More than two hours of prime-time argument Thursday presented voters with a sharp contrast to the optimistic vision of America that President Barack Obama painted in his State of the Union address earlier this week. Contrary to popular belief, there are lots of conservatives in New England and NY; but it’s equally true they are vastly outnumbered by liberals, and it’s just as valid to say most Americans do see New Yorkers and others who live in the Northeast as having different values than the average person who grows up in Des Moines, Iowa or Oklahoma City. Instead, he came back with a stirring defense of his hometown, invoking New Yorkers’ resilience in the face of 9/11. “You can not make rash statements (and expect) the rest of the world to respond, ‘It’s just politics, ‘” Bush said. Marco Rubio were asked what reforms are needed, if any.
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And Rubio blasted Obama for presiding over an “arrogant” foreign policy.
If Cruz ended the contretemps technically ahead in the abstract realm of argumentation, he was decidedly less so in the realm of the human and intuition.
Trump then said that the doctor isn’t representative of the general refugee population.
Christie strongly disagreed – and he said that while two years ago Rubio called him a “conservative reformer”, now he is misrepresenting his record. “That is political calculation”.
Rubio and Christie are among the candidates seeking to break out of the establishment pack, particularly in the New Hampshire primary, which quickly follows the lead-off Iowa caucuses. Cruz was trying to discount Donald Trump’s alignment with the Republican Party.
As we go into the NFL’s best weekend (and one of the greatest in all of professional sports) and reflect on the Oscar nominations (DiCaprio, Brie Larson and Stallone are locks, by the way, and though she won’t win, I’m all in for Alicia Vikander for Supporting Actress), Friday’s national story is Thursday night’s GOP presidential debate.
“I didn’t think he went too far until I saw Donald Trump’s reaction”. Trump said he could care less about his companies, and would hand off duties to his family.
“I’ve said from the beginning, we should take no Syrian refugees of any kind”, Christie said. “And I will gladly accept the mantle of anger”. Trump was steadfast in wanting to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States.
“Since September, the Constitution hasn’t changed, but the poll numbers have”, Cruz said.
Mark Silk, a professor of religion in public life at Trinity College, said that while he has no reason to believe that Cruz is anti-Semitic, “he’s conjuring up an image of a fast-talking, secular, money-preoccupied, media-saturated NY character”.
“I don’t want to hurt anybody”.
On the economy and national security, the candidates agreed any of them would be better than Obama or Hillary Clinton.
“Like that’s a bad thing?” said Willie Perry, a real estate salesman and registered Republican, as he headed to work in New York City. The film depicts the events of the September 2012 attack on the US consulate in Libya that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. “Drop Out, John!” shouted one patron when Ohio Governor John Kasich was introduced.
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Trump’s strongest moments came as he and Texas Sen.
