Wow, I just realized it\u2019s been almost a year since I\u2019ve posted anything here. Although I\u2019m loath to wade back into political blogging I thought I’d offer my thoughts on Thursday night\u2019s GOP primary debate.<\/p>\n
The one thing that was clear during Thursday night\u2019s debate was that Donald Trump was way out of his element.<\/p>\n
Sure, Megyn Kelly and the other moderators baited him but<\/em> he went for it hook, line and sinker. The other candidates mostly didn\u2019t, they recognized the game pretty quickly and rolled with it as best they could. Mr. Trump never quite got it though.<\/p>\n In some respects I like Mr. Trump’s independent streak and bluntness but when I compare his performance with Carly Fiorina’s in the ‘Happy Hour’ debate<\/a> he\u2019s all hat and no cattle. Like, Mr. Trump, Ms. Fiorina has tapped into the same anger and frustration many Americans feel with the status quo in Washington. But where Ms. Fiorina’s responses are focused, fact based and effective; Mr. Trumps are tactless insults and bombast.<\/p>\n Ms. Fiorina looks and sounds presidential. Mr. Trump looks and sounds like an angry drunk at the corner pub.<\/p>\n I think C.T. Rex sums Mr. Trump\u2019s appeal up quite nicely over at Hot Air<\/a>:<\/p>\n Now I have no love for Trump, but Jazz, and many others, have wondered how it is that everyone in the media keeps getting Trump so, so wrong. How does this crazy guy say all of this crazy stuff and still manage to get to the top of the polls for the GOP when he\u2019s not even really a Republican? When almost every word out of his mouth ranges from the merely offensive to the downright disturbing, how could anyone possibly stand with this guy?<\/p>\n Well it\u2019s pretty simple really. There is a growing contingent of people in this country who are totally and completely fed up with our entire political system.\u00a0 They don\u2019t care about pragmatism, or policies, or outcomes.\u00a0 They just want to give everyone from the pundits to the politicians both middle fingers and they don\u2019t care who else is looking when they do it.<\/p>\n For his part, Trump hasn\u2019t merely knocked over the chessboard or set the rulebook on fire as Jazz postulated.\u00a0 That\u2019s more like Ted Cruz level stuff.\u00a0 No Trump\u2019s going the full Reservoir Dogs on our entire political process, dancing around as he cuts off its ear and pours gasoline on it while it begs him not to burn it alive.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Mr. Trump may be giving voice to the anger and frustration many American\u2019s feel but bombast and insults don\u2019t translate into policy or winning arguments.<\/p>\n The debate itself went about how I expected it to \u2013 it was a freak show. And it got huge ratings<\/a>. Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, Jeb Bush, Rand Paul, Scott Walker and John Kasich all figured out the game and rose to the occasion. Mr. Trump though never seemed to get his footing and frankly his post-debate attacks on Megyn Kelly and Fox News make her point for her.<\/p>\n