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CBS Republican Debate: This Just Got Real
Well, folks, here we are again. Is this the ninth or the tenth Republican debate? I think I lost count. We have heard all the talking points before, we have seen all the candidates before, nothing new could have possibly happened. Right? If that’s what you thought, you are dead wrong, my friends.
This was the first debate that felt to me like it mattered, to everyone. No kiddie debate, and finally a manageable number of candidates. In fact, this debate got so intense for a while that I actually had to take down notes to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
The sparks flew in this debate, especially between Jeb! and Trump, and Cruz and Rubio. Normally I do this by candidate, but I think this time I will do it by highlighting the two main fights and my impressions of everyone’s role in them, and then a quick word on everyone individually.
The Iraq War:
This was maybe the fight of the night. Coming off of a general discussion on foreign policy in which Trump looked like the kid who’s asked to stand before the class and give a book report about a book he didn’t read, Trump bragged that he’d opposed the Iraq war and left it all but said that he thought Bush should have been impeached for it. He essentially made the Code Pink argument without bothering to go all the way to the “Bush lied people died” chant. But he might have done that, given time. This offered Jeb! a serious chance to jump in, defend his brother, and beat Trump for the ignorant Democrat that he is. Jeb! did a good job of it, actually. Kasich came in and said something of no consequence that I actually think was wrong, then Rubio came and laid down the hard truth. He might as well have said to Jeb!, “Step aside grandpa, this is how it’s done.”
Then Trump sunk so low he blamed W. for 9/11. It was pathetic.
But Rubio converted Trump’s lowest point in his campaign to a brutal and honest attack on Bill Clinton. This whole exchange was yuuuuge. I think it reveals Trump beyond all doubt to be a Democrat. I can’t see how it will help him in the Republican primaries. Maybe in a general it might work better, but in a South Carolina Republican primary?
Illegal Immigration:
Well, Ted and Marco, who are my number two and number one guys in this process, squared off hard on this one issue of seeming divergence. Cruz’s attack is as it’s always been: Slap Rubio with the Gang of Eight. Can’t fault the man for doing what works. Rubio, though, counter-punched hard. He essentially called Cruz a typical politician who in committee moved for amnesty and more visas but then on the floor fought it on just those counts. I guess we shall see how well this can be substantiated, but it was a hard rebuke against the one politician who is working hard to pretend he isn’t one. I’m looking to you, my fellow Ricochetti, to fact-check all of thi, for me. Of final note: Jeb! tried to pull a Christie after this heated Rubio v. Cruz, but like a novice he read the stage directions before delivering the line, by telling us he was going to pull a Christie and slam the Senators for their Senate talk. It was weak, and he lacked all the contempt and bluster that let Christie carry out that nonsense attack.
So let’s get down to the individual men.
Ben Carson: I say this every time I write about him. I just love this guy. If they made a plush doll of him I would buy it and hug it every day. I don’t think Ben has made any headway, sadly. But he made one good point, and had by far my favorite line of the night. The point he made was that judgement is more important when facing new circumstances than experience, because by definition no one could have any experience of a new situation. It was a good defense for his lack of experience, though it could be argued that experience builds wisdom. The line of the night was when he was asked to say something hard for people to hear, something that’s not PC. After a long ramble, he came to it. I shall paraphrase, “America’s problem isn’t evil rich people, but rather an irresponsible and evil government!” Ha! Beautiful.
John Kasich: You can’t see this, but I’m just shaking my head at the man right now. My head-shaking, I think, sums him up the best. New Hampshire was his moment, and it’s all downhill from there. I honestly can’t say anything about him because he said nothing of note or merit. His dad was a Democrat, Democrats like him, and he is running for the Republican nomination. Good luck. pal. Keep Ohio functioning. It’s a good state, you seem a fine governor.
Jeb!: Fourth place was not a bad result in New Hampshire. I doubt he will do better in South Carolina. He did, though, finally figure out how to stand up to Trump. But even at doing this he’s less good than Marco Rubio. Jeb! is like a 10-year-old luxury car. Sure, it’s well built, has leather seats, and cruise control, but Marco is a brand new model with better suspension, faster acceleration, and a sweet paint job. Now, I have a note here that says, “Jeb! said that people should vote for the most conservative governor or senator that can win.” Did he actually say that? With Marco standing right there? The same Marco that leads against Hillary in all the polls? Someone check that, because if he did, that is probably the biggest unforced error of the night.
