Speed dating might not be the worst way to meet a future spouse but it’s a terrible way to meet a future president. The hurried format made it difficult for most candidates to even get through their talking points, let alone say anything original.
No Trump, No Attacks. In the absence of Donald Trump, the forum was remarkably civil. On the rare occasions that candidates mentioned their opponents, it was to praise them.
Follow-ups are important. With a rushed format and less than aggressive moderator, candidates could easily ignore most questions.
The RNC has real power this cycle. The peculiar format tonight was only due to RNC rules which banned candidates from appearing in “sanctioned debates” if they appeared in unsanctioned debates. If two candidates appeared on stage at the same time answering questions that would be “unsanctioned.” The result was a messy evening that did little to help voters but reaffirmed the kingmaking role of the national party.
I plunked my son in front of the television to try to share the good news, but he crawled away from the GOP message, crossed the room, went to the bookshelf and grabbed this biography of PG Wodehouse. A European. This is your future, America. It’s already over.
Not sure how much voters learned in the rather rushed periods that candidates had on stage but one gets the feeling that the debate in Cleveland could be quite interesting once Donald Trump shows up.
George Pataki says “I don’t think we should change the Second Amendment at all.” This will not go down as the most controversial statement of the evening.
John Kasich is touting how successful he was running for re-election in Ohio. He did so in a Republican year against a Democrat who was caught in a parked car at 4AM with a woman who was not his wife.
Fiorina: “We have to have the strongest military on the face of the earth, and everyone has to know it.” So essentially the problem our military faces right now is brand awareness.
She also just explained that she started as a secretary and went on to become a CEO and that “This story only happens in America.” Then she mentioned Margaret Thatcher, the daughter of a grocer. Okay.
In case you were playing bingo during tonight’s forum, Carly Fiorina became the first candidate to say the word “pornography” (as in, government workers shouldn’t watch it on the job).
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