It seems as if fortune has changed for some of the Republican presidential candidates last week. For some, their shining moment in the race may have come and past. For others, their rise may have begun. This past Tuesday was the fourth GOP debate, broadcasted by the FOX Business network. FOX Business commentators made it clear their debate would be more structured and more fashioned in the style of what the Republican candidates requested.
So far in comparison, the debate was neither as long as Second GOP debate (hosted by CNN) nor as controversial as the FOX or CNBC debates. The FOX Business debate was focused primarily on economic issues, ranging from taxation to shrinking government. Other policy problems arose, such as homeland security, immigration, and the foreign policy in the Middle East. Views ranged on how to deal with all these issues. From the aggressive stance of Donald Trump’s views on forced deportation to the moderate position of John Kasich, no one candidate had the same solutions.
On Tuesday, members of the Providence College Republicans with guests from the political science department, Dr. Joseph Cammarano and Dr. Adam Myers, participated in an open, live tweet of the debate, calling out candidate hypocrisy and identifying valid and invalid policy positions. Members of the PC community who watched the debate in Slavin Mural lounge were able to share their thoughts and critiques via social media broadcasting, giving a greater perspective to students of the politics behind the campaign.
Based on the debate, here are my winners and losers.
Winners:
Marco Rubio
This was the first time Rubio was able to exhibit himself as the young, charismatic candidate in the race that he desperately needs to convey. Taking advantage of rising poll numbers, he capitalized on his momentum and captivated a commanding role in the debate. He capitalized on issues such as immigration and foreign policy; he reinforced the idea of American Global leadership and showed his ability to stand toe to toe with other veteran candidates.
John Kasich
One of the few moderate candidates in the race, Kasich highlighted the absurdity of Donald Trump’s supposed immigration plan as well as his reference to the Eisenhower administration’s controversial program “Operation Wetback.” A sensible figure in a sea of polarizing, he was unapologetic with his stance. Almost neglected in the questioning, he received the least amount of speaking time out of the eight candidates on the stage. Still, Kasich is a figure that should be reckoned with as the sole moderate on the stage.
Rand Paul
A crude and strategic politician, Rand Paul was the voice of reason on the stage, lashing out at the candidates that something contradictory or untrue and calling out Trump and Carly Fiorina’s stances on certain issues.
Mixed:
Ted Cruz
Simply said, “Cruz pulled a Rick Perry.” Listing the five departments he would cut if he were president, he repeated one of the departments as he listed them, saying “department of commerce” twice. Still managing to cling to charisma, he found it more difficult to deal with pressure from his other fellow participants.
Carly Fiorina
Still a passionate debate performer, she made her case on the stage filled with men and was able to play with the big boys. However, as cited in by Dr. Cammarano and Dr. Myers in the live tweeting event, she seemed not to have an articulate understanding of tax policy. Also, the audience booed her when she interrupted several of the candidates including Rand Paul. Like her unproven non-politician candidates, she struggled with the specifics of existing policies and showed dangerously polarizing positions. Whether her poll numbers rise or decline, she may be the next candidate to drop from the race.
Losers:
Dr. Ben Carson
Sleepily and rather pessimistically, Carson lacked the breakout performance seen with the younger senators. In his closing remarks, he referenced the lives lost to gun violence, abortion, and suicide during the two hours of the debate. Carson's recent controversies and confusion about his past life experiences also filtered into the debate setting.
Donald Trump
Unlike the rhetoric we’ve seen in his grandstanding and massive rallies, the bombastic tycoon seemed to have lost his aggressive nature. In addition, it was clear that when it came to specifics on certain policies, fellow candidates schooled him with the upmost cunning. For example, as he went on ranting on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he went on for several minutes addressing vaguely the problems with the deal by citing China as the real winner. After Trump’s last words, Rand Paul citied that China was not mentioned once in the deal. Trump’s confusion on this policy proves how unskilled he is in the realm of policy.
