The Republican Debate Rundown

Here we go again.

Round two of the republican presidential candidates battling it out on stage to see who is the most competent as February’s primary election gets closer.

The undercard debate, (or “kid’s-table debate” as some political commentators have coined the term) took place just before the main stage debate.

It seems by a long haul that Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina dominated.

His most noted remark was in regards to following Regan’s footsteps with bipartisanship when he said “The first thing I’m gonna do as president — we’re gonna drink more.”

While most of us were expecting the main stage debate to be another episode of “The Apprentice”, the other candidates were really able to outshine Trump for most of the debate — while dusting off his insults of course.

This debate showcased the diversity within the Republican Party.

From businessmen and women to long-time politicians both with and without a family dynasty the stage was pretty full.

Let’s break it down.

Sen. Mark Rubio

This UF political science graduate didn’t get as much airtime as some of the other candidates, but he used his time wisely when he did get it.

He showed a strong understanding of America’s foreign policy from Russia to Iran and more, stating that there has been a lack of leadership in the Middle East. He said he only believes America should get involved where it is going to win.

It’s not very surprising that this UF graduate really knew his stuff. He also knows how much better Florida is than FSU. 

His most prominent policy change was in regards to immigration.

He said that he wants to build an e-verify system for those who come legally and overstay their visas so America can build a better path to citizenship for those individuals.

Donald Trump

In contrast to Rubio’s strong foreign policy statements, Trump’s statements remained vague.

He simply said that he would get along with all of the people America is at odds with. He seemed to quiet down on foreign affairs and got combative when it came to the economy, taxes and immigration — some passionate points of interest for this millionaire real estate mogul.

Naturally, he asserted his dominance by slinging insults at the other candidates.

He remarked more than once that Senator Rand Paul didn’t deserve to be on the stage because he only has a 1 percent rating in the polls. He also reiterated that Jeb Bush has had little energy throughout his campaign and defended his comments on Carly Fiona’s negative persona.

There was nothing really new here from Trump, but other candidates were able to deflect some of his antics.

Carly Fiorina

For someone who almost didn’t make the cut to get into the main stage debate, Fiorina really held her own.

As the previous CEO of Hewlett-Packard and the only other businessperson on the stage, she frequently had back-and-forth commentary about her level of success with Trump. She even brought up the fact that his company has filed for bankruptcy four times. Alongside most of the other candidates, she believes we should not engage with Iran and wants to see Planned Parenthood defunded.

Her most notable remark was when she was asked to respond to Trump’s comments about her in Rolling Stone saying, “Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?” she said. “Women all over the country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”

My comment? You go girl.

Dr. Ben Carson

This retired John Hopkins pediatric neurosurgeon has come a long way down the campaign trail.

In fact he’s just 4 points behind Trump. When he speaks, he’s eloquent, well mannered and non-combative. His persona sets him apart from the other candidates.

His most notorious remark was in response to Trump supporting claims that vaccines lead to autism. He mentioned the countless number of research done to disprove that theory and asked that Trump consult the real facts.

Some of the key policies he reiterated included implementing a federal flat-tax, which he says is based off of the principle of tithing from the Bible, and allowing a six-month grace period for illegal immigrants to repay their taxes.

Gov. Jeb Bush

In this debate, Bush seemed to do well defending himself.

He was the candidate who faced the most pressure to combat the beast that is Donald Trump. He asked that Trump apologize for making negative comments against his Mexican-born wife and Trump refused.

He fought claims from others of nepotism. He said, “I’m my own man,” and sought to separate himself from his bloodline.

While going over the federal and state legalization of marijuana, Sen. Rand Paul called Bush out for using it recreationally in the past. Bush managed to please the crowd when he said 40 years ago he had used marijuana.

Saying it in front of millions probably didn’t make his mother proud.

Gov. Chris Christie

In the past, Christie has come across as too harsh.

He seemed to draw the audience back to the real issues of the debate and make an emotional appeal. At one point, while Fiorina and Trump argued over who was more successful, Christie was able to say “no one cares about your careers.”

He focused the audience’s attention on the state of the nation and asked anyone who believed they were safer today than before Obama was in office to raise their hands — no one did.

Christie asserted himself in matters of national security and brought up his own experience as New Jersey’s governor — when the attacks of 9/11 happened in his backyard.

Sen. Rand Paul

Perhaps taking after his father Ron Paul, Rand was the only one of the candidates who brought up prison reform and drug rehabilitation.

He was also one of the only candidates to support diplomatic relations with Iran. He didn’t have much airtime but was still able to defend himself gracefully when Trump said he didn’t deserve to be on the stage because his polling numbers were so low.

Gov. Mike Huckabee

Huckabee seemed to be overshadowed the entire debate and struggled to get any one-on-one questioning done.

This former Arkansas governor is notoriously know for having a large socially conservative support base.

His shining moment was in his defense of Kim Davis, the county clerk who refused marriage licenses to a gay couple. He argued that her religious freedom was of greater importance and scolded the Supreme Court’s decision to legalize gay marriage.

Sen. Ted Cruz

Cruz was the most adamant person on stage to support the defunding of Planned Parenthood — even if it were to cause a government shut down.

He took his time on stage to address the audience rather than the other candidates and made his platform well known.

Most of his comments were centered on the lack of conservative principles in the White House and a necessity for the party to reassert itself again.

Gov. Scott Walker

Walker was among one of the candidates who seemed to struggle for attention.

While other candidates fought among themselves, he remained quiet. But his best line throughout the debate was directed towards Trump when he said “We don’t need an apprentice in the White House, we have one right now.”

Gov. John R. Kasich

In the midst of instigated commentary from other candidates, Kasich, just like Christie, brought the audience back to the right focus saying “If I were sitting at home watching this back and forth, I’d be inclined to turn it off.”

His policies are largely similar to the other candidates, but just like Paul, he stands out in refusing to dismantle the diplomatic agreement with Iran.

For each question he answered, he built on his platform and mentioned a number of times how he has balanced the budget at both the federal and state levels while maintain a consistent voting record.

This was a smart move in order to improve his credibility with the voters.

Featured photo courtesy of: Flickr

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