GOP Thunderdome Debate

I must admit that Thursday night’s debate from Houston was one helluva barn burner.  Normally, as I dutifully watch these things, I find myself nodding off.  Not so this time.  With Jeb out of the picture the war of words between Rubio, Trump and Cruz was brutal.

I’m still trying to decide who will get my vote.  I have a few days left before the window on early voting closes and I want to beat the rush because I’m a billionaire recluse and don’t like being among the great unwashed.

Marco Robot transformed himself into Master Blaster from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.  It’s fair to say that Trump’s heavy application of orange spray tan made him remarkably thin-skinned for this debate..

For the last 7 months Trump has repeated the same phrases ad nauseum.  He touts what he will do when he is president but fails to give details.  The only thing I’ve noticed he changes from stump speech to stump speech is the placard on the front of the podium at which he speaks indicating the city in which the speech is being held.

Up to now, the debates have been an exercise in futility for Cruz and Rubio, but on this night their combination one-two punch found its mark.  The chink in Donald’s armor was revealed.

Wolf: How can you be neutral on Israel/Palestine?
Trump: I was in a parade with Israelis.#GOPDebate

— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) February 26, 2016

Trump's a strong Christian. He got a divinity degree from Trump University.

— Popehat (@Popehat) February 26, 2016

The audience applauded Rubio for *24* seconds when he mocked Trump for repeating himself. pic.twitter.com/cKRgLnX2VK

— Nick Jacob (@nicktjacob) February 26, 2016

it’d be nice if one of the candidates congratulated trump on getting david duke’s endorsement

— andy levy (@andylevy) February 26, 2016

OK, #GOPdebate, here's your chance to opine in the ONLY 100% scientific opinion poll!! GO! GO! GO!

— el Sooper ن (@SooperMexican) February 26, 2016

New Hampshire Primary: Rubio Announces “Obama Knows Exactly What He’s Doing”

Marco Rubio’s supporters pushed, shoved and wrestled demonstrators dressed as robots outside a polling place in Manchester, NH on Tuesday.  The demonstrators were mocking his robotic rhetoric in last Saturday’s GOP Presidential Debate from Saint Anselm College.

During the debate, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie eviscerated him for repeating the same canned talking points four times.  Rubio insisted for days afterwards that the confrontation had not wounded his campaign.

A somber Rubio blamed himself for his pathetic fifth place finish confessing, “I’m disappointed with tonight, but I want you to understand something.  Our disappointment tonight is not on you.  It’s on me.  I did not do well on Saturday night, so listen to this.  That will never happen again.  That will never happen again.”

Marco Rerun in 5th! How many more times will Repeat-io Bots tell us "Rubio's the most electable Republican?" #NHPrimary

— Michelle Malkin (@michellemalkin) February 10, 2016

Exclusive footage of #MarcoRubio learning the results of the #NHPrimary pic.twitter.com/4aizEh9Clw

— Kragar (@Kragar_LGF) February 10, 2016

Mean Tweets: The Manitoban Candidate Edition

@JonahNRO K. But if #TheManitobanCandidate has thoughts of replacing ketchup with malt vinegar, I'm moving to Micronesia.

— Sorella (@SorellaTorta) January 16, 2016

@JonahNRO #TheManitobanCandidate will replace Dunkin with Tim Hortons

— Matt Singer (@mrsinger) January 16, 2016

#TheManitobanCandidate will make sure all your maple syrup is pure and your beer like moonshine. Yes!

— AW (@ArtbyAWOHS) January 16, 2016

I like New York Values. I like Texas Values. It's the District of Columbia Values I despise.

— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) January 15, 2016

FACT: Most New Yorkers north of the Tappan Zee think NYC residents are self-absorbed assholes. Cruz didn't lose their votes.

— Bob Owens (@bob_owens) January 15, 2016

Rick Santorum Wasting Our Time

Absolutely no one missed Rand Paul in Thursday’s Fox Business GOP Presidential Debate from North Charleston.  His little feelings were bruised when his polling numbers got him demoted to the undercard.  He decided to boycott the debate.

Rick Santorum, who is barely garnering 2% in national polling, burned up some of his time introducing his sons who are cadets at The Citadel.  After a long-winded statement on why he is the best Republican to take on The Ice Cube In Heels, Rick cleverly declared, "I know I'm out of time. I'm going to take some of Rand Paul’s time here for a second.”

