FIRST Is the GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library still going on?
Wednesday night’s showdown on CNN must have been the longest debate in history. It went on and on and on, for nearly three hours! We thought that debate moderator Jake Tapper was going to begin asking what size shoe each candidate wears or whether the 2016 presidential hopefuls prefer Coke or Pepsi.
We aren’t the only ones who felt the debate was a little too exhausting and a touch bizarre. Even the soft spoken and mild mannered Dr. Ben Carson criticized the format.
While the setting inside the library was awe-inspiring, with the candidates standing in front of President Reagan’s Air Force One and a very small and intimate crowd of only 500 or so people politely listening and offering applause when necessary, it was CNN’s production that made it odd.
For instance, why was Jake Tapper sitting by himself on one side of the debate stage with CNN’s Dana Bash and radio host Hugh Hewitt on the other side? With so few appearances, it seemed odd that Bash and Hewitt were even there.
Also, why did CNN leave it up to Mr. Tapper to interrupt the candidates when their time was up? Why did they not use a bell or some other alert to cut them off? It was bizarre and annoying every time he had to say “thank you governor” or “thank you senator” when time was up.
And finally, and this isn’t necessarily CNN’s fault, but was there no cool air circulating on that stage? Nearly every male candidate sweated profusely at the beginning of the debate. We thought CNN was trying to make each hopeful look like Richard Nixon in 1960 during his debate with John F. Kennedy.
Enough of that. On to some primetime candidate analysis.
We start from audience left to right, starting with the junior senator from Kentucky.
Rand Paul: From the beginning, he was drawn into the debate firing squad when Donald Trump said that Senator Paul should not be on the debate stage due to his only “1%” in the polls. Shortly after, Mr. Trump attacked him again with a physical appearance jab. Clearly, and understandably, Senator Paul was annoyed. He tried hard to go after Trump by slamming his readiness to have his fingers on the nuclear codes but his attacks came up empty. Despite mentioning that he is a proud Reagan conservative, Sen. Paul didn’t seem to win many friends among the conservative and idealistic Republicans in attendance with his more libertarian leanings. It was a tough night for someone we had high hopes for many months ago.
Mike Huckabee: The former Arkansas governor is an eloquent speaker. With very little screen time, he did an adequate job and made a few good points. He was strong on the question concerning the disastrous Iran nuclear deal as well as the inevitable Kim Davis query. Being in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Mr. Huckabee reminded everyone that Reagan told people how great they are, not how great he was. Indeed.
Marco Rubio: The Florida senator had a pretty strong night. He once again showed off his policy skills and again brought up his personal story which is inspiring. Since his speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention when he mentioned his bartender father’s dream for his son to one day be up on a stage delivering a speech, it never seems to get old for the audience to hear. Mr. Rubio was pointed, articulate, and energetic. The problems we have with him? One, his immigration stance. And two, the establishment is pushing him as an alternative number three, should Jeb Bush and Ohio Governor John Kasich fail. Not the kind of talk that grassroots conservatives want to hear.
Ted Cruz: The best debater on stage and the most ideological candidate was once again shunned. The stretch of time that his name was not called or even mentioned by the other candidates was so long that one could have tuned in halfway through the broadcast and asked if the Texas senator was even participating. When he was asked questions, he was articulate, passionate, and displayed the ideological conservative temperament that this country desperately needs. We understand his logic for not going after Trump. As anyone can plainly see, they have a very friendly relationship. Even if they weren’t brothers, figuratively, Cruz’s strategy team sees little incentive to attack Trump and get bogged down in the destructive spiral that has cost other candidates to drop out (Perry) or watch their poll numbers slide (Paul). Mr. Cruz wants to be the beneficiary of a Trump implosion where the businessman’s supporters turn to a fellow border hawk and Iran nuclear deal basher. The question, however, that we have for Senator Cruz is this: what if it is the week before the Iowa Caucus and Trump is still standing strong or even stronger? What do you do then? There is still plenty of time for the “consistent conservative” Cruz to move up in the polls significantly but we hope he isn’t being too cautious.
