Fox News GOP Debate

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Ted Cruz was good at the end.

[Valin]

I watch a lot of the candidates on the stump. And they questions they get from the audience is just as good if not better than I heard tonight. People really want to know, not cause News.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

Cruz comes out on top. Rubio was good on policy. Kasich plays to his Ohio audience. Paul is Paul. Bush is just sort of there, Carson the most human, Huckabee does okay, Walker hangs in there, and Trump is stronger in the beginning than at the end.

[clearvision]

This Luntz group seems sketchy

[Valin]

See ya Next month, for more of the Joint Press Conference.

[pollyannaish]

Well, after tonight I am riding the Carly train for awhile. Watching her very closely because I liked her. A LOT. With a Rubio/Walker/Carson/Kasich VP.

 

And recommending the Donald (bless his heart) as the democrat court jester. Canada Hearhcare? Really?

 

Announcements are subject to change.

[pollyannaish]

 

 

Upbeat closing statement from Trump

 

I read earlier that he doesn't prepare, he just wings it. That's what I want a President who Wings It.

Isn't that what we have right now?

[Geee]

Well, after tonight I am riding the Carly train for awhile. Watching her very closely because I liked her. A LOT. With a Rubio/Walker/Carson/Kasich VP.

 

And recommending the Donald (bless his heart) as the democrat court jester. Canada Hearhcare? Really?

 

Announcements are subject to change.

I could see Carly as Pres and a number of the others in her cabinet. Carson as head of HHS or Surgeon General for example.

[Geee]

SO MANY GOOD REPUBLICANS

 

The first top-tier GOP candidates' debate last night demonstrated that Republicans have a bumper crop of impressive candidates ready to give the Democrats a tough fight for the White House in the 2016 election.

The candidates selected for the Fox News Channel and Facebook-sponsored debate were those who polled highest according to an average of five national polls.

The candidates debating were: Trump, who is the current frontrunner in the polls; former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush; Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; retired brain surgeon Ben Carson; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; Texas Sen. Ted Cruz; Florida Sen. Marco Rubio; Kentucky Gov. Rand Paul; New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who just barely made the cutoff. (Time made a transcript of the debate available here.)

 

Although there was some acrimony, it was an amazingly civil affair considering the outsized personalities involved.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/259716/so-many-good-republicans-matthew-vadum

[Geee]

Here Are 21 Policy Highlights From the First 2016 Republican Debate

 

The 2016 primaries are in full momentum following months of build-up, officially kicking off on Thursday night in prime-time as the ten leading Republican candidates squared off for the first time.

 

The 10 highest-polling candidates in the Republican 2016 presidential field took the stage tonight at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, for the first debate of the election.

 

The candidates participating in the forum were: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, businessman Donald Trump and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

 

The candidates addressed a number of policy issues such as the Iran deal, illegal immigration and the economy, which remains one of the most important issues among American voters

http://dailysignal.com/2015/08/07/here-are-some-policy-highlights-from-the-first-2016-republican-debate/

[Geee]

Highlights of the Happy Hour Debate

 

The Republican presidential field gathered tonight for the first official debate of the 2016 presidential election, and there was no shortage of policy ideas offered in the first debate of the night from the seven Republicans participating.

 

Dubbed the “happy hour” debate because of its 5 p.m. start time, the seven lower-polling of the 17 Republican presidential candidates met on stage in the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, for the forum.

 

The seven Republican candidates participating were former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, former New York Gov. Pataki, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

 

The candidates first were asked to defend their records from their time as leaders at the state and federal level, as well as in the private sector.

 

http://dailysignal.com/2015/08/07/highlights-of-the-happy-hour-debate/

[Geee]

Top 10 moments from Thursday's debate

 

Plenty of sparks flew during Thursday's prime-time presidential debate, a high-stakes showdown that offered all the candidates onstage opportunities to stand out.

 

Whether discussing prostitutes and pimps, or duking it out over government surveillance programs, the 10 candidates polling well enough to make the cut for the 9 p.m. contest delivered quite a show.

Here are the top 10 moments from the debate:

1. Donald Trump takes aim at Rosie O’Donnell

Viewers hoping the former host of "The Apprentice" would deliver some jaw-dropping moments got their wish.

The billionaire real estate mogul clashed early with Megyn Kelly, the only woman of the three Fox News hosts moderating the debate, after she suggested he was fueling a "war on women."

"You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, snobs and disgusting animals," Kelly began.

"Only Rosie O'Donnell," Trump interrupted.