Mean Tweets: Chris Christie Edition

I do not like this question, Neil. Do you have another? pic.twitter.com/gH1VtFwQwW

— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) January 15, 2016

Isn't Christie lying about Sotomayor and Planned Parenthood here? https://t.co/qbroKSIMYU

— John McCormack (@McCormackJohn) January 15, 2016

Asking Gov. Christie a question that involves bridges. I see what you did there, Fox Business. #washex2016

— T. Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) January 15, 2016

Gaseous windbag Chris Christie admits incompetence of US courts to enforce basic laws.

— DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) January 15, 2016

US governor Chris Christie's gaseous ejaculations concerning "tinpot dictators" derided as ludicrous daydreaming by an ignorant fool.

— DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) January 15, 2016

Mean Tweets: John Kasich Edition Redux

Tell me another story about a committee you were on, Mr. Kasich.

— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) January 15, 2016

But did you know his father was a mailman? #GOPdebate https://t.co/4dPlcqkoNj

— Andrew Klavan (@andrewklavan) January 15, 2016

Frightening paroxysms by governor John Kasich prompt speculation of serious nerve disorders.

— DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) January 15, 2016

Kasich getting ready to wish Bedford Falls a merry Christmas

— Alex Burns (@alexburnsNYT) January 15, 2016

#GOPDebate New drinking game. A shot for every Kasich karate chop. Who's in? pic.twitter.com/gG03HarbJU

— BK Says... (@PatriotTrumpet) January 15, 2016

Mean Tweets: Jeb Bush Edition

Ceaseless talk of Jeb Bush proves him to be leading candidate for jester in the court of American plutocracy.

— DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) January 15, 2016

Hereditary fool Jeb Bush compared to a weakling son of greater fathers by Donald Trump.

— DPRK News Service (@DPRK_News) January 15, 2016

Jeb's done. So...Neil 2020?

— Andrew Klavan (@andrewklavan) January 15, 2016

Congratulations to Jeb Bush on his first applause line since 1999. #GOPdebate

— Andrew Klavan (@andrewklavan) January 15, 2016

BREAKING: Dude With Chick's Name Endorses Guy With No Last Name

— Cuffy (@CuffyMeh) January 15, 2016

Mean Tweets: Marco Rubio Edition

i'll tell you what, i'll take Kasich on Molly over Rubio on whatever mix of hot sauce, poisoned cocaine, and firecracker gunpowder he's on

— The Scandalous DJT (@AceofSpadesHQ) January 15, 2016

i guess tonight is going to be people posting gifs after Rubio says obvious things and licks his lips thinking about sweet sweet water

— The Scandalous DJT (@AceofSpadesHQ) January 15, 2016

Rubio must have read that think piece about how he can't "do angry" this afternoon. #GOPDebate

— Andrew Klavan (@andrewklavan) January 15, 2016

Republican Debaters Unite Against CNBC Moderators

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation in January of this year to announce plans by his party to reduce the number of sanctioned debates (there were 27 in 2012) and promised to bring the process under tighter control for the 2016 election cycle.

The new rules were intended to give the RNC a greater degree of control over the moderators and sponsors of the debates and offer a larger conservative media presence. The need to revamp the process was borne out of the storm of protests that followed the debate in which CNN’s Candy Crowley lied to save The World’s Most Dangerous Community Organizer in the second of three 2012 presidential debates when Republican challenger Mitt Romney questioned whether or not Obama had called the Benghazi attack in which four Americans were murdered an act of terror.

ROMNEY:  You said in the Rose Garden the day after the attack it was an act of terror. It was not a spontaneous demonstration.
OBAMA:  Please proceed.
ROMNEY:  Is that what you're saying?
OBAMA:  Please proceed, Governor.
ROMNEY:  I want to make sure we get that for the record, because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror.
OBAMA: Get the transcript.
CROWLEY:  It—he did in fact, sir.
OBAMA:  Can you say that a little louder, Candy?
CROWLEY:  He did call it an act of terror. It did as well take two weeks or so for the whole idea of there being a riot out there about this tape to come out. You are correct about that.

