Who won? Who lost?
The media are preoccupied with figuring out the winners and losers from the GOP debate last week. Seraphic Secret came away with some impressions that we’d like to share with our readers.
Too many of Jake Tapper’s questions were designed to draw blood between Trump and the other candidates. This is the stuff of high-school feuds. Hey, did you hear what Donald said about you?
Really, who cares?
Islamic State controls territory larger than the UK, Iran has just been given a free pass by the Democrat party, Obamacare is a cancer that is spreading — and we’re supposed to worry about Trump’s vulgar comments?
On the other hand, Tapper is an improvement over Democrat operative Candice Crowley.
Hugh Hewitt’s questions about foreign policy were excellent, and the responses he elicited told us a great deal about the various candidates. I wish that Hewitt had been given the chance to ask more questions. He is masterful.
Seraphic Secret blogged about Carly Fiorina on August 19. We commented on her amazing rhetorical skills and picked her out as the dark horse who would break from the pack. So we were not the least bit surprised when she absolutely killed it on the debate stage. Unlike so many other politicians, Carly understands that less is more. When asked about Trump’s nasty comment about her face, Carly said that all American women understood what Trump was saying. She crushed The Donald, and he knew it.
Marco Rubio is, without question, the most nimble and talented politician I have ever seen. He has thought through the big issues and knows where he stands. He is a principled conservative with a genuine working-class background that sets him apart from the elites in a away that is positively Lincolnesque.
A Rubio/Fiorina (or vice-versa) ticket would put the fear of God into the Democrats. Those two would slice and dice Hillary, Sanders and Biden.
That ticket, we believe, would win a national election.
Joe Miller came up with some “fun facts” about Carly Fiorina.
http://joemiller.us/2015/09/jeb-bush-in-a-dress-top-9-fun-facts-about-carly-fiorina/
Some solid points there.
On the debate: I agree that it felt like a grade school (not even high school) schoolyard argument. “Hey Billly, did you hear what Johnny just said about you?” We turned it off about halfway through, for that reason. In my view, CNN did this on purpose. Not for ratings; simply having the Entertainer at center stage ensured that. But rather, because the overriding goal of CNN is to make Republicans look bad and advance their goal of electing Hillary (or if all else fails, some other Democrat). This format was their best shot at achieving this goal. Perish the thought that their questions might actually make the candidates look thoughtful, or competent, or qualified.
On Fiorina: you can argue against her on the grounds that she’s never held elected office. On the other hand, running a global company the size of HP is a whole lot harder than being a senator, or even a governor.
It’s easy enough to make the argument that no other job is really a good preparation for the presidency. Certainly if you look at the past century worth of presidents that’s obvious. How many good ones? One? Not more than one, I would say.
In particular, is being elected before really a qualification? It might, maybe, give you a clue about electability. But probably not, since all other offices are elected by one state at the most. And being elected senator says zero about your executive skills (none required for that job). Being elected governor likewise says zero about your foreign policy skills (again, none required).
One…? Eisenhower, Truman, FDR, Ronald Reagan, John Kennedy. Theodore Roosevelt, and Nixon for his several personal shortcomings, not to be sneered at.
An addenda regarding experience in political office. It prepares one to confront the enemy within. Often in your government, even in cabinet.
Not sure about Kennedy. He did very well under pressure but… the rest of his short tenure was a bit scattered.
FDR? Mmmm… Again – great under international pressure but, pretty much everything else he touched turned bad…
However, you might also add Coolidge.
Coolidge, absolutely. I thought of him after putting up the list As for Kennedy, a great leader. I did vote for him, and would do so again. He has, thus far, been my only Democrat. Not to be confused with other members of this family.
Hey!
Don’t forget my favorite Millard Fillmore, a member of the Know Nothing party and he not only meant it, he was honest about it.
Another aside: Yogi’s gone. He ain’t lost this time, but he’s still making good time.
Cute.
I was going to say “one at most”. 🙂
In my view, the Roosevelts and Nixon are disqualified from the list on the grounds of aggravated contempt of Constitution. That may apply to most or all of the others, too, though it is probably not quite so blatant.
An aside: This year marks the 50th anniversary of Sandy Koufax sitting out the first game of the World Series because of Yom Kippur. I remember it, I was a young pitcher at the time and Koufax was one of my idols. What has always impressed me is Sandy just did it, suffering the consequences with no explanation or apology. That is bravery in conviction to me.
The sad thing about these debates – as it has been since Kennedy-Nixon, is how to they appear in the visual medium? Does anyone think that in today’s world a Washington or Lincoln would make it?
