I just finished watching the first "candidates' forum" (don't call it a debate!) of the season, where 14 of the 17 Republicans running for president all appeared on the same stage in New Hampshire. The "one person on the stage at a time" format was an odd one, meant to get around the Republican National Committee's strict rules on how many debates they're going to tolerate this time around (it seems the more the public hears Republicans debate, the more it harms the Republican candidates).
Still, it was a chance to see very short performances of almost all of the candidates, as entry was not limited by poll standings (the way it will be later in the week, at the first official Republican debate). The three candidates who did not appear were: Donald Trump, Jim Gilmore, and Mike Huckabee (no explanation was given why they didn't show up). Three candidates appeared by video linkup, since they were in Washington for a late-day vote on defunding Planned Parenthood. They were: Senators Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, and Ted Cruz. Interestingly, Senator Lindsey Graham did show up in person, so I guess he must have skipped the vote (this fact was not brought up, though, so that's just speculation). The other candidates appearing tonight: Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Ben Carson, Jeb Bush, Carly Fiorina, Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, and George Pataki.
The forum was tight, with 14 people to get to, and was made tighter by the fact that it was held in two full rounds of questioning, with a final 30-second statement allowed by each candidate. So they made the round of all 14 twice, the first time ending with the video linkup candidates and the second beginning with them.
The moderator was a pretty committed right-wing commentator, at least from both his tone and the complete and utter lack of any challenging questions whatsoever. The entire evening was softball after softball, really. Here's a typical question I jotted down, as an example: "Have we become anti-business in America?" I am not exactly complaining about this -- since it is likely what Republican voters really want to see, at this early point -- but instead merely pointing it out. The other truly notable thing about the entire evening was that Donald Trump's name was not mentioned once, either by the moderator or by any candidate.
What follows are my snap reactions, before I've seen what anyone else's reactions are. These are mostly short impressions the candidates made, and aren't in a whole lot of depth. The format used was akin to "speed dating" sessions, where you hear a tiny little bit from a large number of people, so limited impressions were about all that was possible. I've listed my reactions in the order the candidates appeared in the first round of questioning, which was randomly drawn at the forum (although all the video-feed candidates appeared last, for technical reasons). All quotations below were hastily jotted down, and may not be perfectly accurate, I should add (I may have missed the exact wording or phrasing, but the gist of all the quotes is entirely accurate).
Rick Perry
Rick Perry certainly sounded better than his last debate performances (especially the one with the infamous "Oops"). Maybe running for president while not taking strong painkillers is the way to go after all, eh? In the first round, Perry dodged a question on whether he'd reduce the number of legal immigrants, and instead did a whole lot of talking about securing the border. In the second round, he came across once again as relaxed, except towards the end when he got a bit loud and angry. The amusing moment was at the beginning of the second round, when the moderator basically asked the "Oops" question again -- which federal agencies would you cut? Perry responded with a funny line: "I've heard this question before." Comedy-wise, his timing and delivery were pretty good, I have to admit.
Rick Santorum
Santorum started off a bit hesitantly, but he got a little better by the end of the first round. He touted a (20 percent) flat tax idea (this general idea was popular among several of the candidates), and bragged about the 1990s welfare reform effort he was a part of. Santorum said he'd reduce "unskilled" legal immigration by 25 percent. In the second round, Santorum got a little more strident, but still stayed fairly loose. He was asked about abortion, and said he disagreed with the Supreme Court on both gay marriage and Roe v. Wade, then told the story of Abraham Lincoln ignoring the Supreme Court, before saying he'd essentially do the same thing on both abortion and gay marriage (it was a little vague, but that was the main idea). He got off a funny line when asked if he'd put a woman on the $20 bill, and if so who -- he responded: "Put Carly on the bill!" The moderator then joked that he thought his wife would have been his first choice, to which Santorum responded: "Now you're going to get me into trouble!"
John Kasich
Kasich was a very late entry into the field, so many people were seeing him for the first time. He's a fast-talking guy, but also pretty smooth in his presence. I can see why Ohioans like him so much. Kasich was asked about immigration and repeated a line he's used before, which is pretty worrisome when you consider how he views governmental responsibility. When asked about the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently in the country, Kasich had a list of things they'd have to do (pay a fine, learn English) and then qualified who'd be allowed to do so (no felons or violent criminals), but he also inserted an odd phrase defining the group he'd let in: those who were "God-fearing." Which means, by extension, that the federal government should only let in immigrants who fear God? That is downright offensive to my ears, and an absolute affront to the Constitution. Of course, my ears aren't exactly his target audience, and I do realize Republican primary voters might react differently. Kasich also came out for a balanced budget amendment, and in the second round talked about morality dictating that Republicans should care about more than just the economy -- "something I think Republicans need to talk more about." Sounded a lot like George W. Bush's "compassionate conservatism," in fact. Kasich did have a fairly relaxed time of it, and ended on an upbeat note.