The 2012 presidential debates also saw George Stephanopoulos launch what became known as the “war on women” by pressing Romney on a law that was passed in 1965, Griswold v Connecticut, asking if it should be overturned.  Pro-abortion groups seized on this claiming that Republicans wanted to ban contraceptives.

STEPHANOPOULOS:  Senator Santorum has been very clear in his belief that the Supreme Court was wrong when it decided that a right to privacy was embedded in the Constitution. And, following from that, he believes that states have the right to ban contraception. Now, I should add that he's said that he's not recommending that states do that.  But I do want to get that core question. Governor Romney, do you believe that states have the right to ban contraception? Or is that trumped by a constitutional right to privacy?

While everyone in the dextrosphere got their hackles up over the brutish line of questioning by CNBC’s moderators in Tuesday’s Republican Presidential Debate, I see things a bit differently.  What’s as plain as the nose on your face is the blatant revulsion liberals have for the candidates running for president who don’t have a D beside their name.  Conservatives know that the long knives are out for them.  We’ve come to expect it.

The tenor of the debate went along exactly as I anticipated it would UNTIL Marco Rubio flawlessly disarmed his inquisitors declaring, “I know the Democrats have the ultimate Super PAC, it’s called the mainstream media. Last week, Hillary Clinton admitted she sent emails to her family saying ‘Hey, this attack in Benghazi was caused by al Qaeda-like elements.’ She spent over a week telling the families of those victims and the American people that it was because of a video. And yet, the mainstream media is saying it was the greatest week in Hillary Clinton’s campaign. It was the week she got exposed as a liar. […] But she has her super PAC helping her out: the American mainstream media.”

Ted Cruz seized the opportunity to blister Carl Quintanilla proclaiming, "The questions asked in this debate illustrate why the American people don't trust the media. This is not a cage match. And you look at the questions—Donald Trump, are you a comic book villain? Ben Carson, can you do math? John Kasich, will you insult two people over here? Marco Rubio, why don't you resign? Jeb Bush, why have your numbers fallen?  How about talking about the substantive issues?”

“The contrast with the Democratic debate, where every thought and question from the media was, which of you is more handsome and why?  Let me be clear. The men and women on this stage have more ideas, more experience, more common sense, than every participant in the Democratic debate. That debate reflected a debate between the Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks."

Cruz’ analogy was completely lost on NBC’s Chuck Todd:

@jpodhoretz Menshevik was new to me. Are they socialists who speak Yiddish?

— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) October 29, 2015

It was uplifting to see the GOP candidates declare an end to the injustice of the liberal lapdogs’ gratuitous bias and finally fight back.  If they continue that strategy they will force the bullies of the Left into becoming an endangered species.

CNBC is lucky @TheDailyShow is on hiatus this week. They would have gotten mocked into irrelevance and possibly bankruptcy. #GOPDebate

— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) October 29, 2015

Battle Royale: The CNBC GOP Presidential Debate

Tonight as the GOP presidential candidates converge at the University of Colorado-Boulder to debate the nation’s economy the stage has been set for far more than just a debate.  It’s going to be a battle royale.

John Kasich is fed up.  “I’ve about had it with these people.  I’m sick and tired of listening to this nonsense and I’m going to have to call like it is in this race…I’m done being polite,” he said.

A few days ago Donald Trump insisted on taking credit for a business move made by Ford Motor Company that he had absolutely nothing to do with and was decided on nearly four years ago.  Kasich pushed back tweeting, “Together Ohio brought Ford back from Mexico.”  Ford spokeswoman Kristina Adaminski flatly refuted Trump’s claim.

Kasich and the Ohio legislature have been working hard to stop the migration of automobile manufacturers from his state to Mexico and are trying to prevent a move by General Motors.  Trump stopped tweeting and talking about Ford immediately.

Marco Rubio has raised the ire of Floridians for having missed more votes than any other senator this year.  His seat is “regularly empty for floor votes, committee meetings and intelligence briefings.”  He has said in veiled words that he hates his job as senator.  One editorial in the Sun Sentinel suggested, “If you hate your job Senator, follow the honorable lead of House Speaker John Boehner and resign.”

And Jeb is a miserable guy citing the yuuuuuge amount of aggravation he never signed up for in this election cycle saying, “I’ve got a lot of really cool things I could be doing instead of being miserable listening to people demonize me.” I’d bet the farm that Jeb regretted saying that the moment the words left his whiny little lips.