Ted Cruz: He was good tonight, but not that great overall. His exchange with Rubio on immigration was tough, but I can’t tell if he came out the winner. All Rubio has to do on that front is hold steady, because that’s his one weakness against Cruz. On foreign policy, domestic policy, Ted is nothing special. He was, though, very good about discussing the precedent of judicial nominations and confirmations during election years, and he didn’t let the moderators’ ignorance get in the way, which we all know has tripped up past nominees. Cruz is a solid guy. I think he is more politician than he pretends to be, but I’m not offended by that.
Marco Rubio: Full disclosure: I love Marco Rubio. I really do. I think he is the bee’s knees. Why do I love him so? One, his power to articulate and explain ideas is one of the best if not the best in the party right now, certainly in the current field of nominees. Second, he knows foreign policy and cares deeply about it. When the moderators asked Trump and Jeb! about the three things they would ask about of their advisors about international affairs, Trump said a bunch of nonsense, Jeb! then said that he would have plans, which was basically more articulate nonsense than Trump’s. But Rubio nailed it down hard: China, Russia, and Iran. He gave a clear answer, had specifics. The man has a vision of the whole chess board. He sees it all. I’m not saying here he’s a genius or anything like that. But he sees that it is all connected and that you have to play the whole game, not just parts of it. Above all else, this makes me have confidence in him the most, because when it comes to foreign affairs, the President has the most unilateral powers imaginable under our constitution. On the domestic front, we have checks and balances galore. Elect a solid Republican House and Senate and with Rubio we will have as good an immigration policy as we would under Cruz or Trump. I can’t say the same about foreign policy with Cruz, who to me never seems to say much about it of distinction. Cruz is mostly bluster on this issue, and don’t even get me started on Trump’s foreign policy.
Donald Trump: Let’s get started. The man is a walking foreign policy disaster in the making. He all but says we should make alliance with Russia! His populist economics will do nothing but antagonize our allies. He shows no grasp of understanding how hard we have worked to maintain the world order that gives us prosperity and ensures freedom. I am in despair over this man. I think, “Maybe he is toning it down, maybe he won’t be so bad,” and then he gives populist rants like his on trade tonight, and his Iraq War and 9/11 arguments, and all I can see is a long dark future for freedom in the world if he’s elected. Honestly, I think Hillary might be better, and that very thought makes my head hurt.
What did you guys think? Can Trump be stopped? Is Marco making a comeback? Will Jim Gilmore win a brokered convention? Let me and the rest of Ricochet know.
Published in Elections, General
Do you have a link to the Univision interview. I am sure I have read before that promised amnesty – is that wrong?
Thanks for that. So Cruz was right.
Oh, dear, I could be wrong (and sincerely hope I am), but I don’t think a Seventh-day Adventist is going to be endorsing a Catholic.
Well, he collaborated with the enemy, and he lied early and often about the bill when he was pushing it, and apparently as Cruz has tried to point out, he says one thing to a Spanish speaking audience and another to the rest of us. He got lucky that the bill didn’t pass. It doesn’t seem to me he’s learned anything. So, I don’t trust him.
His endorsement? Did he leave the race again? :-)
“…the flood of desperate migrants has now spread well beyond the Middle East. As we know, 50 percent of the people now knocking on the door of Europe – with a whole industry that’s been created to try to help move them and some very perverse politics in certain places that turns the dial up and down for political purposes – half of them now come from places other than Syria. Think about that – Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan. So the burdens of Europe, which is already facing a complex economic, political, and social strain, is now even more intense. … The United States of America understands the near existential nature of this threat (of illegal immigration) to the politics and fabric of life in Europe – and that is why we are joining now in enforcing a NATO mission to close off a key access route, and that is why we will join with you in other ways to stem this tide because of the potential of its damage to the fabric of a united Europe.” — John Kerry, Secretary of State, February 13, 2016
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/02/252486.htm
Well, it looks like John Kerry understands the hazards of illegal immigration when it comes to — other countries.
Isn’t this the same position as Marco Rubio who worries about the boundaries of other countries but not the boundaries of the United States of America?
Wait Rubio was against a shut down. Didn’t he say he would rather lose an election then be wrong on the life issue? But defunding Planned Parenthood not worth the shutdown….. Interesting
Really excellent post, V. Thanks.
I read most of the comments but finally gave up. Some great thoughts throughout.
Calling a Hispanic a liar?
