There were no surprises at the first GOP Presidential Debate of 2023, including two obvious conclusions.
I only watched part of the debate, but it was clear that candidates were auditioning for VP. Nobody on that stage can replace Trump. Thus, I evaluated the debate from this vantage point.
Interestingly, for the Never Trumpers on the stage, their only offering against him is the false notion that Americans don’t want a redo of Trump-Biden. People waging that argument lost. In the parts of the debate I watched (reluctantly), I know for a fact that Americans want and need Trump. Still, the naysayers are partially correct.
Americans don’t want a redo of a crooked election that led to Trump’s coup. Nor do they want four more years of the worst presidency in American history. But I repeat; Americans want Trump’s second term.
Regarding a Trump v Biden Part II, Americans need not worry. Despite Democrats’ and the efforts of others to keep Sleepy Creepy Crooked Joe in office, Biden’s days are numbered. The 2024 President Election will be Trump v [Insert Democrat Stooge here].
Back to the Veep Auditions
The debate showcased that all the candidates lacked the experience and the battle scars to compete at the higher level. If the persecution of Trump has demonstrated anything, it’s that a politician won’t survive the 2024 election cycle. Any candidate who believes that they can gloss over the in-your-face crimes of the Democratic Party is sadly mistaken.
As I listened to the various candidates try to get in their one-liners, campaign slogans, and agenda highlights, some were comical. Their attempts to draw lines of distinction fell short for the most part. Why? With the exception of Vivek Ramaswamy, they all looked like politicians. But most importantly, you really can’t argue against Trump’s performance as president, with the exception of his handling of covid. In the end, their debate arguments bolstered Trump’s administration.
Let’s take a look at how each candidate fared in the VP sweepstakes.
Vivek Ramaswamy
Vivek Ramaswamy won the Veep sweepstakes. He brought youth and freshness to the debate. Also, he drew lines of distinction between him and the “politicians”. He certainly won’t win the presidency, but he got the attention of Trump. Frankly, that was his goal.
When Fox News hosts asked, [pp] “Would you support Trump if he were the nominee?”, Vivek’s hand shot up. If you watch closely, most of the other candidates could be seen doing the calculus, as hands of the others went up almost like dominoes falling. I’m not sure where Christie ended up (not that it matters), but Asa Hutchinson was the only solid no. More on these two in a bit.
As for Vivek, he made a few rookie mistakes. His discussion on Taiwan was a disaster, and I predict he will pivot on that stance. The same is true of Israel. Clearly he knows little about foreign policy.
In another example, he offered to pardon Trump. For what?
Ramaswamy went on to declare Trump the best president in modern history or something to that effect. Because of this and other perceived faux pas, Red State wrote, Vivek got rocked.
Others may share this opinion. However, the most memorable candidate is Vivek Ramaswamy. Most of the articles I’ve seen post-debate are about Ramaswamy. In fact, most of the media reports are that Ramaswamy lost. That’s actually proof that Vivek won.
Ramaswamy got the attention of Trump, which bothers many. They see Ramaswamy as disingenuous in pursuing the presidency. They call him an “attention-seeker”. That’s what it takes to win the presidency; attention.
And while Ramaswamy is no Trump, he’s certainly read the Trump playbook.
Ask anybody the most memorable parts of the debate, and most would say Ramaswamy, good or bad. Not so much what he said, which many times were spot on. But they will remember his energy, his fight.
Grade: B+
Ron DeSantis
It was interesting watching DeSantis navigate the minefield. His obvious fallback was his work in Florida. And on that note DeSantis did well. Although DeSantis did much in Florida kicking and screaming, in the end as governor he gets the credit.
But DeSantis has a major problem. Trump.
Governor Ron DeSantis eked out a win against Andrew Gillum, aided by Trump. Therefore, DeSantis carries that monkey on his back of being a turncoat. DeSantis has lots of video backing President Trump, which made this debate difficult for him.
Further, DeSantis has no foreign policy experience. I don’t recall the exact exchange, but Nikki Haley called him out for some comment he made, perhaps regarding Ukraine.
Since I didn’t watch all the debate, it’s difficult for me to assess DeSantis except to say that during the parts of the debate I watched, he made no real impact. He was upstaged by lesser players, and he paled in comparison to Vivek.
DeSantis won’t be able to use Florida as a crutch, and will have to take solid positions on issues like Ukraine. Running a state is one thing; running a county is very different.
Grade: C
Nikki Haley
Fox News morning show hosts offered nothing but praise for Nikki Haley post-debate. They lauded her handling of Vivek Ramaswamy. I’m not buying it.
