1. Small Table Debate:
The small table debate, held first, was moderated by Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum and consisted of Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Jim Gilmore.
There is only one clear winner: Carly Fiorina. Period. The three others simply need to go away as rapidly as possible. I think that may be a self-fulfilling prophecy within, say, two weeks max. None of them are going to pull Iowa.
More after the main debate.
BZ
Donald Trump has stated he will not appear at Thursday’s Fox News GOP debate due to perceived slights by Megyn Kelly.
This stems from the first Republican debate on August 6th of last year, co-moderated by Megyn Kelly.
She asked Trump at that time, “One of the things people love about you is you speak your mind and you don’t use a politician’s filter. However, that is not without its downside, in particular when it comes to women. You have called women you don’t like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs’ and ‘disgusting animals.’ Your Twitter account. . .”
Trump: “Only Rosie O’Donnell.”
Kelly: “No it wasn’t. Your Twitter account. . .for the record, it was well beyond Rosie O’Donnell.
Trump: “Yes, I’m sure it was.”
Kelly: “Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president? And how will you answer the charge with Hillary Clinton who is likely to be the Democratic nominee that you are part of the war on women?”
Mr Trump believes that question evidenced bias on the part of Megyn Kelly. He said that Roger Ailes (Chairman and CEO of Fox News) should have Megyn Kelly banned from Thursday’s debate staff.
In my opinion, Trump has made a serious mistake by showing his skirt, so to speak. If Megyn Kelly offended him then and offends him during the debate, then he needs to stand there and defend himself, and to dish back as he sees fit.
It’s what he does and what people expect to see.
The retort “if he can’t handle Kelly then how would he handle Putin” is trite but has a semblance of accuracy. For history, at one point early in her McCain/VP campaign I was in support of Sarah Palin. However, once she resigned as Alaska governor in 2009, I knew she couldn’t take the heat. At least she did the right thing and got out of the kitchen. Since then I’ve known that Palin is a poseur. And no, she never said she could see Russia from her house.
With that in mind, Trump takes the easy or cowardly way out. Yes, you can readily reply that Trump is a bit in Hillary’s position where any further exposure can be deleterious to his campaign. But that would be wrong, because Trump absolutely thrives in a clashing and adversarial environment. He enjoys it. What he doesn’t enjoy is being faced with his own statements.
If Trump made various statements he should either own them or refute them.
But stepping away from a debate because he doesn’t like someone who asked him a tough question smacks of “taking his toys and going home.”
The Iowa caucus is next Monday, February 1st. (Go here to see how the Iowa caucuses work.)
Because of that I’ll be watching the debates anyway, as I want to see how Cruz, Rubio and Christie conduct themselves tonight, and how the interplay goes between them.
Bret Baier, Chris Wallace and Megyn Kelly will moderate the Thursday debate, whose big table cast will include Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and Rand Paul.
The small table debate, held first, will be moderated by Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum and will consist of Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and Jim Gilmore. I’ll believe that Jim Gilmore thingie when I see it.
I’ll be watching the debates and then posting about them later tonight.
BZ
No, that’s not a reference to the group Genesis when lead singer Peter Gabriel and guitarist Steve Hackett had departed.
It’s a reference to the only three GOP presidential candidates who are still viable.
Thursday’s debate featured Chris Christie, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, John Kasich, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Cruz answers the “New York” question with logic whilst Trump conflates conservatives, Manhattan and 9/11. Hubcaps and fruitbats, Mr Trump.
Rand Paul was not present because of his failure to make the varsity squad. He decided to take all his toys and go home. Ho-hum, no loss. The “undercard” debate is here.
The three remaining feasible presidential candidates in the GOP race are Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. I would, however, throw Chris Christie into the mix as a proverbial wild card.
John Kasich is estimably a zero, Jeb Bush continues to disappoint and Ben Carson, though likely a dear man, has proven once and for all that he is nowhere prepared to take the office of president. Frankly, Ben Carson was embarrassing to watch.
People say the GOP is falling apart. Certainly there is tension and discontent between what I term the GOPEE (GOP Establishment Elite) and the conservative, fresher elements of the Republican Party. Fractious, yes, but not moribund just yet.
People are forgetting what’s occurring directly across the street.
Hillary Clinton is fragmenting and beginning to implode herself. Her numbers are plummeting. Some analysts are saying Hillary is back in 2008. Voters don’t trust her and, evidently, she doesn’t trust them either.
Finally, the GOP fog is beginning to clear.
I say: it’s about time.
Time to focus.
BZ
CNN hosted the final Republican debate of 2015, Tuesday, December 15th. Once again Hugh Hewitt was one of the questioners, and Wolf Blitzer was the moderator.