“For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O’Donnell,” Kelly responded before picking up where she left off. "Does that sound like the temperament of a man we should elect for president?"

"I don't, frankly, have time for total political correctness," he said.

Shortly after Trump's insult on national television, O'Donnell tweeted “try explaining that 2 ur kids.”

2. Paul clashes with Christie

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) got into a shouting match over government surveillance.

“I want to collect more records from terrorists but less records from innocent Americans,” said Paul, the Senate’s most prominent libertarian lawmaker.

Christie, who was a prosecutor after 9/11, called that a “completely ridiculous answer."

“How are you supposed to know?” he asked.

 

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/250531-top-10-moments-from-thursdays-debate

[Geee]

Carly Rules the Fox News Night

 

The overcard Fox News debate was amusing to watch. Did anyone win? I don’t know. Trump is in the lead in the Drudge poll, but Frank Luntz’s focus group vilified him (not Drudge readers, apparently). They liked Huckabee and Ben Carson, who gave a beguiling closing speech. I suspect the Republican masses may have been turned off by Trump’s refusal to pledge no third-party run, but we’ll need a day or two to find out. I have to confess I am beginning to find him a bit tedious, like a vaudeville act that repeats one too many times.

 

But who knows how I and anyone else will feel tomorrow? That’s the odd nature of these campaigns. They swing so fast. Your opinions keep changing — especially because the policy distinctions between the many candidates are relatively small. (Marco Rubio said during the debate the Republicans were blessed by God to have so many good candidates while the Democrats didn’t even have one.) Style and feeling count more than we think. Most of our reactions to candidates are instinctual. There’s a great quote reflecting this from Hugo von Hofmannsthal above the desk of my friend writer David Freeman: ”Politics is magic. He who knows how to summon the forces from the deep, him will they follow.”

 

Who summoned the forces Thursday night? I thought Cruz and Rubio did well, Walker not so much. His answer on the abortion question didn’t make sense. I’m still not sure he has the intellectual horsepower. The interchanges between Christie and Paul on the NSA were spirited. I’m with Christie on this one, by the way. He did well in general, and I say that never having been a fan.

 

But the person who really summoned the forces on Thursday was by far Carly Fiorina, who appeared in the earlier debate for also-rans. She was so good her ghost hung over the second debate. She was even cited at the top of the overcard debate by Megyn Kelly and later they replayed Fiorina’s forceful response on Iran for comment from the top ten. Watching that replay, she easily looked more impressive than any of them.

 

http://pjmedia.com/diaryofamadvoter/2015/08/07/carly-rules-the-fox-news-night/

[Geee]

Analysis: Rowdy, Memorable Republican Debate Lives Up to Hype

 

CLEVELAND, OHIO -- The road to the GOP nomination begins and ends in this rust belt city, and the opening act of that multi-month saga improbably lived up to its immense buzz and hype. The first primetime Republican debate opened with a bang, as take-no-prisoners billionaire Donald Trump and libertarian-leaning Senator Rand Paul launched a series of escalating attacks against each other. There were additional sharp-elbowed moments -- another starring Paul and Chris Christie -- but the raucous start gave way to a well-paced, substantive, wide-ranging, and genuinely interesting exchange. Fox News moderators Chris Wallace, Megyn Kelly and Bret Baier were exceptionally well-prepared, challenging each candidate with pointed, carefully-crafted questions. The result was two hours of compelling television, and for many, a renewed conviction that the 2016 Republican presidential field is impressive and deep. There was no clear winner tonight, nor did anyone obviously self-destruct. My analysis of each candidate's performance:

 

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2015/08/06/analysis-gop-debate-winners-and-losers-n2035909

[Geee]

So many of the columnists and polls are giving Trump the win last night.

[Geee]

Two GOP debates, one winner

 

Byron York

 

CLEVELAND -- About an hour into the primetime debate of the top 10 candidates in the Republican presidential race, the conservative actor Nick Searcy tweeted, "I'm afraid @CarlyFiorina is winning the second debate too."

 

He was on to something. Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO, shone earlier in the evening, when seven GOP candidates who didn't make the cut for the primetime session gathered for the night's first faceoff. For about an hour after that debate, the big story was Fiorina winning what was sometimes called the undercard session.

 

That news was not going to last long, because then came a primetime debate that was hugely entertaining but at times seemed in danger of veering off the rails with loopy and sometimes embarrassing answers from Donald Trump. A few of the candidates, like John Kasich, did well, but only Marco Rubio turned in a truly standout performance.

