Column: GOP's third debate a despicable farce
The first debate took place at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. It was a good debate in which the majority of the questions were about the issues that Republican voters care about. I thought the second debate, hosted by CNN, at the Reagan Library was as bad as it could possibly get. Almost every question was: “This person said this about you. Will you please respond to that person?”
If you ever wonder why some liberals really make conservatives angry, this debate is the perfect answer. These moderators from CNBC did not have any intention of asking legitimate questions about the economy as they claimed they would. The moderators did everything in their power to humiliate each and every one of the Republican candidates. In the Democratic debate, candidates were given two minutes each for an opening statement. In this Republican debate, each candidate was given thirty seconds to explain their weaknesses.
When have questions about fantasy sports, comic book villains, and opinions of other candidates in your own party ever been considered good questions to ask at a presidential debate? Many candidates including Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and even Chris Christie had excellent moments when they confronted the panelists about how ridiculous and one-side the questions were. Cruz nailed it when he spoke about how biased the liberal media is. “How about talking about the substantive issues that people care about?” Cruz says, “The contrast with the Democratic debate where every question from the media was which of you is more handsome and wise...that debate reflected a debate between the bolsheviks and the mensheviks.”
One of the most notable moments in the entire debate was Rubio's standout answer to a question about missing votes in the Senate. He spoke about the voting records of Barack Obama and John Kerry when they were running for President and how the media never brought it up. Rubio pointed out the fact that the newspaper calling him out for his voting record endorsed John Kerry in 2004 when he missed 60-70% of his votes. They also endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 after he missed the same percentage of votes as Kerry. Rubio added, “This is another example of the double standard that exists in this country between the mainstream media and the conservative movement.” He then got in a heated exchange with Jeb Bush who said, “Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a six-year term and you should be showing up to work.” Rubio responded that Jeb Bush has told people he is modelling his campaign after John McCain who also had a record of missing votes. He said, “I don’t remember you ever complaining about John McCain’s voting record. The only reason you’re doing it now is because we’re running for the same position and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.”
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio were definitely the two who stood out the most. Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee both had notable moments in the debate. Chris Christie did fine, but did not help himself in anyway. Rand Paul and Ben Carson both did well, but did not stand out at all. Jeb Bush and John Kasich did not do well; I will not be shocked if they soon drop in the polls. Donald Trump proved even further how clueless he is about jobs and the economy; he obviously dodged several questions.
Bottom line, this debate was a pathetic and ridiculous waste of time that was filled with hateful and pointless questions. I had the great opportunity to ask world-famous columnist and author Cal Thomas what he thought of the debate. He answered, “It proved exactly why liberals should never question conservatives. If these liberals are allowed to moderate a Republican debate, why is it that we can’t have conservatives moderate a Democratic debate?”
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| Republican candidates at the CNBC GOP Debate in Boulder, Colorado. Image courtesy of CNBC.com |
When have questions about fantasy sports, comic book villains, and opinions of other candidates in your own party ever been considered good questions to ask at a presidential debate? Many candidates including Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, and even Chris Christie had excellent moments when they confronted the panelists about how ridiculous and one-side the questions were. Cruz nailed it when he spoke about how biased the liberal media is. “How about talking about the substantive issues that people care about?” Cruz says, “The contrast with the Democratic debate where every question from the media was which of you is more handsome and wise...that debate reflected a debate between the bolsheviks and the mensheviks.”
One of the most notable moments in the entire debate was Rubio's standout answer to a question about missing votes in the Senate. He spoke about the voting records of Barack Obama and John Kerry when they were running for President and how the media never brought it up. Rubio pointed out the fact that the newspaper calling him out for his voting record endorsed John Kerry in 2004 when he missed 60-70% of his votes. They also endorsed Barack Obama in 2008 after he missed the same percentage of votes as Kerry. Rubio added, “This is another example of the double standard that exists in this country between the mainstream media and the conservative movement.” He then got in a heated exchange with Jeb Bush who said, “Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a six-year term and you should be showing up to work.” Rubio responded that Jeb Bush has told people he is modelling his campaign after John McCain who also had a record of missing votes. He said, “I don’t remember you ever complaining about John McCain’s voting record. The only reason you’re doing it now is because we’re running for the same position and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you.”
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio were definitely the two who stood out the most. Carly Fiorina and Mike Huckabee both had notable moments in the debate. Chris Christie did fine, but did not help himself in anyway. Rand Paul and Ben Carson both did well, but did not stand out at all. Jeb Bush and John Kasich did not do well; I will not be shocked if they soon drop in the polls. Donald Trump proved even further how clueless he is about jobs and the economy; he obviously dodged several questions.
Bottom line, this debate was a pathetic and ridiculous waste of time that was filled with hateful and pointless questions. I had the great opportunity to ask world-famous columnist and author Cal Thomas what he thought of the debate. He answered, “It proved exactly why liberals should never question conservatives. If these liberals are allowed to moderate a Republican debate, why is it that we can’t have conservatives moderate a Democratic debate?”
This opinion piece reflects the view of the listed author(s). It does not necessarily reflect the views of the LSNews.org editorial board, its faculty advisor, or the Lampeter-Strasburg School District. Questions or concerns can be directed to lspioneernews@gmail.com.
--Pierson Castor, LSNews.org Columnist
Related: Column: GOP holds second debate
Related: Column: The Democratic Council of War
Related: Column: GOP holds second debate
Related: Column: The Democratic Council of War