First Debate:
Consisting of George Pataki, Rick Santorum, Lindsay Graham and Mike Huckabee, Huckabee appeared the most relaxed and easily spoken, whilst Graham was the most contentious but most emotive and passionate of the bunch, making some points as well. In my mind, Graham was the winner though I certainly did not agree on all of his points. The bottom line is this: the GOP could do without all of those persons clotting the ranks. They should all move on. They are yesterday’s news.
Second Debate:
The “prime” debate consisted of John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie and Ron Paul.
Rand Paul was obnoxious, Trump neither won nor lost and, to my mind, it was a toss-up between Cruz and Rubio. Though, I must say, Christie did in fact score some serious points.
Ben Carson was massively unimpressive; a manikin could have been substituted with equal efficacy. Carson isn’t ready for much of anything political. Yes, no argument, Carson is the quintessential nice and good man. He is not a politician and not ready for a position like this at all. I should submit he’d best stick with his day job and, at most, local politics.
Kasich was also obnoxious. He always has been. There is a certain “something” about Kasich that simply rubs me the wrong way.
Fiorina spoke well but no one seems interested in listening to her. Her campaign appears to be, however, run by morons who have no idea how to market her.
Bush tried massively to be what he is not: overbearing, pushy, contentious — and it doesn’t play well with him because that’s not his nature. Most everyone can tell it’s a FALSE persona, apparently shoved onto him by his handlers. It’s fallacious and duplicitous and even 5-year-olds can see through it. Bush is done, stick a fork in him. He’s not the future of the GOP. This proves Bush will do anything to win the presidency. Things that are so incredibly removed from his comfort factor.
We see you, Jeb. We know who you are and who you aren’t.
Since writing this a few hours ago, I have some further input.
Upon further consideration, Cruz and Rubio disappoint.
It is Christie who, frankly, appears more presidential and not so navel-gazing.
BZ
BOULDER, CO – OCTOBER 28: Presidential candidates Ohio Governor John Kasich (L-R), Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz (R-TX), New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) take the stage at the CNBC Republican Presidential Debate at University of Colorados Coors Events Center October 28, 2015 in Boulder, Colorado. Fourteen Republican presidential candidates are participating in the third set of Republican presidential debates. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
As Americans, we tend to quantify people as winners or losers.
In this debate, first, who was the loser?
In my opinion, that’s easy: CNBC was the loser. The “moderators.”
They should be ashamed of their clear bias but Leftists have no concept of “shame.” Shame itself is a biased concept according to the Leftist philosophy. No one should be made to feel ashamed. Except, of course, Conservatives. They actually stood up for themselves.
This debate boosted CNBC’s ratings more in one night than in the last few years. CNBC knows that, which is why they agreed. John Harwood was a smug NYT-typical goon displaying his true colors. Proving nothing more than: CNBC still sucks. And CNBC, tomorrow, will go back to being as insignificant as it was on Tuesday. A fly speck.
Specifically, CNBC ratings became higher in one night than they’ve been in the past four years. Due to the GOP. And CNBC despises the GOP. It’s their job.
The very first question: “what’s your greatest weakness.” Each question was no accident. It wasn’t “off the cuff.” There was nothing “off the cuff” for these debate questions. The primary question was: “how are we going to fuck these Republicans?”
“Even in New Jersey what you’re doing now is called rude.”
Frankly, the candidates beat the moderators Wednesday night. Each moderator was a Flaming Liberal.
The story was: the moderators tried, at every turn, to bait the candidates. The story slowly became about the coalescence of the GOP group as opposed to the moderators. Carly Fiorina spoke for the greatest amount of time, Jeb Bush for the least amount of time, with Rand Paul next least. Rubio spoke for the “second greatest” amount of time. Jeb Bush is now in keeping with his replacement of Mitt Romney for the poster child of “uninvolved.”
The judgment in retrospect will be: this was a train wreck for CNBC and validates what more people are coming to realize. The American Media Maggots really are maggots.
Cruz did well, Rubio did well and Fiorina did well.
Trump, though he was of lesser energy, didn’t lose points.
Carson will stay the same. People either love him or hate him.
Christie did well but he’s on the bubble. This was make or break for Christie.
Kasich and Huckabee and Paul were unimpressive. They will and should subsume. Kasich always pisses me off so I’m biased — but — I couldn’t care less. And no, I couldn’t care less that blind people have “non-24” either.
Jeb Bush attacking Marco Rubio was a bit of craven theater that resulted in Bush being diminished still. Bush still doesn’t “get it.” Thankfully, to his demise.
Cruz, Rubio, Fiorina.
Those are my Top Three.
Advice to the GOP debaters in the future. Turn against Obama, then turn against his policies, then proffer your own solutions. Make the linkage. Connect the dots. You’ve made a good advancement in terms of not attacking yourselves, particularly in this debate. Keep calm and carry on.
Continue this trend at the next debate.
BZ