 

It was hard to declare a clear winner of the primetime debate. Combine the two sessions into one, however, and Fiorina emerged as the likely winner of the entire evening.

 

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/two-gop-debates-one-winner/article/2569774

[Geee]

We have not talked moderators. IMHO the 'junior team' did a better job, although maybe their group was easier to handle. I thought they moved things along better. Both groups were much better than past moderators with their silly questions.

[Geee]

A Foxy, Rowdy Republican Debate

 

The first question to Chris Christie was about the nine credit downgrades that New Jersey had suffered since he became its governor.

 

Ben Carson was reminded of his domestic-policy blunders, of his foreign-policy blunders, of a whole raft of loopy statements that raise serious questions about how well he understands the country and globe. Could he reassure voters?

 

And Donald Trump had to listen obediently, even meekly, as Megyn Kelly—the one woman on Fox News’s panel of three debate moderators—recited a squirm-inducing litany of his misogynistic remarks through time.

 

“You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” Kelly said, and if she was trying to hide her revulsion, she wasn’t doing an especially deft job. She recalled that Trump once told a contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice” that “it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.” And she wondered how he’d ever stand up to inevitable charges from Hillary Clinton that he was a carrot-haired corporal in “the war on women.”

 

This wasn’t a debate, at least not like most of those I’ve seen.

 

This was an inquisition.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/opinion/a-foxy-rowdy-republican-debate.html?_r=0

[Draggingtree]

The Debate

By: Erick Erickson (Diary) | August 6th, 2015 at 11:10 PM

 

I’d like to say thank you to Fox News.

 

Four years ago we got to see television networks ask Republicans about birth control and global warming constantly. The networks focused on what they wanted, not what Republicans wanted.

 

Tonight, Fox News was kind enough to probe the candidates on issues that matter to the Republican voters.

The candidates showed humor and feistiness.

I do not think any of the candidates really shined. There were moments for each of them. But there were not moments that really defined candidates except for perhaps Carly Fiorina in the first debate.

http://www.redstate.com/2015/08/06/the-debate/

[Draggingtree]

A Foxy, Rowdy Republican Debate

 

The first question to Chris Christie was about the nine credit downgrades that New Jersey had suffered since he became its governor.

 

Ben Carson was reminded of his domestic-policy blunders, of his foreign-policy blunders, of a whole raft of loopy statements that raise serious questions about how well he understands the country and globe. Could he reassure voters?

 

And Donald Trump had to listen obediently, even meekly, as Megyn Kelly—the one woman on Fox News’s panel of three debate moderators—recited a squirm-inducing litany of his misogynistic remarks through time.

 

“You’ve called women you don’t like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals,” Kelly said, and if she was trying to hide her revulsion, she wasn’t doing an especially deft job. She recalled that Trump once told a contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice” that “it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees.” And she wondered how he’d ever stand up to inevitable charges from Hillary Clinton that he was a carrot-haired corporal in “the war on women.”

 

This wasn’t a debate, at least not like most of those I’ve seen.

 

This was an inquisition.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/06/opinion/a-foxy-rowdy-republican-debate.html?_r=0

The Inquisition

http://galileo.rice.edu/index.html

[Pepper]

"I employee thousands of people"

DT

 

I wonder how many are illegals?

 

@Valin

 

I waited in vain for someone to have said two things:

 

(1) There is no such thing as an "illegal immigrant". You are either here illegally or your came in legally as an immigrant.

 

(2) Throw employers of illegals in jail. That includes small and large businesses. Dry up the source and most go elsewhere.

 

PS Megyn Kelly is becoming increasingly unpleasant.

[Valin]

@Pepper

 

She forgot the reason she was there. To help Republican voters decide who will be our Presidential candidate in next year....not to make news.

[Pepper]

@Pepper

 

She forgot the reason she was there. To help Republican voters decide who will be our Presidential candidate in next year....not to make news.

 

 

Agreed, and that was forgotten long before the 8:50 start based on the attack on Trump alone.

[Pepper]

@Valin

I thought Rand Paul came across as a self righteous Homunculus Brillopad

[Valin]

@Valin

I thought Rand Paul came across as a self righteous Homunculus Brillopad

 

 

That Smirk when he a Chris were....debating. The problem I have with Rand is He's his fathers son. On National Security/Foreign Affairs Ron pops up.

 

But then I like Chris Christie. There's me and 8 others that do . The other day a buddy and I were having lunch and I mentioned that I like him. You would have thought I said I think cannibalism was ok.