As the media hyped so cravingly, it was all about Donald Trump. Which is why nothing any of the other ten candidates said during this debate will have much, if any, lasting impact.
I feel obliged to note, however, that U.S. presidential debates have always been more spectacle than substance. For example, the first televised debate between JFK and Richard Nixon in 1960 turned out to be more about how sweaty Nixon looked than what either man said. And since then, buffoons like Trump have provided comic relief throughout. This is why erstwhile serious journalists report, and pundits comment, on debates nowadays as if they are intended more to entertain than inform.
Yet, remarkably, when all was said and done, the nominee of both parties has always ended up being the candidate who offered far more substance than spectacle.
That said, what does a clown do when he fails to make ’em laugh? He cries.
This is a fitting metaphor for Trump’s performance – after he exposed himself as a one-trick pony who has nothing but clueless, bullying and self-aggrandizing bombast to offer. FOX News moderator Megyn Kelly brought this into pitiful relief when she asked him why he revels so much in being a male chauvinist pig – who, ironically enough, sees nothing wrong with calling women “fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals.” Because all he could do to explain or defend himself was hurl a veiled threat to stop being nice to her … too.
Not to mention his Perryesque rambling when moderator Chris Wallace asked him to produce the clear and convincing evidence, which proves, as he famously claims, that the Mexican government is sending rapists, murderers, and drug dealers across the border. But nobody should have been surprised; after all, he has yet to produce similar evidence, which proves, as he famously claimed, that Barack Obama “pulled off the biggest fraud in history” because he was born not in America, but Africa.
Now, like a typical bully laid bare, he’s playing the victim card, whining and complaining about the questioners treating him unfairly.
This vindicates my assertion that:
Trump does not have a snowball’s chance in Hell of winning the Republican nomination, let alone being elected president of the United States. That he’s leading all polls today only reflects the abiding interest of that wacko twenty percent of the Republican Party who had Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, and Michele Bachmann leading similar polls during the last cycle (Remember them?), until sensible Republicans nominated Mitt Romney.
In fact, I’m willing to bet that Trump won’t win a single Republican primary next year. Unfortunately for the Republicans, no matter how ‘fairly’ the party treats him, he’s bound to flirt with a third party campaign. After all, this would be the only way to continue getting the media attention that seems to give his life meaning.
(“WTF: Trump Saying Now What I Predicted about No more Black Presidents,” The iPINIONS Journal, August 3, 2015)
So enjoy Trump’s starring role in the Republican Party’s reality TV show, The Presidential Apprentice, for all it’s worth….
Meanwhile:
If Google searches are any indication, Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina won the Republican ‘happy hour’ debate that took place in Cleveland, Ohio, on Thursday…
The seven ‘happy hour’ debaters were invited to participate in the early forum because of their low poll numbers.
(Huffington Post, August 6, 2015)
All I’ll say about this is that Carly Fiorina is proving herself to be the woman John McCain hoped Sarah Palin would be. Fiorina will not win the nomination, but the eventual nominee would do well to pick her as his VP running mate, especially if Hillary is on the Democratic ticket.
Incidentally, Republican and Democratic candidates are scheduled to participate in many debates before primary voting begins next year. But, trust me folks, notwithstanding the media’s ratings-stoking hype, you really only need to watch one debate for each party to find out all you need to know about these candidates. They might offer different styles, but what little substance candidates offer will be essentially the same from debate to debate.
In fact, for anyone only marginally familiar with their respective stump speeches, the most interesting part of last night’s debate was the refreshing and challenging questions the moderators asked, not the tried and tested answers the candidates gave.
Therefore, I urge you, as a civic duty, to watch at least one in each case before voting in your primary. And, yes, if you’re eligible, you’d better register and vote!
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