Thursday, August 6th 2015 was the evening that officially began the GOP’s attempts to kill whatever credibility it had for this election season. The top ten Republican candidates for President are Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Scott Walker and, of course, Donald Trump - they met for the first Republican debate of the 2016 race. Hosted by Fox News, the number one news network in the world for people who want to see pretty blondes and old white guys yelling for money, the debate covered topics such as terrorism, immigration, abortion, and made occasional jabs at Secretary Clinton and President Obama or, as the Republicans might call them, Hitler and the Antichrist (worst TV show ever, by the way). So, I thought I’d go over some of the things the Republican candidates said that I found troubling.
First of all, let’s talk about Marco Rubio, a candidate that never really stood out to me. The thing that made me yell at my TV was what he said on abortion. When Megyn Kelly asked him about making exceptions for rape and incest, he was quick to stand his ground. “I have never advocated that,” he said. “I have advocated that we pass a law that says that all human life, at any stage of its development is worthy of protection. In fact, I think that law already exists, it’s called the Constitution of the United States.” Although his speech was greeted with cheers and applause from the audience, I could not have been more confused. Does that mean that he would make people like the 9 year old that was raped by ISIS and is now pregnant, carry the baby to term even though it will endanger her life? Would that really be an ethically acceptable action from the most important man in the world? You might argue yes, but I would undoubtedly say no.
Now, to one of the most divisive candidates for the GOP nomination, Ted Cruz. I’ll be honest, I’ve never agreed with him. I think his hypocritical stance on some of the most important issues facing America make him unsuitable for the role of President of the United States. Like most Democrats, I laughed when he tried his hardest to kill the Affordable Care Act, and then ironically joined Obamacare himself. However, the thing that shocked me was his stance on Kate Steinle’s Law, which would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for illegal immigrants that attempt to cross the border after being deported. He answered with an “absolutely yes,” even though he spoke out condemning mandatory minimum sentences in February:
“All of us agree, if you have violent criminals, if you have criminals who are using guns, who are using violence, who are dealing drugs to children, the criminal justice system should come down on them like a ton of bricks. But at the same time we need to recognize that young people make mistakes, and we should not live in a world of Les Misérables, where a young man finds his entire future taken away by excessive mandatory minimums.”
Yeah, I don’t get it either. Pick a side already, Mr. Cruz!
And now, for the big one, the elephant in the room, the one they call Donald J. Trump. If you want my full assessment on him, feel free to read my article from last week. It seems that Trump’s smugness has finally come to bite him in the ass. Megyn Kelly confronted him on his sexist and offensive comments “You’ve called women you don't like ‘fat pigs,’ ‘dogs,’ ‘slobs,’ and ‘disgusting animals.’ For the record, it was well beyond Rosie O’Donnell. Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women’s looks, you once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as President, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who is likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?” Our good "friend" Mr. Trump answered in typical Trump fashion, by attacking Kelly. “What I say is what I say and, honestly Megyn, if you don’t like it, I’m sorry. I’ve been very nice to you although I could probably maybe not be based on the way you’ve been treating me.” He then took to the Twitter-verse, criticizing her some more and, in an interview, blamed her attitude on PMS, a classic sexist move. He also surprised me on his stance on immigration, which he said could be controlled by building a giant wall along the border with Mexico. It’s literally the plot of a Simpsons episode. I’m not joking, seriously, look it up! I’ve said in my previous article that the Trump momentum isn’t made to last and apparently, Donald, you seem to be proving me right. You can think about your comments after you lose the nomination.
So, there you have it, my personal Democrat breakdown of the GOP debate. Obviously, there’s a whole bunch of stuff I couldn’t cover, like the fact that Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina being seated at the kids’ table despite her being a respected figure in the Party (or so I’ve heard), or Jeb Bush, aka “the smart Bush,” condemning his brother’s actions in Iraq. As I write this, I’m in Spain, so you can get my opinions when I get back to Vassar. Let’s hope for a more interesting debate from the Democrats, it's Sanders vs. Clinton time!
