This was one of the dumbest debates I’ve ever seen, not because of the candidates. That said, tonight’s biggest loser was Nikki Haley. She did well the last debate partly because she kept her cool and did quick, surgical hits. This time she went wild, fighting with everyone on stage, talking over everyone, raising her voice. She sounded bitchy. It’s not sexist, it’s truth.
Second biggest loser was Mike Pence. He came across befuddled, petty, and the lighting made him look sick.
Third biggest was Tim Scott.
The inclusion of Univision was an absolute waste of all our time. Her questions were far left, begged the question, and it ironically looked like they stuck her with only asking questions about Hispanic issues.
I didn’t think anyone had a real stand-out moment in the first debate, but I thought a couple of candidates, including DeSantis, held their own and didn’t damage themselves, which in an early debate is a win. Not so this time. I stated on X that I think DeSantis won this debate. He shot down bad faith arguments without seeming unpleasant and hit back with a record of achievements while rejecting clown show overtures. Everyone else on that stage is auditioning for VP, cable news, or a publisher.
I’ll have a full recap on air tomorrow. Some bests and worsts below.
BEST MOMENTS:
Best Put-Down of a Stupid Narrative: DeSantis destroys the Univision moderator who tried baiting with a Kamala claim on black history
Best Kick in the Neck: "Every time I hear you I feel a little bit dumber because of what you say" - Haley to Ramaswamy
Best Cringe Nickname-Off: Chris Christie’s “Donald Duck.”
Best Freudian slip: "Thank you for speaking while I'm interrupting." - Ramaswamy
WORST MOMENTS:
Most Shameful, Pathetic Jab: Mike Pence blamed Ron DeSantis for the Parkland killer not getting the death penalty. My friend and Parkland dad Ryan Petty — who lost his beautiful daughter Alaina in the tragedy — erupted over this:
Not only was Pence’s false remark malicious for a guy who so loudly proclaims his faith but it’s misguided. DeSantis was absolutely enraged over the Parkland killer’s life sentencing — so much so that last spring he signed into law a bill ending the requirement for a unanimous jury decision for death penalty sentences as a response.
Biggest Lie: Nikki Haley making up a story that DeSantis banned fracking. She was clearly horribly misinformed by her campaign team to do this — Floridians literally voted to ban offshore drilling (sorry, but that was dumb). If she was mad over that it’s a wonder she didn’t mention that Trump banned offshore drilling for Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina for a decade.
Most Naive Answer: Tim Scott trying to assure the non-neocons that the money we’re giving to Ukraine is just a LOAN, so no worries guys, they’re TOTALLY going to pay it back.
Stupidest Question: The candidates were asked if they would write the name of the person they think should be voted off stage on a card, like “Survivor.” DeSantis rejected, followed by the rest of the candidates, save for Christie, who obviously picked Trump. A wasted two minutes they could’ve asked about COVID, which was not a topic at all tonight.
Like I said, I’ll have a full recap on tomorrow’s show.
The 3rd debate requirements are more restrictive and potentially will remove Christie, Scott, and burgundy. That should help the debate a lot with 4. But they better do one question. 1 minute. 4 answers this time.
If there’s a consensus that Pence, Scott, Burgum, and Christie shouldn’t be included next time, it would make last night’s torture almost worth it.