Thursday, August 6, 2015

Live Blogging GOP Debate - Part 3

Ben Carson: "What we do [via intelligence, etc] to get the information that we need is our business and we shouldn't telegraph how we're gonna get the information. There is no such thing as a politically correct war."

Trump to Paul: "I don't think you heard me. You're having a hard time tonight."

Now, Trump says he's given to "most of the people on this stage" but quite a few answer "not to me."

Trump seems like someone who dropped into a debate among veteran debaters -- like a guy who crashed the college debate tournament and just decided to jerk these nerdy guys around. It's not the veteran debaters on the stage who have put Trump on the spot tonight. Rather, it's the moderators.

Rubio and Bush go back and forth on Common Core but Bush refuses to mix it up. He clearly hates confrontation. What is it? Is he afraid of it? What's the problem? Confrontation is part of life and in government and politics it's quite unavoidable.

The format of the debate is good in that they don't ask the same question of all the candidates and then run down the long line getting the answers. It's more amorphous -- more open than that. Generally, a good night for Fox overall.

Kasich: "economic growth is the key to everything but once you have economic growth it is important that we reach out to the people in the shadows." He gives a Jack Kemp style mini-speech.

Ben Carson calls Hillary "the epitome of the secular progressive movement" and says he doubts that she will be the nominee.

Bush: "We need to lift our spirits and have high, lofty aspirations for this great country of ours." This is Reaganesque. Then he attempts to explain how he plans to have four percent growth." For the first time tonight Bush really seems spirited.

Christie now defends his detailed plan on entitlement reform and he's putting out the cold facts and giving the bad news. Of those who say we don't have to make these tough decisions to fix entitlements Christie says they're "not lying" but that they're "just wrong."

Huckabee and Christie go back and forth on this. And Christie talks about, not fixing blame but finding the fundamental problem and taking care of that.

Trump is asked about his businesses declaring bankruptcy four times and he answers: "I've used the chapter laws of this country just like other people in business." Then adds: "I've built a net worth of n=more than 10 billion dollars and employ thousands of people."

Now Trump seems to be flailing and bragging. But the he reminds everyone that the country "owes $19 million and they need me to straighten out that mess." He's loud, confrontational and there's a lot of finger-pointing.

OK, so here's Rubio again on the economy and he's earnest and endearing and articulate and convincing.







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