CNN GOP Debate

The CNN GOP debates just took place and they were much better than the FOX ones.  In the first round, I feel that Bobby Jindal and Rick Santorum.  Both answered the questions well and stood faithful to their conservative platforms.  Pataki came across as a fake conservative who at times attacked religious liberty.  Lindsey Graham also came across as a push over politician who does not fight to push his agenda and just accepts the status quo.

In the second round, I felt Carly Fiorina, Donald Trump, Chris Christie and Marco Rubio won. Fiorina went after Trump early on calling him an entertainer. Trump attacked her back on her career as a CEO which ended in termination. Trump told her that he would not want her in charge of his companies.  Jeb Bush also went after Trump but seemed to back down when Trump spoke. Chris Christie came across stronger in this debate and at times tried to be referee between Trump and Fiorina as they discussed the successes and failures of their careers.  Christie also focused more on the American people by asking that the camera be put on them. He also kept mentioning the struggling middle class during his responses. This is ironic because he became known due to his personality, not for his concern for others. The rude and abrasive governor turned into a pacifist here.

Fiorina did not smile and remained stoic. Trump surprisingly smiled a lot and seemed to be more toned down.  Rubio answered well, but he seemed too coached and robotic. Ted Cruz spoke to the Republican base and also did well but did not speak much. Huckabee was articulate but also did not speak as much as the others.  Carson did not come across as strong in this debate. His strongest point was when he spoke on vaccines.  Rand Paul spoke strongly on state rights but was shut down by Fiorina when she addressed marijuana use and how it is being pushed as "drinking beer" when in fact it is dangerous. Her strongest point I believe was when she spoke on the Planned Parenthood videos. Kasich was very weak in this debate and Walker as well. I predict that Carly will see and increase in poll numbers after this debate. CNN did a good job with this debate.  However, they seemed to have been trying to get Trump to fight with Bush and Fiorina at times.  It seemed like the rules regarding time were suspended for these three.    



Source:

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/jeb-bush-puts-donald-trump-on-defense-then-lets-129257872771.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/17/us/politics/candidates-use-second-gop-debate-to-taunt-trump.html

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/09/republican-presidential-debate/405802/

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/16/politics/republican-debate-fact-check/index.html

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/09/16/live-republican-presidential-debate-09-16-2015

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/09/16/winners-and-losers-from-the-cnn-debate/