The Republican presidential debates focused on the economy in two debates set in Boulder, Colorado on Wednesday night. The top 10 candidates clashed in the main event on CNBC while four dark horses tried to make a splash on the undercard.
These were strange debates with CNBC earning poor reviews and the two leaders in the polls -- Dr. Ben Carson and Donald Trump -- content to stay on the sidelines. Moderators looked a little like the Muppet Show peanut gallery Muppets -- the ones that sit in balcony seats. The two-hour debate between the top candidates did not give much time for some of the candidates and some of them simply vanished.
Here are some of the winners and losers:
WINNERS
Chris Christie. The New Jersey governor did not get much camera time in the first half of the debate, but he made the most of it, offering a smooth, intelligent warning about Social Security. Christie had a minor spat with Mike Huckabee on the matter and emerged stronger from it. Turning to legal issues, the New Jersey governor scored points by taking aim at Barack Obama’s Justice Department and even bringing up the administration’s treatment of Gen. David Petraeus. He also did well by calling out Obama’s handling of law enforcement and calling out the government looking at fantasy football. Even when pressed on his belief in climate change, Christie swung away at the Democrats and took a shot CNBC’s John Harwood, saying even in New Jersey his behavior would be considered rude. Christie’s not ready to burst into the top tier but he is doing well in the debates, even as some of his other rivals fade over time.
Ted Cruz. The senator from Texas had his finest debate performance on Wednesday night. He released his tax plan in conjunction with the debate and won applause--and conservative hearts--with his jabs at the media. Cruz was sharp in his opposition to the deal the Obama White House and GOP leaders in Congress reached. Despite his reputation as the problem child of the GOP Senate caucus, Cruz was something of a peacemaker, praising some of the other candidates on the stage and calling out the moderators’ questions against specific candidates. Cruz kept his fire on the media and on the Democrats, even making a case for women voters to back the GOP, noting 3 million women have fallen into poverty under Obama. It was a good night for the senator from Texas, even as he came on stronger in the first half of the debate than he did the second one.
Carly Fiorina. The businesswoman's strong performances in the debates continued on Wednesday night. Fiorina attempted to offer a contrast over what the Democrats will enact and the free market solutions the GOP offers. Even when pressed on her firing at HP, Fiorina provided a good response. She also called for zero-based budgeting for the federal government in one of her stronger moments in the debate. But Fiorina has been here before. She does well in the debates and moves up in the polls, only to take a step back. Fiorina had a solid outing, but it remains to be seen if she can keep that momentum going.
Bobby Jindal. In the opening bout, Lindsey Graham won the applause with his zingers against the Democrats and his focus on foreign policy but that was the case in the second undercard debate and his numbers did not improve. Jindal used the debate to showcase his conservatism, setting himself up better for the long haul by scoring points with primary voters. Starting to move up in Iowa, Jindal probably helped himself on Wednesday night as he came out swinging at both Democrats and Republicans in Washington and the new budget deal. Jindal stressed his record in Baton Rogue even as his popularity remains low back home and the GOP might lose the governorship in the coming days. But Jindal’s performance on Wednesday night had its flaws and he often rushed his words, jamming too much in during CNBC’s admittedly small windows. To be sure, Jindal did not give himself the boost that Carly Fiorina did in the first undercard debate. But it was a solid performance for Jindal and one that could help him in the long run.
Marco Rubio. The senator from Florida won one of the most dramatic moments of the debate. Asked about the Sun Sentinel’s editorial calling him to resign after missing votes in the Senate, Rubio turned his fire towards the media and then successfully fended off an attack from Jeb Bush on the matter. Asked about his personal financial history, Rubio dismissed it as political attacks from his enemies and turned his focus on the nation’s economy. Rubio did his homework and it showed. He was clearly ready for the loaded questions from CNBC and Bush’s attacks. Taking a page from Cruz’s playbook, Rubio scored points when he fired away at Hillary Clinton and the mainstream media. Rubio has proven to be a factor in the debates and, on Wednesday, he passed his old ally Bush as the race continues.
LOSERS
Jeb Bush. The former Florida governor entered the debate after spending recent days reshaping his campaign, cutting staff salaries and trying to rally the troops. Bush needed a big night and he simply didn’t have it. Losing his exchange with Rubio did not help. Even worse Bush was on the sidelines for much of the debate. For the first time in the three debates, Bush came off as an underdog, a position his father and brother never were in during their presidential bids. This debate performance did nothing to reverse Bush’s downward trajectory. For too much of the debate, Bush was silent and one of his rare moments at the end of the debate focused on his fantasy football team. Bush’s low energy performances continued in a bad night for the former Florida governor.
CNBC. Not a strong outing from the network, especially as the moderators seemed more concerned with asking gotcha questions than focusing on the economy in the main event. The second debate started late leading to a round of inane chatter between various hosts and panelists. Some of the questions seemed a little off with the undercard debate ending with queries about whether the day after the Super Bowl should be a holiday and favorite smart phone apps. The main-event debate started with a question about the candidates’ biggest weaknesses and most of the Republicans simply blew it off. A series of attacks dressed up as questions did little to turn the focus back on the economy and the moderators seemed torn between keeping the candidates from actually debating and not following up. The candidates were not given much time to respond to questions and the moderators did nothing as candidates jumped in and went on for a while. The candidates were also given only 30 seconds to close. A bad night for CNBC, which simply was not as strong as other networks that hosted 2015 debates.
Rand Paul. The senator from Kentucky is pushing back against Washington, ready to offer a filibuster the budget deal that raises the debt ceiling. Paul won great attention for his filibuster on drone policy. But somehow that got lost in the debate. Fading in the polls and buzz growing that Republicans back home in Kentucky want him to focus on reelection, Paul needed to pull a rabbit out of his hat in the debate on Wednesday night. It didn’t happen and even his attacks against the budget deal simply didn’t connect while other candidates eclipsed him. Cruz often seemed to steal Paul’s thunder on taxes and against the budget deal. Paul needed a far better performance than he delivered on Wednesday night.
Rick Santorum. The former senator from Pennsylvania was smart enough during the 2012 primaries to punch above his weight, going after Ron Paul when he was an underdog and, eventually, Mitt Romney. That strategy led to Santorum edging Romney in Iowa and winning ten other states. During the debate, Santorum even thanked Colorado for backing him over Romney last time out. But Santorum has been a non-factor in the 2016 race and his performance on Wednesday did nothing to change that. Granted, the focus on the economy did not help Santorum who generally prefers to tackle cultural and social issues. But turning his fire on Lindsey Graham was a wasted opportunity for Santorum who too often proved invisible on the stage. Santorum did score points with his take on immigration but he was weaker when he tried to make the conservative case for the Export-Import Bank. Stuck in the undercard debate for the third time, Santorum needed to jump start his campaign. That didn’t happen on Wednesday night.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