Lindsey Graham
Graham is the uber-hawk in the race, and his performance was about par for the course, for him. He repeated twice (for emphasis) in the first round his basic foreign policy view towards other countries: "America should show a clenched fist or an open hand -- you choose." Graham would send American troops to lots of places, at the drop of a hat. Again, no real surprise there. Graham, as always, had a fairly easy-going performance, with plenty of jingoism, snark, and whininess mixed in. He hit Hillary Clinton as hard as he could (and got one funny line off: "I'm fluent in Clinton"), and even hit Bill for "I did not have sex with that woman," just for good measure. Graham came out against a minimum wage hike, and towards the end got another funny line in, when talking about how Tip O'Neil and Ronald Reagan solved the Social Security problem by sitting down and having a drink together: "Maybe we need to drink more in Washington." He did stumble over his own words in his conclusion, grappling with trying to say "he/she" when talking about the next (Republican) president.
Chris Christie
Christie came across as strong, but not as belligerent as usual. He agreed with Lindsey Graham that means-testing Social Security would be a great idea. When asked whether a V.A. hospital should be built in New Hampshire ("and one in every state"), he passed up the opportunity to pander to the local voters and instead said "no," preferring instead that every veterans' V.A. medical card be accepted at all hospitals, everywhere. It was an artful dodge, instead of garden-variety pandering. Christie was asked about the heroin epidemic in New Hampshire, and took the opportunity to tout his New Jersey record of not sending first-time offenders to jail but to treatment instead. Christie remained low-key in the second round, and got in a funny line in response to the moderator applauding Christie for holding so many town halls in New Hampshire where he stayed to answer everyone's questions. Christie responded: "I'm like the bad relative you have for Thanksgiving -- I arrive early and stay until you wash the dishes."
Ben Carson
Carson's speech cadence is naturally slow, which worked against him in such a carefully-timed event. In the first round of questioning, he was asked mostly about the politics of medical issues. He took the opportunity to slam Obamacare as much as possible, and said his replacement would be "people-oriented," with health savings accounts. He edged towards getting rid of Medicare and replacing it with vouchers, but didn't totally commit to the concept and pulled back at the end. Got in some digs against Planned Parenthood, calling them "depraved" (this was a popular thing to do for many candidates, I should add). He also talked up a "tithe" flat tax of 10 or 15 percent. When asked about who he'd appoint to the Supreme Court, he gave possibly the most generic answer possible -- he'd "look at their judicial history" (as if no other president had ever thought to do so). All-around, a relaxed performance, which is pretty standard for Carson.
Jeb Bush
Bush started out by trying to burnish his foreign policy chops -- by basically agreeing with Lindsey Graham's foreign policy of multiple wars, all over the globe. Bush's performance in general was pretty hesitant, I have to say. He stumbled over his words, and didn't seem like he was comfortable being up on stage. He improved a bit at the end of the first round, but went back to being stumbly in the second. His big idea was to boost American economic growth to four percent by doing a bunch of rather vague stuff. He tried to pander to the anti-immigrant wing of the party by stating that he'd be for limiting the rules for family members of citizens to immigrate legally. He also trotted out an anti-Common Core stance, but it was notably weak in specifics. When asked about his presidential brother and father, Bush was ready with: "My dad is probably the most perfect man alive." He ended the night (he was the final candidate in the second round) by stating what a wonderful Republican field it was, each one better than all the Democratic candidates.
Carly Fiorina
Carly Fiorina's never going to be seen as a warm and cuddly personality, which she proved once again tonight. Her tone of voice is permanently smarmy and condescending, as she lectures the audience about each issue. As expected, Fiorina was toughest on Hillary Clinton (she feels that as the only Republican woman in the race, she's got the best defense when attacking Clinton). Fiorina not only stated that Clinton "lied about Benghazi," but also stretched reality by saying "She stood over the bodies." Her attitude towards the race in general was summed up as "throw every punch," which she certainly attempted tonight. In the second round of questions, Fiorina was asked about foreign policy and responded by name-dropping as many Middle Eastern leaders as she could -- noting she "knows them personally." Her first act as president would be to pick up the phone and call Netanyahu.
Bobby Jindal
Normally, Bobby Jindal has the same problems with slow cadence that Ben Carson has (and, to a certain extent, Rick Perry and Lindsey Graham have as well). Tonight, even with his drawl, he did better than he normally does in interviews, at times even venturing into fast-talking. Jindal came out in favor of uniting America, instead of those dastardly Democrats who divide everyone up into "hyphenated-Americans." He'd be for term limits in Congress, and (somehow) ending lobbying by "paying them all to stay away from Washington." At the end of the first round, Jindal used an odd metaphor when talking about how bad Obama's Iran deal was, something about declaring war on trans-fats? In the second round, Jindal stated the first two things he'd do in office would be to overturn Obama's "amnesty" executive decision, and then "meet with the heads of the military" so they could explain the whole ISIS problem to him. At the end, he trotted out "this is the most important election of our lifetimes" trope. Jindal was noticeably jumpy and jittery in his second performance, and got rather loud at the end for no apparent reason.
