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September 30, 2023

I’m a political junkie and have been involved in politics for over two decades. I’m not a big fan of the debate format, in general, but, in the past, I’ve always looked forward to them. Now, I dread them. It’s one thing if it’s one-on-one, but these “you get one minute to answer” debates with scores of candidates just don’t work.

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I hated the second Republican debate the other night. From the minute it started to the minute it ended, all I could think was, “I’m hating this.” That feeling wasn’t just because it was a verbal free-for-all.

This was a debate in which one candidate had to break out from the pack and distinguish him or herself as the alternative to Trump. They all failed.

Moreover, there was no unifying conservative message. They all should have been singing from the same hymnal, in their own voices, with their individual experiences and talents. But we should have been able to turn off the TV and summarize the overriding conservative message that would be deployed against Biden or any other D candidate. When you walk away from Democrat debates, you know full well what the Dems are going to campaign on and that they’ll all support the nominee 100%.

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That did not happen in the second Republican debate.

That said, I will say that I thought Burgum did a good job and was the adult in the room, but it was not enough to break out from the pack. I also don’t see him beating any Democrat in the 2024 election.

Ron just doesn’t have it right now. Someone told him to smile more, and it’s so fake. It’s not who he is. And while I love him as governor, it’s not his time. If we are fortunate to have another President Trump to right the ship. I see Ron as his successor—a regular guy with a calmer demeanor who would be a welcome change from the tornadic years we can expect from a second Trump presidency—tornadic not because of Trump himself but because of all of the shenanigans the Democrat-Media Complex will do to undermine his administration and destroy his presidency.

Image: YouTube screen grab.

Vivek seemed to have learned his lesson from the last debate but was so obviously under attack from Haley and Scott he spent most of his time trying to defend himself. However, even that was impossible as Haley and Scott talked over his rebuttals.

Frankly, neither Haley nor Scott wear “mean” well. They cannot carry it off in the same way that, well, Trump can. Haley rolled her eyes and was harrumphing. She looked and sounded angry. Her responses were often confusing to follow. She was trying to make Vivek look bad, but it backfired. The points she had won in the first debate, vanished with her ‘tude.

Tim Scott doesn’t play attack dog convincingly. I like Tim, but he just lacks the chops to be president, IMHO. I think people are afraid to say that because it might be interpreted as a racist thing…but the fact is, Tim does not have whatever IT is to be president.