In a kangaroo court of a debate, The Donald shines for a fleeting moment
By Dr. Patrick Slattery — The eleventh Republican presidential debate was, like the previous ten, a pretty sad affair. Almost nothing new was discussed, and even the insults that Trump, Rubio, and Cruz threw at each other are getting pretty tiresome. But one thing that was novel was the affair seemed less of a debate and more of a trail for Donald Trump.
Not only were Rubio and Cruz, who seemed to have reached a truce between themselves, trying to keep Trump on the defensive all night, but Megan Kelly injected herself into the debate by going after him in a way that is completely unprecedented. She played multiple videos of him seeming to contradict himself on a variety of issues. She barely even attempted a pretense of similar scrutiny of the other candidates, and anyone who has seen Dr. Duke’s recent videos knows that it is not because of lack of material.
Trump really doesn’t debate well in the traditional sense of putting together logical and persuasive arguments. But, first and foremost, Trump’s fans aren’t supporting him for his debating skills, they support him because of his style and because he has inspired them with hope that he has the means and the will to make important changes. Second, most Americans have been so ill-informed by the stupefying Zio media that could not recognize a fact if it hit them between the eyes. If the facts that form the basic building blocks of an argument are false, then the winner of a debate in the traditional sense may actually be the one making the worst proposals.
Most of what Trump said ranged from the unspecific to the reprehensible. However, he did have one stellar moment that inspired me with the hope that humanity can survive another four-year election cycle. Trump said “wouldn’t be nice if we could get along with Russia. Russia could help us in our quest to get rid of ISIS.” This was his best moment! He really needs to ride this theme, and maybe will feel more able to do so in the general election with a broader electorate that is less belligerent and militaristic than the Republican base. For instance, when pressed on how to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from the budget, his only specifics were cutting Common Core and eliminating most environmental regulations. Why not point out that the wars are costing us trillions, and the other candidates just want to double down on them.
By contrast, Kasich, who had the air of the only adult on the stage, made the insane proposals of providing Ukraine with lethal weapons to use against Russia and telling Putin if he fights NATO allies like Turkey or even his non-NATO neighbors America will fight him. This after Turkey shot down a Russian jet without provocations. He also wants closer ties with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, who, along with Israel, are the midwives of ISIS.
Rubio was no better, rattling a saber at China while pledging to send US ground forces into Iraq, Syria, and Libya. He also said he wanted to make the “millennials” into the greatest generation of all, a pretty chilling choice of words seeing as “The Greatest Generation” was a term coined by Tom Brokaw to refer to the men who fought World War II. Remember, Rubio’s campaign slogan “A New American Century” is taken verbatim from the name of the Neocon think-tank “Project for a New American Century.”
Cruz held his own by threatening North Korea for walking out on a nuclear deal struck by the Clinton administration, when in fact the North Koreans shut down their nuclear facilities for eight years waiting for the Clinton (and later Bush) administration to hold up their side of the bargain by building a civilian-use only facility, which never even got under construction. I don’t know if I have ever seen anyone not named Clinton who looks like they really enjoy lying the way he does. And in his closing remarks he addressed the military, telling them that he will not tie their hands with rules of engagement so they can “get the job done.” Just what job does he plan for them?
Regarding the horse race, I don’t see how the debate will change anything. Trump continues to maintain his comfortable lead in the polls, and starting March 15 a number of large states will hold winner-take-all primaries. Unless something big happens in the meantime, Trump is likely to start amassing delegates at an unstoppable rate, extinguishing the establishment’s last hopes for a brokered convention.