Miss Lindsey confessed his wonderment earlier in the week:  “On our side, you’ve got the No. 2 guy [who] tried to kill someone at 14, and the No. 1 is high energy and crazy as hell. How am I losing to these people?”

Lindsey Graham was also the first celebrity bartender for CNN’s Politics On Tap pouring beers and playing the “Fuck, Marry, Kill” party game with Dana Bash who gave Graham three choices:  Hillary Clinton, Carly Fiorina, and Sarah Palin.

"Sarah Palin—we'll go hunting on our first date," he said. Next was "marry," an easy joke set-up. "Carly, because she's rich," said Graham.  When Bash pressed, and asked Graham if he would erase the existence of Hillary Clinton, he was ready with the punch line.

"No, but is she rich? She said she was flat broke."

The debate will be broadcast live on CNBC, CNBC.com and in the CNBC apps.  The moderators are Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick and John Harwood.

Carly Rose To The Occasion Lapping The Field

A scrapper with true grit, Carly Fiorina took the stage at the Reagan Presidential Library for the second GOP debate and drew her sword.  Brit Hume and a whole host of male pundits criticized Fiorina’s failure to smile noting that she came across as too aggressive and lacking humor.

Geez boys.  I find nothing humorous about mutilating babies to harvest their organs, the national debt, the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, Putin’s incursions into Syria, the growing Islamic Caliphate, drug addiction and the culture of corruption in politics.  How about coming to terms with the fact that she had to show her toughness on stage?

On six morning talk shows today Fiorina said, “This is going to be a fight.  If you can’t fight on a debate stage, you can’t stand up and fight for the American people.”  She went on to say, “It’s only a woman whose appearance would be talked about when running for president—never a man.”  She added, “The point is, women are half this nation.  Women are half the potential of this nation.  Still somehow we spend a lot of time talking about women’s appearance instead of their qualifications.” [Damn right.]

John Podhoretz praised her performance noting, “At almost any moment that she managed to seize time to speak—and she was compelled by the structure of the debate to interrupt repeatedly to get that time—she knocked it out of the park.”

One über-liberal pundit wrote, "If you right wingers get your act together and nominate Carly, you win."

Byron York, writing for The Washington Examiner felt Carly had four “big moments” in the debate.

The first came when Fiorina turned a meandering conversation about Vladimir Putin into a crisp recitation of what a new commander in chief should do about Russian aggression:

"What I would do, immediately, is begin rebuilding the Sixth Fleet, I would begin rebuilding the missile defense program in Poland, I would conduct regular, aggressive military exercises in the Baltic States. I'd probably send a few thousand more troops into Germany. Vladimir Putin would get the message. By the way, the reason it is so critically important that every one of us know General Soleimani's name is because Russia is in Syria right now, because the head of the Quds force traveled to Russia and talked Vladimir Putin into aligning themselves with Iran and Syria to prop up Bashar al-Assad."

"We could rebuild the Sixth Fleet. I will. We haven't. We could rebuild the missile defense program. We haven't. I will. We could also, to Senator Rubio's point, give the Egyptians what they've asked for, which is intelligence. We could give the Jordanians what they've asked for, bombs and materiel. We have not supplied it. I will. We could arm the Kurds. They've been asking us for three years. All of this is within our control."

Fiorina had packed more policy prescriptions into one brief statement—all while throwing in a dig at Donald Trump with the reference to knowing "General Soleimani's name"—than any other candidate onstage could muster.

Any other campaign might have dispatched spinners to celebrate the moment. But Fiorina was just getting started. Next came an epic and out-of-the-blue connection of two of the issues about which there is a lot of agreement among Republicans—Iran's nuclear ambitions and the scandal over Planned Parenthood's sale of body parts. How to put those two together?

"I would like to link these two issues. One has something to do with the defense of the security of this nation. The other has something to do with the defense of the character of this nation. You have not heard a plan about Iran from any politician up here, here is my plan. On day one in the Oval Office, I will make two phone calls, the first to my good friend to Bibi Netanyahu to reassure him we will stand with the state of Israel."

