“He just needs to find ways to reestablish his credibility as a victor”. Carson needs to be a statesman.
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“There’s a crack in the dominance he’s been projecting over the past few months”, Alan Schroeder, a debate expert at Northeastern University, said of Trump.
The third Republican debate was hosted by CNBC and was billed as a debate focused on the economy and money matters. What should voters, pundits and casual watchers really be thinking about as they watch a field of unprecedented size and swagger slug it out on TV once more? The Observer is here to offer a little assistance.
Trump joked at a rally that Carson did not realize he had surged in the polls because he was too busy “sleeping”.
Moments later, Quick directed Trump another question, asking him to explain his statement that fellow candidate Marco Rubio was Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg’s “personal senator”. No candidate like Trump has ever won the nomination, and it’s time to start thinking about early voting states where he could stumble.
Among the participants are two freshman senators – Florida’s Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz of Texas. “Anybody who tells me that we need every penny in every one of those is in a fantasy world”, Carson said.
Who Gets Culled From the Herd? .
But the face-off could also showcase deep divides within the GOP itself – with Republicans on Capitol Hill debating a budget deal that could remove the threat of a government shutdown until after the election, not all candidates are on board. For candidates in desperate need of moments-Sen. Rand Paul, Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. John Kasich-tonight could be the last time they matter. It appears that Trump is in this campaign for the long haul.
This is a CNBC debate so CNBC Anchors Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick and John Harwood will moderate. The media overrated the strength of the libertarian movement and Mr. Paul, bleeding money, is looking like he’s boxed out in Iowa, where he’s scrambling for a toehold.
GONYEA: To underscore his Christianity, campaign handouts last night included a photo of Trump at his 1959 confirmation ceremony.
There’s a big chasm in polling between the top-tier contenders and these bottom four who made the debate.
In referring to a poll taken in Iowa, Trump called The Des Moines Register a third-rate newspaper and described Bloomberg News as a company against him because its founder and namesake, Michael Bloomberg, has indicated a desire to run for president in the past. “Right, right. Don’t go after the nice guy”.
And he’s moved on from repeatedly needling former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to poking at Carson.
It marked the latest sign of slippage for the real estate tycoon, and a portent of potential fireworks Wednesday as the hyper-competitive Trump will seek to restore the old order with him securely atop the Republican pyramid. Yet evangelicals, whose support has helped Carson vault ahead of Trump, are familiar with his faith-centered life story, outlined in his memoir, “Gifted Hands”. Unlike his older brother, he is not a natural campaigner, and fails to excite the grassroots Republicans who vote in primaries, despite his record as a hard-line conservative in Florida.
For many candidates who have been touting their business background and job creation experience, it gives them an opportunity to hopefully flex their muscles.
In what may be a reminder of the candidates’ standing in the race, the question that generated the best lines of the night wasn’t about policy, but a “lighting round” ask about their top three smartphone apps. At a Saturday town hall in South Carolina, for example, Bush lashed out against what he said was the political gridlock affecting the country – and likely at the current state of the GOP primary race.
This debate could mark the tipping point for the Republican field. On the flip side, other candidates may gang up on him, and we don’t know yet how the boyish Republican will handle a target on his back.
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Disclosure: Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is the publisher of Observer Media.