Scott Walker
Walker came across as an easygoing guy, although he did get a little edgy at times. When asked about climate change and the new Obama plan for the environment, he repeatedly said it would be like a "buzz saw to the economy," which is a rather odd metaphor when talking about the environment (see earlier comment about my perceptions versus Republican voters, I suppose). Walker spent most of the first round talking up his successes in Wisconsin. In the second round, he came out for raising the Social Security retirement age, and expressed his belief that entitlements are going to have to be "reformed." He positioned himself as a Washington outsider (always popular with the Republican base), and then touted his Wisconsin record some more. All in all, a pretty safe but unexciting performance.
George Pataki
Also a late entrant into the primary race, this was the first time Pataki has been seen by many American voters. Pataki's record as a blue-state governor (New York) has plenty of weak spots for Republican base voters, but none of this was pointed out by the moderator. Instead, Pataki was able to stick to the conservative script, touting how he shrunk the New York governmental workforce, and badmouthing Obamacare. Pataki came out for a 12 percent flat tax, after stating that the tax code treats veterans and manufacturers badly. He ended his first round with lots of anti-Planned Parenthood talk. Overall, he seemed strong and confident onstage, although this bordered on angry and loud in the second round. His second round started off with the moderator tossing a softball about what it was like to be governor on 9/11. Pataki took this and ran with it, of course. When asked about limits to the Second Amendment, Pataki made some vague statements about mental health. At the very end, in his 30-second freebie, Pataki stumbled and said "If I run..." when he meant "If I win..." which I would chalk up to the fact that he hasn't been officially running for all that long now.
Rand Paul
Rand Paul led off the video-feed candidates. He was asked about both issues where he stands apart from the other Republican candidates: foreign policy and government snooping. He strongly stood up for his position on the Fourth Amendment (in essence: no general warrants, snoop on terrorists and not all citizens), and for his view that war should never be "the first choice" of a president, "as if it was a game of Risk." When asked, he stated the first countries he'd visit as president would be China and Russia, due to their global importance. Paul said he'd allow rich people to deduct all college tuition (he didn't put it quite like that, of course), and disagreed with Obama, saying there should be "no free lunch" on education. At the end, he pointed out a strength that few have so far noticed -- Rand Paul's up in the polling over Hillary Clinton in five battleground states, something no other Republican candidate can claim at the moment. Overall, his performance was similar to his normal television interviews -- he came across as heartfelt, if a little loopy.
Ted Cruz
Cruz came across as he normally does -- angry, and yelling a lot. It's his whole shtick, really, so it's not surprising in the least. He doubled down on his recent "Obama is the biggest supporter of terrorism" line (since the Iran deal frees up frozen assets). He bragged about his record in the Senate, of "speaking the truth" in Congress, whom he referred to repeatedly as the "Washington cartel" (to be fair, he includes a lot of fellow Republicans in that statement). Oh, and he mentioned Ronald Reagan a lot, in both interview segments. He clearly sees himself as the heir to Reaganism, in his own mind. He'd "repeal every word of Obamacare" and replace it by allowing insurance to be sold across state lines, health savings accounts, and delinking health insurance from employers and employees. He used his time at the end to tout freedom and the promise of America. If he had had another 30 seconds, he likely would have gotten around to apple pie and baseball, as well.
Marco Rubio
Marco Rubio started out very smooth and well-spoken. Rubio is probably the most natural politician of the whole bunch (at least, the ones on the stage tonight), and nobody can fast-talk better. But by the second segment, he seemed a little uptight and stumbling, mostly because he was spending his time amping up the fear of terrorism and threats against America. He was asked about Rand Paul's views on the Fourth Amendment, which is what set him off on the subject. Rubio, earlier, was asked the most interesting question of the night (note: this shows my personal bias, I fully admit) about his support for medical marijuana. Rubio began his answer by pointing out he was totally against recreational legalization, even going so far as to link it with the prescription opiate/heroin problem New Hampshire has. But when he got around to addressing medicinal use, he was actually pretty reasonable for a Republican presidential candidate. He said that if marijuana went through the same testing other drugs are subjected to, he wouldn't have a problem with even a federal law allowing medicinal use. Rubio was also asked about immigration (a potential weak spot for him), and agreed that he'd curtain family-based legal immigration in favor of allowing in skilled workers. About the 11 million undocumented immigrants, he'd give them some sort of legal status, and then have a "further conversation" later about even allowing them green cards (not citizenship).
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