Ben Carson: Having seen his poll numbers rocket up since the first debate in early August, one might expect that with more face time, the former neurosurgeon would shine and offer some bold ideas to keep the momentum going. Unfortunately, his performance was rather mixed. Though he is so naturally calm and collected, he seemed to lack energy. He used part of his opening introduction to welcome Carly Fiorina to the stage which was classy and genuine. His best line of the night was when he mentioned the flat tax which we fully endorse. It will be interesting to see how his post-debate poll numbers look in the coming weeks. He didn’t hurt himself at all by his performance but we think he missed an opportunity to outshine the other candidates.
Donald Trump: Another debate, another pile on extravaganza for the former The Apprentice host. Nearly every question, so it seemed, from the moderators started off with “Mr. ____ ” or “Ms. Fiorina, Mr. Trump sais this….” and it was clear that the goal for CNN was to make him the center of everything and get all of the other ten candidates to skewer him. In the end, it was just status quo. He didn’t have a horrible moment that might bring his poll numbers down but still lacked specific policy ideas that will help calm the nerves of those who are unsure about him. The exchange with Ms. Fiorina over his Rolling Stone comments regarding her face was probably the low point of his campaign as he didn’t come off very sincere when he said that she was beautiful. She clearly had the upper hand with him this night. However, as we have seen over the past three months, Mr. Trump defies conventional wisdom when it comes to people predicting his demise. We expect him to maintain his lead in post-debate polling.
Jeb Bush: The former Florida governor was better than the first debate. But then again, that’s not saying much. He said he would show more energy and he had his moments. His best line of the night was when he sparred with Donald Trump over the Iraq war and Mr. Bush defended his brother President George W. Bush by saying, “you know what? As it relates to my brother, there is one thing I know for sure, he kept us safe,”. The audience erupted. For once, he got the upper hand on Trump who has dominated the political fight between the two.
Scott Walker: Like Rand Paul, the Wisconsin governor is desperate for a reversal in campaign fortune and it shows with the attacks on Mr. Trump. Like Jeb Bush, he did better than the first debate but still didn’t have a breakout performance that would have energized his campaign and reminded people of why he was on the stage in the first place (taking on the unions). Not out of the race, figuratively, quite yet, but definitely not looking good for a candidate we had high hopes for.
Carly Fiorina: The clear winner on this night. She fought hard to get on the stage and it was worth the effort. She was strong on policy (Iran, Russia, rebuilding our military), passionate and heartwarming (Planned Parenthood videos, drug overdose), and classy (“Facegate”). It was interesting that she didn’t speak directly to or look at Donald Trump. He was just words to her. Expect a big jump in the polls for the former Hewlett-Packard CEO.
John Kasich: The Governor of Ohio offered much of the same as the first debate. He talks like a go-along-to-get-along moderate Republican who tries to come across as the adult in the room and above partisan and ideological politics. Nothing he can say or do will change our minds about him. We will keep pressing the fact that he is being secretly groomed to take over as the establishment’s choice when Jeb Bush implodes.
Chris Christie: It pains us to say it but these debates bring out a different persona for the governor of New Jersey. He is much more likeable and occasionally offers words of encouragement that makes us, albeit briefly, forget that his record in New Jersey is terrible and that he is a moderate Republican (global warming, gun rights, Obamacare, property taxes, etc.) We expect a slight bump in the polls after this debate performance but nothing that will make people forget who the establishment favors…Bush, Kasich, and Rubio in that order.
Final We would love to see Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal on the primetime stage at the next debate which will be held in late October. Hopefully, Mr. Jindal can kick-start his campaign over the next five weeks and earn a spot. During the undercard debate on Wednesday evening, he said he is more upset with congressional Republicans than with President Obama because at least the White House occupant is honest about his socialism, as opposed to the GOP who act conservative on the campaign trail then revert to their true moderate self once in Washington. Sadly, many of us agree with Mr. Jindal and are more angry at the GOP, despite the awfulness of the past seven years of Obama.
