The debate, the fifth such event of the cycle, is the first since the terrorist attacks in Paris, on November 13, and in San Bernardino, Calif., on December 2, and will focus heavily on counterterrorism and national security issues.
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Tuesday’s debate among the nine leading candidates comes just seven weeks before voters in Iowa cast the first ballots in the Republican primaries.
The CNN Debate just ended, and I have only one clear impression – Donald Trump has so completely emasculated Jeb Bush that this may be Jeb’s last hurrah.
“It will push the Muslim world and the Arab world away from us at a time when we need to engage with them and to be able to create a strategy to destroy ISIS”.
As co-moderator and conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt pointed out, “this will be the debate that Americans talk about at Christmas”.
Trump, who has expanded his lead nationally, according to two polls released this week, was an immediate focus given his call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. And he’d be a chaos president.
But Trump didn’t pull any punches.
“I know you’re trying to build up your energy, Jeb, but it’s not working very well”, Trump countered. Both said they understood where he was coming from, but that the policy simply wouldn’t work. It’s been a total disaster.
Later in the debate, the two were at it again, over battling ISIS.
“You may think this makes us safe, but it doesn’t”, said South Carolina Sen. I feel very honored to be the frontrunner and (applause) I think I’ll do very well if I’m chosen.
He disclosed that Trump was a personal friend and concluded: “The desperation prayer of the liberals – that he will split the Republicans – will not happen: He was never going to run as an independent”. Bush saying, “This is not a serious proposal”.
“Oh, you’re a tough guy, Jeb”, Trump shot back mockingly.
But Cruz stepped gingerly when it came to criticizing Trump.
Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Republican presidential candidate Sen.
He said New Jersey was constantly under threat of attack in the years after 9/11 and he had to make decisions about “whether to use actionable intelligence”. “He’d not be the commander in chief we need to keep our country safe”. “The American people don’t care about that”.
“Sen. Rubio’s campaign has been running attack ads against me, and I think they’re concerned”, Cruz told CNN after the debate at The Venetian hotel and casino. If U.S. officials are asked why they failed to prevent some future terrorist attack, Rubio said, “the answer better not be because we didn’t have access to records or information that would have allowed us to identify these killers before they attacked”.
“ISIS and radical Islamic terrorism will face no more radical a foe than I would be”, Cruz said. GOP voters got two main takeaways: a closer spotlight on Rubio and Cruz, and a reminder – in the discussion of regime change – of a widening philosophical dispute within the party.
On immigration, Cruz attacked Rubio for helping to draft a bipartisan bill that strengthened border controls and offered a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million unauthorized immigrants. Bush, who was expected to be a major force in the race but has struggled in the polls thus far, stood by his critique of Trump.
Another of Mr Trump’s proposals – “closing that Internet up” to stop IS recruitment – has been hotly debated, and earned the business mogul loud boos when he attempted to defend it. The basic premise of Black’s piece was that Trump is being unfairly smeared by the political establishment and media, whom Black accuses of dishonestly distorting his policies. Responding to Trump’s plan last week, Bush had called him “unhinged”.
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“I’m reminded of what FDR’s grandfather said…”
