First GOP Presidential debate: Wrap up

by NW Spotlight

“Happy Hour Debate” – contenders 11-17 based on polling

Carly Fiorina rises above the pack: the National Review writes “Left, Right and Center Agree: Carly Crushed it. Fox News’ snap poll indicated that 82% of viewers thought Fiorina won. Rich Lowry wrote that it wasn’t even close, saying she was ‘poised, forceful, fluid.’”

Prime Time Debate – top 10 GOP contenders based on polling

The Prime Time Debase was robust with all candidates coming out strong at one point or another. Here are some select highlights:

Trump: Right out of the chute, Trump stunned with his declaration that he would only pledge not to run as an independent if he himself was the Republican nominee, prompting at least one person to tweet that Trump opened this debate blackmailing us with his third party threat.

Christie: Mark Hemingway on Twitter: “Christie has done a good job coming off as substantive and rational.”

Bush:  “I am my own man. I governed as a conservative, and I govern effectively. And the net effect was, during my eight years, 1.3 million jobs were created. We left the state better off because I applied conservative principles in a purple state the right way, and people rose up.”

Cruz: “we need a commander in chief that speaks the truth. We will not defeat radical Islamic terrorism so long as we have a president unwilling to utter the words, ‘radical Islamic terrorism’.”

Paul: Reason commented that “Sen. Rand Paul might have reclaimed some of his lost libertarian luster during a heated exchange with Chris Christie over the constitutionality of the NSA’s phone records collection program.”

Kasich: answering a question on gay marriage and religious liberty “issues like that are planted to divide us. I think the simple fact of the matter is, and this is where I would agree with Jeb, and I’ve been saying it all along, we need to give everybody a chance, treat everybody with respect, and let them share in this great American dream that we have.”

The Fox News moderators asked tough questions and the candidates rose to the occasion, making for a spirited debate leading to some notable quotes:

Walker: “Well first off, for the cyber attack with Russia the other day, it’s sad to think right now, but probably the Russian and Chinese government know more about Hillary Clinton’s e-mail server than do the members of the United States Congress.”

Rubio: “I think future generations will look back at this history of our country and call us barbarians for murdering millions of babies who we never gave them a chance to live.”

Carson on race: “I’m a neurosurgeon. You see, when I take someone to the operating room, I’m actually operating on the thing that makes them who they are. The skin doesn’t make them who they are. The hair doesn’t make them who they are. And it’s time for us to move beyond that.”

Huckabee: “Ronald Reagan said ‘trust, but verify.’ President Obama is ‘trust, but vilify.’ He trusts our enemies and vilifies everyone who disagrees with him.”

In the end, there was no clear winner, but all held their own and did the party proud. Rubio summed it up best when he said, “God has blessed us. He’s blessed the Republican Party with some very good candidates. The Democrats can’t even find ONE!”

For more information on the candidates, see our Oregon Catalyst article from a week ago