The 11th Republican Debate: Moderators or Manipulators?
A few days before the debate Donald Trump questioned why we have to have so many debates. “Everyone including me knows what is going to be said,” he said, “Rubio and Cruz are going to be on either side of me hurling insults, kaisich is going to be straight and calm and Carson is going to question why they aren’t picking on him.”
And so it was in this debate minus Carson. It was more of the same. Rubio and Cruz raised questions about Trump’s business record: about hiring undocumented workers, his company manufacturing overseas and the lawsuit against Trump University. The Trump organization has been audited for 12 years. The IRS found nothing. The business has to be one of the cleanest in the country!
Trying to suggest the opposite is pathetic. Trump even admitted twice to flip-flops. Both candidates dared Trump to release a recording from an off-the-record talk with The New York Times on immigration. (The New York Times has today admitted there is nothing scandalous or of substance in the interview) Kasich tried to remain above the fray while the insults flared about.
Actually I thought the moderators Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace and Bret Baier were more manipulators than moderators. Asking controversial questions that would bring on a fight and failing to keep order even well past the bell sound. Many of the questions were misleading and their facts were inaccurate. Right away wasting no time Chris Wallace started in with Romney’s comments attacking Trump. Trump replied that it didn’t bother him as Romney was a failed president who had his chance and blew it. The moderators also asked Trump about David Duke the former head of the Ku Klux Klan supporting him. Trump reiterated that he disavowed Duke and the Klan and never met the guy or heard him say that. I myself heard Trump disavow him at the press conference when that was first brought up, but these moderators tonite wouldn’t let it stand and knew it would create controversy so they pressed on with it which I thought was unfair because Trump has disavowed them at least 15 times already. Again these moderators were manipulating the debate.
Most of the first half of the debate was between Marco and Cruz attacking Trump just as he said they would with them talking over each other many times which I find very annoying. Here the moderators let them go on because it made for good ratings. Actually I prefer a real debate where one answers and lets the other respond and where they stick to the issues rather than hurling insults like kids in a sandbox.
And what’s going on with Megyn Kelley? Her make-up was too powdery and white with those thick fake eyelashes and her short hair is horrible. She looked like she was channeling between David Bowie and Miley Cyrus and a biker chick. I liked her better when she first started out. As for Kelly, it is Trump who has made her a star. And her ego is clearly as big or bigger than his.
The moderators brought up Trump University causing Marco and Trump to argue over who got their money’s worth which I thought was a minor point compared to what really is going on in the nation.
Cruz said that Americans are concerned with what made America great in the first place and should repeal Obamacare and abolish the IRS.
John Kaisich was his level headed self and called for everyone to stop the fighting. Kaisich said people want their power back and was in favor of cutting taxes and restoring a balanced budget like he did in Ohio. Kaisich is a very smart and brilliant man and I think he would be great as a V.P. in a Trump administration.
I thought Ted Cruz was terrific at his answers. Megyn Kelley tried to trip him up several times and he always answered accurately. He was a champion debater at Harvard. He was the only one to answer accurately about Flint Michigan saying their infrastructure problems were the result of years of liberalism just like Detroit. Cruz is the only candidate to stand and defend the constitution in the Senate and the Supreme Court. That is word put to action.The rest have reduced this presidential race to a school-yard brawl.
Overnight returns give the FNC debate a 11.5 rating among Nielsen’s metered market households. That’s up more than 15 percent from the 9.9 rating that the last GOP debate grossed between CNN and Telemundo. All told, that debate averaged 14.5 million viewers, which made it the most-watched of the year at the time. (On CNN alone, the debate pulled a 9.0 in households and 12.6 million viewers.) GREAT RATINGS!
I did get a laugh at Trump’s rebuke to Rubio’s comment about him having small hands, ”He says I have small hands well that must mean I have something else that’s small and I’m alright it that department,” 😀 he said. Meanwhile the media is having conniption fits over his comment and expressing shock and disgust. Hey people in the mainstream media. You’re supposed to be so liberal and open. Remember Bill Clinton and Monica with the cigars and having sex under his desk while on the phone with an ambassador to Bosnia? Where was your shock then? At that time they said what a man and woman do in private is no big deal, but Trump makes a tiny humorous suggestive comment and it’s major shock. Just like when that woman at his rally said Cruz was a pussy and Trump repeated it then media went ballistic and was in shock that time too. What hypocrits galore.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Trump didn’t show up for any further debates and I don’t blame him. Enough is enough already. If you don’t know where you stand or your candidates stand by now it’s too bad.
The only other debates should be between the two presidential nominees.
I agree with the below comment:
I am tired of the ‘mud slinging’ against Trump, or anyone else. This is doing the Democrats job digging up crud. I will vote for the candidate ‘the people’ choose. I liked Dr. Ben and he has since dropped out. Maybe he is one step closer to the VP spot or Cabinet Position. Now I like Kasich, his views, record and speaking to the issues & staying away from the ‘mud slinging’ is most positive. Again in November, I will support the candidate ‘the people’ choose, not the candidate the RINO Establishment chooses, although I could never vote for Hillary (the deceiver, lair, crook) Clinton who is being investigated by the FBI or Bernie (the socialist, global warming causes terrorism) Sanders who wants to raise your taxes and would be a push-over on the world scene. So far the ‘peoples choice’ seems to be Trump, so, so be it!