Today, we offer Maureen McGovern as political prophetess...
And here's what the CNN pundits had to say about GOP Debate II--The Reckoning on "the morning after".
Followed by, in each case, our own two cents thrown on the pile. (said two cents in italics)
Winners:
Carly Fiorina
Fiorina insisted in the lead-up to the GOP debate
that she belonged on the debate stage with the top-tier White House hopefuls.
She proved as much Wednesday night.
For the second debate in a row, Fiorina was once
again the breakout star of the night, taking on Republican front-runner Donald
Trump with finesse and capturing the crowd with polished, zinging answers and
an impassioned charge against abortion.
Fiorina earned perhaps the biggest applause of the
night as she skewered Planned Parenthood.
"This is about the character of our nation and
if we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on
us," Fiorina said to raucous applause in what was her biggest moment of
the night, one that will appeal to the socially conservative base of the party.
Fiorina dodged an early opportunity to hit Trump but
didn't make that mistake again when she was asked to address the businessman's
recent comments about her appearance to Rolling Stone, in which he suggested
her face would make her unelectable.
"I think women all over this country heard very
clearly what Mr. Trump said," she said, once again to overwhelming
applause.
This was the first time a lot of folks had seen and heard Fiorina. Given the challenge of being the only female on a stage otherwise filled with dogmatic testosterone, one might have been willing to give her props had she merely managed to hold her own.
On the contrary, what she provided, with her poise, articulation and focus, was the legitimate national debut of a genuine contender, not only to those in the GOP looking for an honest shot at 1600 Pennsylvania, but also those who have backed Hillary only because they believe the time for a Mrs. President has arrived.
Best of all, or most fun, depending on your take, she managed to bloody the Donald's nose a time or two and still walk away without any blood on her hands.
Our "Grades, As Such, Are Bullshit, But If Only For The Purpose Of Creating A Point Of Reference" Grade of Fiorina--A
Marco Rubio
Rubio proved Wednesday night why so many GOP elites
have long considered him a top contender for the Republican nomination: He can
weave his strong handle of policy with a compelling personal narrative.
Rubio took on Trump differently than Fiorina or Bush,
dispatching the front-runner without attacking him directly, instead steering
the debate toward his strengths.
When Trump pointed out Rubio's voting absences in the
Senate, Rubio refused to retort with an attack of his own.
"You're right, I have missed some votes, and
I'll tell you why, Mr. Trump. Because in my years in the Senate, I've figured
out very quickly that the political establishment in Washington, D.C. in both
political parties is completely out of touch with the lives of our
people," Rubio said. "That's why I'm missing votes. Because I am
leaving the Senate, I'm not running for re-election, and I'm running for
president because I know this: unless we have the right president, we cannot
make America fulfill its potential, but with the right person in office, the
21st century can be the greatest era that our nation has ever known."
Rubio clearly represents what can, arguably, be called "the best and the brightest of the same old, same old", a young and idealistic man who seems sincere in his beliefs and has the "experience" of having worked within, being a part of, the existing political system for some time.
The bad news is that this election cycle already, dramatically, even hysterically seems to be about everything/anything BUT support for or attraction to the existing political system. From Trump to Sanders, et al, anyone who isn't immediately qualified to be tagged as a maverick/rogue and/or borderline wing nut, is, at best, at least for now, going to get only respectful "thanks, but no thanks" from the masses---the old standby "virtues" of experience and strategic knowledge of the way things work in DC don't seem to matter this time around. In fact, they seem to be an automatic "strike one" on whomever steps into the batter's box thinking that being part of the status quo in any shape, size or manner is going to allow them a hit, at all, let alone the chance to park one over the center field fence.
Our "Baseball Metaphors Are Old Hat, Too, But Some Traditions Never Die" Score for Rubio--A for Effort, But, Strike One, Anyway
Jeb Bush
Bush stood out with several key moments during the
debate that reassured his supporters after recently dipping in the polls and
grappling with how to handle Trump's staying power in the race.
Bush appeared to come out of the shell of the
tortoise he has so heartily embraced as his symbol to give voters a taste of
the passion he has struggled to showcase.
"You know what? As it relates to my brother,
there's one thing I know for sure. He kept us safe," Bush told Trump to
one of his strongest applause moments of the night. "You remember the fire
fighter with his arms around it? He sent a clear signal that the United States
would be strong and fight Islamic terrorism, and he did keep us safe."
And he also successfully tackled Trump over the
billionaire's suggestion that Bush's Mexican-American wife was the reason for
his support for comprehensive immigration reform.
"To subject my wife into the middle of a raucous
political conversation was completely inappropriate, and I hope you apologize
for that, Donald," Bush said. "Why don't you apologize to her right
now." Trump declined.
With expectations low, Bush's several stand-out
moments and overall improvement over his performance in the first debate sealed
his spot as one of the night's winners.
Whatever Jeb says, or doesn't say, really doesn't matter. Fact is, he is the political equivalent of Chevy Chase appearing in the cast of the sitcom "Community". Everybody knows who he is, everybody knows what he brings to the game, most people can take him or leave him and not just a few people wonder why, given the number of hip, groovy, today kind of folk already in the show, he was even cast in the first place.
