Klain, Karen Dunn and Robert Barnett, all of whom advised President Barack Obama during his debates. They're working out of a rented office in Washington. Top Clinton policy adviser Jake Sulli- van is also playing a prom- inent role, along with other senior campaign officials. For politicians with rela- tively little experience on the national stage, debates have often been a welcome opportunity to exceed low expectations. Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, stead- ied his campaign by out- shining Obama during their first showdown. In the 2008 vice presidential debate, Sarah Palin won praise for holding her own against then-Sen. Joe Biden, who had far more experience than the first-term Alaska governor. Clinton advisers are specifically trying to avoid a repeat of the 2000 campaign, when Democrats spent months hammering George W. Bush as a light- weight with little grasp of important policy issues. When he looked solid in the first debate against Vice President Al Gore, party op- eratives realized they had made a mistake. The Democrats had spent a year lowering expecta- tions to the point that Bush would win the debate if he made it through and "didn't drool on himself," one Clin- ton aide said, commenting anonymously without au- thorization to speak pub- licly for the campaign. Not everyone in Clin- ton's inner circle is worried about managing expecta- tions for the debates. Susie Tompkins Buell, a longtime friend of Clinton's, said the faceoff against Trump will "be like Serena Williams playing tennis with Chris Christie." Before debates, Clinton aims to keep Trump expectations high By Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey The Associated Press WASHINGTON Hillary Clinton is sidestepping new questions about nearly 15,000 recently discovered emails or her family's char- itable foundation — a stay- the-course strategy sure to be tested in the sprint to Election Day. Clinton has no imme- diate plans — in an inter- view or a news conference — to explain the FBI's dis- covery of another batch of emails or personally clar- ify how her administra- tion would wall off the or- ganization founded by her husband, former President Bill Clinton, if she's elected president. Instead, her top cam- paign officials and allies are playing defense, ar- guing that the foundation has helped millions of peo- ple around the globe while Trump's business inter- ests carry their own blind spots. "Hillary Clinton doesn't have a conflict of interest on charitable work — that's all it is," Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook said in an interview Wednes- day with MSNBC's "Morn- ing Joe." "We need to look a lot more closely at Don- ald Trump." The Clinton campaign figures her late-summer advantage gives her few in- centives to personally push back against the email crit- icism or allegations of pay- for-play. Trump, helped by a re- vamped campaign team, has called for a special prosecutor to investigate the foundation and said it should be shut down im- mediately. The Republican nominee, who donated to the Clinton Foundation, has repeatedly charged that his opponent, while secretary of state, provided access to foundation con- tributors in exchange for donations to the charity at the heart of Bill Clinton's post-presidential legacy. Clinton leads Trump in national and state polls, leaving many of her aides and supporters to conclude that addressing the issue isn't worth the risk to her electoral standing. But the issue is one that ties into voters larger questions about her trustworthi- ness — a problem that will follow her into the White House should she win. CAMPAIGN 2016 Clinton keeps stay-the-course strategy August is Tehama County Customer Appreciation Month | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 4 B