Who woulda thunk it?
(Yahoo) After an all-out brawl of a debate last week in Michigan, which featured Donald Trump at one point defending the size of his genitalia, the Republican presidential hopefuls adopted an unusual tone in the opening minutes of their latest head-to-head in here: civility.
In the first half hour of Thursday’s debate, Trump and his GOP rivals seemed to almost go out of their way to avoid attacking one another even as they debated heated topics like entitlement reform and immigration.
Rather than tangling and shooting barbs back and forth, the candidates avoided the previous rancor, laughing things off and allowing their opponents to speak for themselves. Who won the debate, though? The Hill breaks it down
Businessman Donald Trump One of the ironclad rules of political campaigns is that a front-runner gains from a debate that produces no game-changing moment.it down. For the winner
By that standard, Trump had by far the best night on Thursday. His rivals highlighted their differences with him, but there was little personal enmity. Trump maintained a calmer demeanor throughout and was never knocked off his stride
Senator Marco Rubio Perhaps wisely, he didn’t try to knock out Trump, or anyone else, with a single blow on Thursday night. Instead, he delivered a solid performance that will have reminded his supporters why they believe in him.
Politico has Rubio as the big winner, but, it’s a little too late. Also named was the Republican Party, which obtained a debate deep on substance for a change.
Cruz and Kasich were given a “mixed” rating. Cruz for being subdued while still going after the fact that Trump is not a Conservative and has supported many Democrats and Democrat positions (that’s a winner in my book). Kasich for being “competent but not memorable’. That sounds like a loser to me.
The losers? People who liked the all out brawl format and the Democrat Party, the latter for having no soundbites to latch on to.
But, now we’re going into the March 15th primaries, which will most likely leave only two standing, especially if Rubio fails to win Florida. Kasich seems to be in it for the long haul, regardless of how he does at the polls.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
It was called the “Death with Dignity” Debate for all candidates not named Trump.