Our "Unless The Whole Candidate Roster Flies Together On One Very Unlucky Plane Between Now And GOP Convention Time" Rating for Jeb--B for contribution, inevitable cast billing as nothing more than "and....Jeb Bush...as...."
Chris Christie
While Bush and Fiorina milked their standout moments
from their tiffs with Trump, the New Jersey governor snagged his by using a key
moment to make his opponents look narcissistic and portrayed himself the adult
in the room.
"While I'm as entertained as anyone by this
personal back-and-forth about the history of Donald and Carly's career, for the
55-year-old construction worker out in that audience tonight who doesn't have a
job, who can't fund his child's education, I've got to tell you the truth. They
could care less about your careers, they care about theirs," Christie
said. "Let's start talking about that on this stage and stop playing --
and stop playing the games."
Earlier in the night, Christie suggested the problem
with the debate was "we're fighting with each other up here" over how
to approach defunding Planned Parenthood even though "we agree."
And that's when Christie -- who's been accused of
being too moderate -- gave his best performance yet to prove his conservative
credentials.
"She (Hillary Clinton) believes in the
systematic murder of children in the womb to preserve their body parts...in the
way that maximizes their value for sale for profit," Christie said.
Christie is the less blunt (read: crass), dock worker made good version of Trump. The people who like him like him because he talks in plain English and shoots straight. The people who don't like him don't like him because they want to support someone who's not just a less psychopathic Tony Soprano. Given his appeal to the blue collars, though, we think a Fiorina/Christie ticket would be all kinds of fun...and not as likely to fail as you might think...
Our "Bada Bing, Enough With The Fat Jokes" Score on Christie--B+ on presentation, just can't get behind the idea of Carmela as First Lady, though--
Unclear
Donald Trump
Trump faced a barrage of attacks from a field of
contenders clearly more prepared, and eager, to take on the brash billionaire.
Those who pulled punches in the last debate -- like Scott Walker and Jeb Bush
-- didn't hesitate to tackle Trump, eager to regain their faltering standings
in the polls.
The result was mixed as Trump had both memorable
highlights and cringe-worthy lowlights. But as the front-runner trying to hold
on to the lead as retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson's numbers grow, it's
difficult to see how Trump wasn't at least partially wounded by Thursday's
performance.
Trump stumbled in responding to Fiorina's deft answer
to his comments about her face, awkwardly calling her "beautiful"
after suggesting her looks would keep Americans from voting for her.
And when Bush attacked him for a "lack of
judgment" and "lack of understanding about how the world works,"
Trump resorted to an oft-used tactic of tying Bush to his brother's presidency
suggesting that "your brother's administration gave us Barack Obama
because it was such a disaster ... that Abraham Lincoln couldn't have been elected."
Bush's quick answer -- that his brother kept the
country safe -- knocked Trump off balance as the crowd roared in approval.
However, Trump hit his high notes when he was on the
offensive, delivering some of the standard fare that his supporters likely
devoured. He said he never attacked Sen. Rand Paul on his looks though
"there's plenty of subject matter right there" -- and he took on both
Fiorina and Walker's records with numbers to back his rhetoric.
And as he faced questions over foreign policy and his
flubbed response to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, who was one of the
debate's questioners, Trump smartly pivoted to Hewitt, insulating himself from
further attacks from his rivals.
Trump managed to escape the main question over his
knowledge of various terrorist groups and their leaders by pointing out that
Hewitt had recently conceded to a misunderstanding between the two when Hewitt
spoke of the Quds Forces, which Trump misheard as "Kurds" -- leading
to crosstalk between the two, not between Trump and a fellow candidate.
The fact that Donald is not only still a serious contender but that he is, at this writing, still the front runner for the GOP nomination speaks more about the attitude/temperament of the country than it does about any "qualifications" Mr. Tact Is Something I Did To Attach A Memo To A Bulletin Board" might accidentally possess...we think what's happening here is, for the first time ever, the actual, REAL embodiment of the old political cliche " Vote for ANYBODY but_______"....we don't think, though, that Trump is automatically going to crash and burn as so many have been saying for what, lately, seems like a long time---it's not that we have that much faith in the Donald...it's that we don't have a lot of faith in the masses lately---
Our "If You'da Told Us Two Years Ago That Donald Trump Would Have Gotten This Far, We Would Have Bought You A Drink And Called You A Moron Behind Your Back" Score For Trump--A for self promotion, D- for class, grace and/or statesmanship, F for inspirational leadership and A+ for his almost surreal appeal to those whom you'd think, by now, would have already told him "you're fired"--
John Kasich
There wasn't much daylight between the Ohio
governor's first and second debate performances.
But Kasich's second performance lacked the umpf that
defined his first appearance on the debate stage when he barely squeaked into
the top-tier and impressed political observers just weeks after launching his
candidacy.