I felt that Nikki Haley came off as a “I am woman, hear me roar”, when she knows as little about the issues as Ramaswamy. The exchange I caught mostly dealt with Ukraine.
I’m not buying the standard fluff on Ukraine being pushed by the Biden administration and Haley. I believe Ramaswamy’s take represents most Americans. Get America out of that Joe Biden proxy war.
But whether you agree on Haley with respect to Ramaswamy, she has major problems.
Like Pence and Christie, Haley is perceived (and is) as a traitor to Trump. Her stance on election integrity and most of all J6 flies in the face of Trump supporters. It’s fine to differ with Trump on style and approach, but the core issues surrounding election integrity and the corruption in government are irrefutable.
The ease at spotting RINOs has become much simpler.
Tim Scott
Speaking of Senator Tim Scott, he’s just not presidential. I don’t think anybody sees Tim Scott running the country. He could be a Number Two under the right tutelage. However, at the debate he said nothing that stands out.
The idea that a black GOP candidate and long-serving senator couldn’t make a distinction among those candidates should disturb his campaign. Tim Scott looked like the black Mike Pence.
Scott pushed back on the notion that he was “bought and paid for”, an attack apparently waged by Nikki Haley. There are many I’ve spoken with who believe Scott is a tool of the powers-that-be, and essentially just another establishment Republican.
Scott will need to move beyond the “I grew up poor and with a single mom” story if he hopes to gain traction. Truth be told, Scott’s campaign is over.
Grade: D
Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson
Clearly, candidates like Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson represented (well) the Never Trumpers. Their roles were to attempt to torpedo Trump–a massive fail.
At each point when the RINO attack dogs went after Trump, the audience let their feelings be known. The GOP is Trump territory.
In one attempt to attack Trump, the audience booed so loud that Christie couldn’t even finish his comment. Asa Hutchinson was met with the same chorus of boos in similar attempts to denounce Trump.
Neither of these candidates is viable nor will they ever be, no matter how many debates.
Christie will be seen as a traitor to Trump, which he is. He was an insider who ultimately worked against the Trump administration. For most GOP voters, the attacks on Trump are attacks on them. Worse, Christie and Hutchison seem to enjoy their roles, which of course plays into the hands of the Democrats.
Hutchison is a GOP plant meant to make it appear that nobody wants Trump. If Christie and Hutchison proved anything, it’s that Trump controls the GOP.
Grades: F
Mike Pence
Mike Pence proved to be a relic. And Vivek’s comments mostly in response to Pence’s attacks proved as much.
Pence attempted to use “Americana” and of course his devout spirituality as his weapons of choice. And while Pence pretends to take the high road on certain issues, his attacks on Trump have all the subtly of a bull horn. Frankly, Pence’s pious overtures fell short and felt fake.
The most interesting things for me in Pence’s performance were his exchanges with Vivek. Pence’s attacks seemed more aimed at Vivek’s not-so-subtle support of Trump. I felt that Pence sensed what I sense: that Vivek really wants to be Trump’s VP more than he wants to be president.
One other point to note is that while Pence tried to play the martyr in not supporting Trump and certifying the coup, he certainly tried to take credit for Trump’s moves in legislation. The example I recall is where Pence mentioned the Trump-Pence tax cuts. Pence didn’t cut taxes; Trump cut taxes.
Trying to garner credit for Trump’s moves is too fine a line for Pence to walk. The turncoat wants to cherry-pick where he supports Trump?
Pence played the role of Trump’s appendix in that administration. And when push came to shove, he abandoned Trump.
Grade: D
Doug Burgum
Burgum did as well as a relatively unknown person can do. But it’s hardly worth wasting time on his candidacy. He will soon fade, because he offers nothing new. He had good comments on China, but his policy positions pale in comparison to Trump’s actual record.
The good news for Burgum is his fall won’t injure him, since he sits on a low perch.
Grade: B-
Takeaways
If you’re anti-Trump, you’re toast. Unless the GOP doesn’t care to win, they will need to pivot from any anti-Trump ideas. This means no moving on from election integrity and the BS narrative of J6. Support of Trump’s agenda is tantamount to any success in the GOP. You don’t have to like the man, but you must like the results.
Challenging Trump’s integrity is a losing proposition. Americans moved far beyond any perceived morality issues about Trump. Hell, they’ve moved beyond style issues. Americans want results. The candidates for the most part represent people who will keep the status quo. Nobody willing to upset the system in play.
The debate showed that Trump may be uniquely positioned to win the real America back. And the only question for me is who is the real Conservative Trump will choose to back his next play. No more Mike Pence’s for certain. But Trump must weed through candidates, and find the one willing to carry the torch once he’s gone, somebody uncorruptible.