"The second, to the supreme leader, to tell him that unless and until he opens every military and every nuclear facility to real anytime, anywhere inspections by our people, not his, we, the United States of America, will make it as difficult as possible and move money around the global financial system."

"We can do that; we don't need anyone's cooperation to do it. And every ally and every adversary we have in this world will know that the United States in America is back in the leadership business, which is how we must stand with our allies."

"As regards Planned Parenthood, anyone who has watched this videotape, I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama to watch these tapes. Watch a fully formed fetus on the table, it's heart beating, it's legs kicking while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain. This is about the character of our nation, and if we will not stand up in and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us."

The power of Fiorina's presentation simply knocked out a lot of viewers. Conservative writer Mollie Hemingway, who has been pressing the media to pay more attention to the Planned Parenthood videos, was left nearly speechless, tweeting "THANK YOU CARLY. THANK YOU CARLY. THANK YOU CARLY." 

But Fiorina's most intense big moment was still to come—and it was by far the briefest. Everyone knew that Donald Trump's insults about Fiorina's looks—the "Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?" quote from Trump in a recent Rolling Stone article—would come up in the debate. It did, when moderator Jake Tapper read it to Fiorina and noted Trump's explanation that he was not talking about Fiorina's actual face but rather her "persona."

"Please feel free to respond what you think about his persona," Tapper said to Fiorina. Referring to an earlier spat between Trump and Jeb Bush over a Bush statement about women's health, Fiorina answered:

"You know, it's interesting to me. Mr. Trump said that he heard Mr. Bush very clearly and what Mr. Bush said. I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said."

Fiorina's answer took just a few seconds, but it knocked Trump flat—something that has not happened in any debate, or any other campaign event, so far. Trump, who has made it a habit not to apologize for attacks and to double down when challenged, surrendered completely. But he managed to do it in a way that did him no good at all. "I think she's got a beautiful face," Trump said, "and I think she's a beautiful woman." Did anyone believe that? And wasn't he still saying her appearance is an issue?

Finally, Fiorina lapped the field when Tapper asked the candidates to suggest a woman to put on the $10 bill. Most of the men onstage were unprepared for the question.  When the question came to the only woman on the stage, Fiorina rejected its premise.

Four big moments in one debate. No other candidate had that. 

Carly Fiorina Rips Planned Parenthood

Carly Fiorina Slams Hillary Clinton

Trump On Carly Fiorina

Carly Fiorina Gets Personal Discussing Drugs

According to Fiorina’s 2015 memoir, her stepdaughter, Lori, died in 2009 after struggling with alcohol, prescription pills and bulimia. She was just 35.

Hurry Up And Slide Into Oblivion

I don’t know if what I’ve written here can be called a rant, but I damn sure know that it will infuriate the folks who are supporting Donald Trump.

The consensus seems to be that the American people are so fed up with politicians that they are drawn to the man who professes he is not one.  While it is true that his plain-spoken rhetoric has struck a chord that speaks to that anger, think for a moment about this:  haven’t we already spent seven years with a man in the White House who is clueless, petty, angry, self-centered and narcissistic?

Why the hell are people so willing to support a man who possesses these negative characteristics too?

No, I am not angry that Trump has gone on a nasty tirade against Megyn Kelly.  Trump is acting like a spoiled brat because hard-hitting questions were asked of him at the first GOP presidential debate.  Did Trump really think that running for the most powerful office in the world was going to be easy?

I thought we expected more from the men and women who seek to lead us.  Donald Trump is an imbecile.  His answers lack substance.  They lack clear direction.  In fact, they are not answers at all.

The World’s Most Dangerous Community Organizer has certainly achieved his goal of fundamentally transforming America if voters will so readily cling to a boor like The Donald.

I will not, cannot support a buffoon.  I can’t wait for the one who currently occupies the Oval Office to leave.  I certainly don’t want another one to take his place on January 20, 2017.

I don’t give a damn about his wealth.  Does it bother anyone else that he paid Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi to come to his wedding or that Bill Clinton placed a phone call to him prior to his announcing his candidacy?  Is Trump a wrecking ball?

Trump is playing the victim after the debate and he looks, smells and sounds just like the guy we already have in the White House.  No thanks, Donald.  Your B-movie mobster persona isn’t working for me.  Hurry up and slide into oblivion.