The only other such poll I remember was back in July:
“With polled Hispanics, Presidential Candidate Trump received 31.4%, higher than his overall performance of 27.7%. The only other Presidential Candidate to receive double digit support by Hispanics is Scott Walker with 11.4%.”
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/trump-leads-nevada-poll-with-overwhelming-hispanic-support-300114592.html
…
And in 2004, CNN claimed that Bush won 64% of the vote of Hispanics in the Southern states. That website is still active.
http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.3.html
This would have been higher than Bush’s share of the vote in states like Florida and Texas. Obviously fake data.
…
“Registered Latinos who identify as Republicans take a much more liberal stand on taxes and the size of government than their white counterparts. … About half (52%) of registered Latinos who identified themselves as Republicans said they would rather pay higher taxes to support a larger government, while only 17% of white Republicans.”
“Almost half (48%) of registered Latinos feel there are too many immigrants in the United States today, while 7% think there are too few…”
http://www.pewhispanic.org/files/reports/12.pdf
Brian, curious to see what you think of this thread. (Including all the comments.)
JM, curious to see your comments on this thread. I’m leaning Cruz now because of it, but perhaps I’m blowing this matter out of proportion.
I thought of you this morning, Mike! My husband wandered in to tell me that six presidents of the USA have been…wait for it…
Cheerleaders!
I had no idea you were hoping to be a First Gentleman…
Really,??? Who other than W?
Details? That’s our big problem right there – we get caught up in asking for details that will never be implemented whether it’s on taxes, immigration, foreign policy, etc. The fight at this point is at a much higher level and the details will of necessity be hammered out in the reality of governing complete with compromises and tradeoffs The whole point of this current process is to signal goals, values, and broad strategies.
What kind of details do you want? Train schedules? Exactly how many detention guards we’ll need to hire? The maximum rent he’s willing to pay per sf on detention center space? Besides, the hemming an hawing over the prospect of deporting 12 million people (as if anyone is suggesting rounding up a posse to go house to house) always reminds me of a late night infomercial for a new and improved colander complete with reenactments of feckless people getting flabbergasted over how they can possibly get their spaghetti into the “traditional” colander without spilling it all or scalding themselves.
And then they give us details which inevitably get watered down once they collide with reality at which point the candidate has “betrayed” us.
Which I wish Cruz and Rubio would do. At least until Trump is gone or the God forbid Republican nominee.
The certifiably insane Michael Savage did have at least one good line: Borders, Language, Culture. To have and keep our Republic we need to control our borders by deciding who immigrates to American and when, have one national language which immigrants must be required to learn (although I fight with myself here, as I would have liked to have grown up learning two languages), and be able to define and defend our unique American culture. Remember learning about the “melting pot” in K-12? Wonder if they even teach that anymore.
There’s no contradiction there — learning a second doesn’t preclude requiring the first.
Rubio does his share of Machiavellian maneuvering machinations.
America has done fine without an official language for many years. We have always had (at least since the Germans came over) enclaves where languages other than English have dominated. These enclaves though have faded with time as the populations integrated and new people moved into those enclaves.
I like to think that importing foreigners saves us the trouble of having to go abroad to experience foreign cultures. Who needs to see Rome when you can just walk through Little Italy?
:)
If you’re talking about the one in New York, it’s more like “Little China.” Or possibly “Little Mexico.”
Don’t knock Chinatown. There is a Chinatown in Philadelphia. In my office, we look for small places there that look like they are shouting distance from underground poker games. Delicious food.
Yes, they are.. “bad as they say”. I’ve had 3. Its like a red hot poker being stuck in your back. And I would happily get another 5 if it would mean Trump goes down.
Yep, I could be America’s version of Denis Thatcher!
I believe it. Not knocking Chinatown at all. But Little Italy in New York doesn’t really exist anymore. I haven’t been there in over a decade; during that trip, we found one store with an Italian speaker. When we asked where we could get great Italian food, he said, “My house. Everywhere else is [expletive].” And he was right.
I was a few years ago. Too commercial Once something becomes for the tourists, it loses something. Even the Chinatown in San Francisco is a disappointment to me by comparison to the one in Philadelphia because they sell more produce than souvenirs in Philadelphia.
And frankly, you’ve never had a great Chinese food experience until you go to a restaurant where all the Chinese customers look at you funny when you come through the door. If you can survive as a restaurant in those conditions, the food has to be good.
There’s still a nice Little Italy in The Bronx, but the one in Manhattan is a tourist trap.