Speaking of sitcoms, Kasich is like the character in the show that doesn't do any harm...but doesn't really add anything to the goings on, either---to paraphrase an old political saying...the candicacy of John Kasich is certainly no disgrace, but it's no distinction, either---
Our "Admiral James Stockdale Memorial Who Am I and What Am I Doing Here?" Score for Kasich--an average C for an average guy who's means well, on average
Losers
Rand Paul
Paul continued to throw things at the wall on
Wednesday -- still nothing appeared to stick.
The libertarian-leaning senator from Kentucky once
again went for Trump's jugular. When he was asked whether he would trust Trump
with the nuclear codes, Paul gave a firm answer: absolutely not.
But with each attack, Paul failed to do what
candidates must do to break out in a debate: Pivot to his own strengths.
Instead he simply pointed out Trump's weaknesses.
Paul's strongest moments came when he defended his
libertarian point of view on foreign military interventions and drug and
criminal justice reform. But while those audiences likely played well to his
libertarian base of support, Paul appeared the odd one out as he discussed
foreign policy amid a field of foreign policy hawks.
The first problem we've always had with Rand Paul is that he looks like Eddie Haskell from "Leave It To Beaver"---Freudian imagery notwithstanding, he comes off less as a passionate, inspired and inspiring leader than he does the kid who always either screwed up the grading curve for us or narced us out to the teacher when we didn't toe the line in junior high school---the guy is obviously committed to his causes and beliefs, but possessing more than next to nothing in the way of humor, warmth or charisma, he's never going to appeal to that side of the American voter that exhibits itself with a combination of serious concern for the future and a sudden suggestion to go skinny dippin' down at the crick---
Our "You'd Think A Guy Named Rand Would Be A Lot More Freewheelin" Grade for Paul--B for conviction, Incomplete for any signs of everyman relatability---
Scott Walker
Walker came out swinging at the start of the debate,
clearly eager to take on the front-runner after dipping in the polls in recent
weeks off a strategy that largely avoided confronting Trump.
"We don't need an apprentice in the White House.
We have one there right now," Walker said of Trump in what was clearly a
prepared zinger -- one that drew an approving nod from Bush.
Walker then took on Trump's attacks about his tenure
as governor and then defended his opposition to the minimum wage, but soon
faded from the stage.
He delivered his responses with more zeal in a performance
that topped his first debate night, but didn't come away from the night with
any breakout moments that may prove necessary as Walker looks to regain his
footing in the race.
Every group of political candidates, just like a lot of families, finds amongst its membership, at least one somebody who, when listened to, considered and assessed, comes off as either a slightly eccentric genius with the potential to change the course of human history or a guy who very likely keeps his murder victims in pieces in that big chest style freezer in Mom's basement---Walker is this year's office seeker version of Schrodinger's Cat---
Our "You Is Either A Genius Or Crazy, Alfalfa" Score for Walker--B for his stands on the issues, A for his probably unintentional ability to creep us out most of the time--
Ben Carson
The second Republican debate was all Carson's for the
taking: the retired neurosurgeon's appearance comes off a recent surge that has
rocketed him to the No. 2 spot in the race.
But instead, Carson played it safe, clinging to his
calm and measured demeanor, avoiding the food fights unfolding alongside him
and injecting his trademark good humor into his responses.
It wasn't for a lack of opportunities: Carson got
several openings to knock Trump, but refused, even when Trump put forward some
sketchy scientific backing for his views on vaccines.
A few zingers could have delivered the bump Carson
needs to overtake Trump in at least one of the early states where he has been
slowly catching up to the billionaire front-runner.
But Carson may get there anyway: his unorthodox
appeal on Wednesday shied away from the spotlight-charging moments that often
define presidential debates -- not unlike his first debate performance.
Dr. Carson is, to all appearances, a thoughtful, considerate, insightful man, dedicated to being of service to his fellow man. And his rise in the polls speaks, once again, to just how fed up the "American people" are with the way things are---In the world of American politics, though, he's a world class chess player who, for whatever reason, has decided to give roller derby a shot---to paraphrase Dr. John..."well, it might have been the right time / but he was in the wrong place ..."
Our "We All Say We Want A Voice Of Calm But, No, We Really Don't " Score For Carson--A for his ethics and effort---F for his obviously not knowing the difference between a quiet, stately chess hall and a raucous, in your face roller derby arena---
Mike Huckabee & Ted Cruz
While both delivered solid responses to the questions
they received, neither former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee nor Texas Sen. Ted Cruz
seized opportunities to stand out on the crowded 11-candidate stage.
They didn't want to take on Trump and both revealed
an unwillingness to engage their fellow candidates on key policy issues.
The result? They faded into the background.
Whatever street cred Huckabee had mustered went poof! the minute he decided to pick Kim Davis as his kindred spirit/running mate---and Cruz not only looks like the guy who narced us out to our teachers, he WAS the guy who narced us out to our teachers---
Our "Every Well Written Drama Has At Least A Little Comic Relief" Scores for Huckabee and Cruz--
Huckabee--D for his choice of issues on which to hang his hat, or crown of thorns, as the case may be
Cruz--D for being the guy who narced us out to our teachers
For more political perspective mixed with pomposity popping, join me Sunday nights at 7P Eastern on SEP Nighttime on Delaware 105.9FM News Talk , streaming live at www.delaware1059.com
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