Atlanta, GA - In the commercials before the debate on the FOX Business Network, FBN boasted “CNBC never asked the real questions, never covered the real issues. That's why on Nov. 10, the real debate about our economy and our future is only on Fox Business Network.”
They delivered. Except for one question to Carson about the controversies over his past, a question that was
quite necessary, the journalists managed to make the entire debate the most
substantive so far.
The venue was probably the most beautiful we’ve seen so far,
although the crowd seemed divided, on the one hand-cheering Trump when he
promised to uphold the laws passed by congress and signed by presidents that
any and all illegal immigrants, wherever they are from, be shipped back, and
that our border be secured. However, at the same time the crowd also cheered
when Bush said that Trump was being ridiculous.
The biggest winners of the night were once again Cruz and
Rubio, but this time Rubio pulled ahead of Cruz to be a clear winner, while the
senator from Texas was left holding a lessor place. Rubio seemed completely at
ease and prepared, and quite knowledgeable about every subject he was asked. It
truly seems that Rubio must have a really fantastic team helping him with
debate preparation, and one of the necessities for being president is the
ability to pick a good team. A-plus, Marco.
Rubio also got in one of the best lines of the night in
defense of the a workable, livable wage, a good deal below 15 dollars an hour,
reminding everyone that such a high minimum wage would make humans more
expensive than machines.
As for Cruz, he did well, his line about the bible and the
tax code didn’t make me laugh, but I will remember it, so that’s something, I
guess. His discourse on immigration was also quite powerful, especially when he
talked about how if the illegal immigrants were journalists and were lowering
the income of that profession, the media would care. And he wouldn't bail out the banks, so that's another good thing.
Cruz continues to do something quite remarkable, that, rise
in the polls despite his far right stances and his lack of Trump-like stupidity.
We’ll keep watching this guy.
Speaking of Trump…really pal? Everybody was interrupting
everybody, that’s why it’s called a debate, and he had to go after the woman.
If Trump could have gone after anyone it would have been Kasich, who was by far
the worst offender. Trump looked bored on the stage, although to be fair he has
said he doesn’t really care about the debates that much. He continues to lead
in the polls, nonetheless.
Trump lacked much substance on anything other than
immigration, continuing to talk about how “America doesn’t win anymore.” He and
Michael Cohen need to have a sit down to come up with some new sound bites. At
this rate, Trump will get so old by Iowa that Carson will start to sound
exciting.
Carson had his moments, but good and bad. His performance on
the whole was mixed, although his response on ISIS sounded confused and unclear.
He once again reminded us he has no foreign policy experience and apparently
little knowledge of the field. At a time when we are facing such difficulties
in foreign relations, and it is clear there can be no on the job training, it is doubtful that Carson’s foreign policy credentials will truly resonate with most
voters.
Mrs. Fiorina did a very good job last night, as opposed to her lackluster performance last time around. She was focused and feisty, at times almost sounding like the Iron Lady. Her foreign policy ideas were well worded and thought out. I liked it. If she doesn’t win this thing, (and that looks like a good possibility) she would make an excellent secretary of state.
Jeb Bush’s campaign is like a man who has fallen and
bleeding. Last night Bush stopped the bleeding, but the man still has not
picked himself up off the ground. It was an okay performance for a man who has
showed us he is not a good debater. For those who agreed with him, (and that is
not that many GOP primary voters) his answers on immigration were good, but
later Bush often came across as some sort of nerd who was in the back of the class
crashing the party.
Rand Paul did not win the debate last night, but he finally,
finally, came out of his shell. Maybe he fired his last debate prep team and
hired a new one, but whatever he did, Paul at last came out swinging. No
punches pulled, just him in his comfort zone, real, hard, policy debating. He
went after Rubio, calling him “not a conservative” and bashing everyone on the
stage for not living in the modern world and becoming a fiscal hardliner. It
was his best debate by far and away, and this comes at a time when he is
experiencing a small surge in the polls. Who knows, maybe he’ll make it to
January.
And now for the big loser of the night. John Kasich. Um…why
was there a child throwing a temper tantrum up there? Kasich is supposed to be
a governor, not a six year old who didn’t get the cereal she wanted. Kasich kept interrupting,
kept getting off topic and being confusing, and in the end got a well-deserved
chorus of boos for saying he would bail out the banks again. I certainly hope
by the time next debate rolls around Christi, (who by the way won the undercard
debate, although Jindal did well) has returned to the big stage and Kasich has
left it forever.
The only disappointment for me last night was that Trump
turned his sexism on and went after Mrs. Fiorina. I was really hoping he would
go after Kasich and expose him for the whining thumb sucker he is. Oh well,
maybe next time.
Andrew C. Abbott
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