2nd GOP Debate
Here are some thoughts about the second GOP debate on CNN on Sept. 16, 2015.
First, it started ridiculously but ended strong. Three hours was a long time but it’s best to have them be more than an hour, especially with 11 candidates. Many of the candidates tried to move aside from CNN’s desire to create fireworks; and there were some. Whenever I do forums and debates, I always have a couple of light questions and a lightning – yes or no only – round, toward the end, in order to break things up a bit and to ensure all kinds of policy positions are aired, so I liked the way this debate ended.
Winners: Fiorina gave the strongest debate performance. She won the debate by being there and showed why she should’ve been included in the first place.
Carson, Rubio, and Paul came across better than the last debate. So did Kasich.
Not unlike my feelings about Obama when he first jumped into the race in 2007, I think Rubio is too young and not experienced enough to be running. Maybe he will break through like the president did but I don’t see it.
Both Paul and Cruz did a good job of speaking directly to the camera and not to the crowd.
Christie has become radical, especially with his war talk; I don’t know if this is an attempt to be “conservative” when most folks think he’s a moderate. But, for the first time, he started talking about working folks, and that’s something I haven’t heard him do on the stump up here.
Huckabee and Walker seemed a bit lost tonight.
Bush got a bit tougher than last time but still isn’t sealing the deal.
Some of my friends have said that this was Trump’s end; he got beat up but I don’t agree. He didn’t win the debate but he didn’t need to; he just needed to survive and he did.
According to polls, Trump is the only candidate bringing new voters to the Republican side.
Trump nailed it on W … George W. Bush gave us Barack Obama. There was no reason to invade Iraq. George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton had contained Saddam between the 31st and 33rd parallel. On Sept. 11, 19 of the 21 hijackers were Saudis. It was a disastrous decision. If there were no invasion of Iraq, there would be no Obama anti-war speeches, no Hillary pro-invasion vote, Obama would have been laughed out of the primary, and would have had never gotten Axelrod to work for him in that primary; Axelrod would have been with Hillary. As well, we’re not safer, our government is spying on everything we do, and the world is an inferno. Obama inherited it but yes, he also made it worse.
Some more quick points
Future debates need to be thinned out. Eleven on the stage is too many. At the same time, candidates like former Gov. George Pataki, R-NY, deserve to be on the big boy stage.
Maybe the next organizers should try seven or eight on a stage for 90 minutes and then shift and allow the next seven or eight candidates for 90 minutes. Get rid of all the talking head time. Voters will watch and the time will be equal.
I really want to hear these candidates start talking about real economic issues … especially beyond individual and corporate tax reform.
Also, I’m tired of hearing about how we need to spend more money on the military. Before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the Pentagon couldn’t find where $2.3 trillion went. It’s one of the largest lines in the federal budget and a lot of it is spent defending other nations and for offensive – not defensive – means. In other words, the nation doesn’t need to spend MORE money; like everything with the federal government, it needs to spend LESS and what it spends, it needs to spend wisely. That means going after corruption and tackling special interests like defense contractors and lobbyists … stop … wasting … money. Twenty years ago, it was estimated that we were spending $70 billion annually to defend Japan and Germany – massive bases, staff, crafts, etc. – from no known enemies. I’m not saying dismantle our role in NATO. But when we have the technical ability to send a missile anywhere in an hour, we don’t need these structures. We will never fight World War II again. We’re basically borrowing hundreds of billions from China to then go and spend it protecting their oil imports. It’s insanity.
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