Republican debate: Only one thing matters after GOP brawl in Miami
After the third Republican presidential debate, only one question matters.
Did anything change?
BIDEN CAMPAIGN TAKES VICTORY LAP ON DEMOCRATIC WINS AFTER POOR POLLING
All five candidates on the stage in Miami needed to shake up something in the fundamentals of the race.
They are all badly trailing former President Donald Trump, who is hovering around 60% in the national polling averages. They are also far behind him in the early states, including Iowa, which votes in January.
The theory has been that it will take Republican primary voters a while to pay serious attention to the race. But soon it will be Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
As Ronald Reagan might ask, “If not now, when?”
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was solid and disciplined, mostly staying above the fray but landing his occasional jabs against the losing culture that has afflicted the party since Trump — who’s become a different guy since 2016! — lost his mojo.
Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley was forceful in her defense of Israel. The only thing that makes her madder than Iran is entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who went after her footwear and foreign policy throughout the evening.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) told stories about his life and tried to stay within the confines of the debate’s time limits. But he was the least ambiguous about his preference for a federal abortion policy, taking up the space to the right of Trump and Haley on an issue that has vexed Republicans at the ballot box since Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the tough-talking guy who says he has actually done everything the other candidates are talking about, tossing truth bombs about Trump’s legal woes as if he just reinvaded Iraq.
But with few exceptions, all of these things have been done before. None of them seem to have made much of an impact on the race.
The snap polls will probably look good for DeSantis and Haley. Republican respondents will also dutifully reply that they were disappointed that Trump was a no-show yet again.
But will anything be different 72 hours later?
Haley has seen some upward movement in the polls since the debates started, though not enough to bypass DeSantis convincingly, much less overtake Trump.
DeSantis has yet to really dominate a debate like the front-runner onstage, but it is hard to say any of these events have really hurt him either.
Still, Trump continues to have the top tier all to himself, and the hour is getting late.
The main thing the contestants have to hope has changed is the interest level in a substantive debate.
None of them stooped to Trump’s level with personal insults, though Ramaswamy’s digs at Haley on war and wardrobe may have worn as well as ill-fitting high heels and prompted the ex-ambassador to mutter that he was “scum.”
The NBC moderators did a better job of maintaining control and decorum than was seen at previous debates, even if they weren’t Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, or Greg Gutfeld. The smaller field also helped.
If Republican voters, reeling from the whiplash of seeing President Joe Biden’s dismal poll numbers and then their own party’s disappointing off-year election results, were looking for change, maybe they found something they liked.
So far, however, the debates have mainly served to move a second candidate into double digits and spark a Vivek boomlet that seems to have already faded.
DeSantis made the case he was a Trump who would actually keep his promises. But hasn’t he done so before? The taxing remittances to make Mexico really pay for the border wall was a nice touch.
Haley has argued the world is on fire and the president who sent her to the United Nations is no longer the right man to put it out. She has said such things before, but perhaps the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, followed by weeks of antisemitic incidents on college campuses here at home, raises the stakes.
One thing is for certain: The status quo benefits Trump because he is the leader of the race.
In fact, the debates up to this point have failed to establish a race for anything but second place.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Every candidate at this debate is hoping that either the base gets tired of Trump or the judges in one of his trials do.
There’s still time before Iowa, but not much.
With time running out and the clock ticking, will any of the candidates be able to make a breakthrough and significantly change the dynamics of the race
Tting late for the other candidates to make a significant breakthrough. Despite their efforts on the debate stage, the question remains: did anything change?
It is no secret that all five candidates on the stage in Miami needed a game-changing moment. They are all trailing behind former President Donald Trump, who maintains a strong lead in the national polling averages. Additionally, they are far behind him in the early states, including Iowa, which will hold its primary elections in January.
There has been a belief that Republican primary voters will take time to seriously consider their options. However, with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s approaching, time is running out. As Ronald Reagan once asked, “If not now, when?”
During the debate, Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) demonstrated solid and disciplined performance. He mostly stayed above the fray but took occasional jabs at the losing culture that has plagued the party since Trump’s post-2016 transformation. Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley passionately defended Israel, displaying her unwavering stance on the matter. She had to face criticism from entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who questioned her foreign policy decisions.
Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) shared personal stories about his life and adhered to the debate’s time limits. He made it clear that he supports a federal abortion policy, taking a stance to the right of Trump and Haley on this contentious issue that has long divided Republicans.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took on the role of the tough-talking candidate, boasting about his achievements and shedding light on Trump’s legal woes with a matter-of-fact attitude.
Despite these standout performances, it appears that most of what was said and done has already been seen before. Nothing seems to have significantly impacted the race.
Snap polls conducted immediately after the debate may favor DeSantis and Haley. Republicans will likely express disappointment at Trump’s absence once again. However, the question remains: will anything be different 72 hours later?
Haley has seen some upward movement in the polls since the debates began, but not enough to convincingly surpass DeSantis, let alone topple Trump. DeSantis, although yet to completely dominate a debate like the front-runner on stage, has managed to maintain his position without sustaining any significant damage.
Nevertheless, Trump continues to dominate the top tier, with the other candidates struggling to catch up. The clock is ticking, and it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to make a breakthrough. The question of whether anything has truly changed after the third Republican presidential debate remains unanswered.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...