For three hours, eleven potential presidential candidates duked it out at the CNN GOP debate last Wednesday. Being the political junkie that I am, I watched the debate from start to finish; however, by the end of it, I found myself disappointed. It wasn’t because of any certain candidate; it was the structure of the debate itself.
First problem: Eleven is too many people – simple. The quantity made it difficult for the moderators to level the playing field and for the candidates to assert themselves.
Second problem: The first question was directed to Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Jake Tapper, the moderator, asked “Would you feel comfortable with Donald Trump’s finger on the nuclear codes?”
I knew it was going to be a long night. I don’t care what Fiorina thinks about Trump’s policy – I want to hear hers. The question also unfairly highlights Trump, presuming him as president and putting him in the spotlight right away. I’m sure he won’t have any trouble making himself known; he doesn’t need help from the moderator.
Trump’s first order of business was slamming Rand Paul, claiming that as the eleventh runner, Paul “shouldn’t even be on this stage,” and “there’s far too many people anyway.” Ouch. At least he got the last part right.
And so the debate went. Candidates jumped on their opportunities to criticize Trump. This only highlighted Trump more and, instead of talking about issues, too much time was spent criticizing one individual. If it hadn’t been for the first potent question, the debate could have taken an entirely different direction— possibly one with more substance.
I’m not going to solely blame the debate itself. By succumbing to the enticing pressure of roasting Trump, the candidates proved weak for not asserting their own views. Kudos to John Kasich, governor of Ohio, for saying “if I were sitting at home and watch[ing] [this] thing back and forth, I would be inclined to turn it off.” Kasich went on to condemn Tapper for not asking candidates about core issues and policies.
Tapper promised the issues were coming up, and (surprise!), his next question was about another candidate, this time runner up to Trump, Dr. Ben Carson. Tapper asked Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey, what he thought of Carson’s statements criticizing professional politicians.
Tapper also singled out Fiorina. Many of her questions concerned Trump and comments he had made about her, including his quote stating, “Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that?” Not to worry, Trump apologized and told Fiorina she had a “beautiful face.”
Fiorina was the only woman on stage, and many of her questions were designed so she could have a turn to lash out at Trump. Maybe the moderators wanted to let Fiorina burn off some steam, but it was degrading.
Emphasizing comments about her appearance, as if she should be livid, makes it seem as though Fiorina doesn’t have anything better to talk about. Despite the questions, she remained calm, cool and collected; criticizing Trump for his four filed bankruptcies rather than his remarks.
What happened to America’s campaigning system? Was CNN trying to attract viewers by emulating a reality show: “So You Think You Can Be President?” Pointing the candidates towards someone to attack, the news network made Trump the VIP of the night. This was not fair to Trump because it put him on the defensive immediately while inadvertently giving him an advantage.
On the other hand, the rest of the candidates should have recognized this and not given in to Trump talk. Trump isn’t the kind of guy to waste energy convincing people he’s a good person, so if that’s what the moderators wanted him to do, it didn’t work.
Some great talking points were brought up — such as foreign policy, conflict in the Middle East, and economy growth — but it’s time for the candidates to let their true colors shine. I’m ready to listen to what all the runners have to say if they’re willing to speak.