And FDR in his wheel chair. Forget it today. (am talking of a candidate, not whether you agreed with his policies)
I was saddened to hear of Scott Walker’s departure but I agree with Brent Hume that he really didn’t distinguish himself up there – he seemed more of a wall flower. And here I am criticizing the medium while at the same time criticizing a candidate not appearing well in that medium – who would have made a good President.
Carly – I am ambivalent about her. Anyone who worked at HP detested her – her decision to buy Compaq was a disaster both from a financial aspect and a social aspect (many Compaq managers who would have gotten a pink slip from a bankrupt Compaq took mgt positions at HP crowding out HP people and causing resentment)
The world is, as Robert said, on fire – largely thanks to Obama and his Middle East “policy” so as far as I am concerned any one of those candidates would be preferable.
Washington was not only a handsome man, but in a class by himself. Suggest, if you have the inclination, taking a look at James Thomas Flexner’s work. He wrote a multi-volume biography, but also produced, in a single volume, The Indispensable Man. All of it informed, and fairly entertaining. Washington is our greatest president, not only because defined power within the context of American democracy, but because he dealt with, slavery, foreign intervention, and the terrible fools in his cabinet, now exalted, such as Monroe, Madison and Jefferson. Of these, Jefferson clearly the worst, for his slavery stance, his blind agrarian point of view, and his unwavering support for the French Revolution, well after it had become the reign of terror. A pre-cursor to the Stalinist era in another country, also empathized with by some in in the United States.
Carson, Cruz, Fiorina, and Rubio all very good. The Consevative future looks pretty good. What’s funny to me is the Dems have made living since the 60’s of running against “The Man” now they are “The Man” and don’t even realize it.
Yes, yes, yes… Although, as things work out, I suspect it will be a Fiorina/ Rubio ticket.
America seems to crave a “non politician.”
I listen to NPR on Sundays – they have the rerun entertainment shows from Saturday.
However, they also have “On the Media,” which I also listened to this week… or as much as I could stomach. The first topic was:
“At this week’s CNN debate, the GOP presidential contenders continued the tradition of countless Republican and Democratic candidates before them, filling the airwaves with an abundance of factual exaggerations and bald-faced lies. Brooke identifies some of the most egregious examples, and wonders why debate moderators so rarely intervene when candidates distort the facts.”
When they got to praising Candi Crowley for her “intervention”…. I had to turn it off…
Just when I think that NPR might have some listening value, they do something that really creeps me out and I shudder to think that these people – including the aforementioned Jake Tapper, are the people who are shaping the “news” that the majority of Americans – Believe.
This is one reason that I am convinced that G-d Chooses Kings and Controls the hearts of Kings because – if those who appear to be in “control” really were in control, I would despair and believe in our doom.
NPR = National Palestinian Radio
Heh, I didn’t know you write humor!
That “intervention” by Crowley was a joke – and she was wrong to boot. Impartial; my….foot.
The problem is – it wasn’t a joke. And, yes – she was dead wrong. That is what is so creepy. NPR is praising her as if she got it right. That’s not just subjective, that’s so left wing creepy lying that it is a bit scary.
It wasn’t as if “Brooke” was giving her “opinion” of Crowley – she was praising her for her “factual” rebuttal…
Oy.
IMHO – Mitt Romney might have won the election if would have just decked her right there and then – or at least given an equivalent good humored ad lib about her brazen interference and maliciousness….
Oy.
Gmar chasima tov to all…
All interesting thoughts, Robert, but I have ‘deep’ reservations about Carly Fiorina becoming our President, and these are similar to my feeling for and about Dr. Carson, and Donald. They have never held elective office. Not that all would not be an improvement over Sanders, but Hillary Clinton, for all her many shortcomings, has made herself professional. I would hate to see her in the White House, but a resounding No, to all of these ‘folks.’
Barry:
What about Marco Rubio?
An excellent thought. Ideal to balance a ticket. In related news Scott Walker has dropped out. Now, we need to lose George Pataki, a fine man and governor (but going nowhere in this race), Lindsay Graham, a good guy, not happening, John Kasich, smart and reasonable, no traction, and if Rick Santorum is in this thing, he shouldn’t be. Ted Cruz is brilliant, but a character actor. Early Lee Van Cleef . We should all be giving Chris Christie and Jeb Bush a better look. These guys could be paired up. The idea is to win. Nothing gets done without that, so a little pragmatism required.
I said the same thing. Rubio-Fiorina ticket. I do hope that Fiorina’s past can pass muster as there are rumblings on the right about bout with HP
No matter who the Republican nominees are the mainstream press will go after them. We know that Hillary is a congenital liar and with her husband they run a, ahem, charity, that is actually a money laundering operation.
Another of the many many reasons I cannot stand NGOs.