Republican Debate: And the Winner is...
And the Winner is…
After a punishing three hours we are nowhere near closer to determining the eventual Republican nominee for president, but last night’s second Republican debate on CNN did have some merit. We illuminated some key policy issues, elicited a few chuckles, and answered our most pressing political question, if elected “What would your Secret Service Code name be?”
Carly “Secretariat” Fiorina was the outstanding winner. Her comments were articulate, powerful and deep. She had an incredibly strong opening statement, went on to hit back on Donald “Humble” Trump’s comments about her face and made herself vulnerable by opening the discussion on the child she lost to drug addiction. Most significantly, her comments about the US military were well researched and supported by hard facts and figures. She came off as intelligent, prepared and polished. I almost even liked her.
Surprisingly, Governor Chris “True Heart” Christie, who has been lagging significantly in the polls, stood out with his strong tone and masterful manipulation of the dialogue. He often redirected the conversation from himself to his own objectives or to the proverbial “American people”. It will be interesting to see if this performance bumps his poll numbers out of the “dismal” bracket.
Jeb! the “Ever-Ready” did okay. I think the problem with Jeb! is summed up by Donald Trump’s jab at him in the beginning of the debate. The former governor was fighting back against an attack from the media mogul when Trump interjected, “more energy tonight, I like that.” Jeb! Has always been a little lack luster to me, just kind of a limp candidate with a less than desirable family legacy. But last night he impressed me in one moment when in response to attacks about his brother’s decision to invade Iraq he said, “As it relates to my brother, there’s one thing I know for sure. He kept us safe.” Jeb kind of walked back from there. Making the same mistakes he usually does when attacking Trump (calling him a democrat–lover) and saying absolutely he does not support raising the minimum wage, which is a political non-starter.
Both Donald Trump and Senator Marco “Gator” Rubio had okay nights. Neither of them said anything terrible but neither had an outstanding performance either. They maintained their status quo as contesters to be taken seriously and that’s about it.
Mike “Duck Hunter” Huckabee, John “Unit One” Kasich, Scott “Harley” Walker, and Ted “Cohiba” Cruz deserve an honorable mention for their participation.
Poor Rand “Justice Never Sleeps” Paul, The Donald’s favorite punching bag and arguably strangest looking Republican candidate floundered in last night’s face-off. His views on the military, and medical marijuana reminded us all what a libertarian he truly is and how not-viable that is in our present primary climate. I almost feel sorry for him when Trump punches down to land a zinger about Paul’s appearance but then I remember that he truly believes in the flat tax.
Ben Carson was last nights biggest looser, simply because he had the most to lose. He is second in the polls, right behind Trump (whose leading position I have never fully understood) and yet last night Carson said nothing worthy of mention. He was unable to make himself stand out in any way. I would even go so far as to call him boring. If he doesn’t act he will forfeit his lead to hungrier contenders. His outside the establishment mantel obviously appeals to the republican base, but the success of Trump proves that you need to make a few enemies to earn their rabid love.
Fourteen months to go. We’re just getting started.
