Texas Sen. Ted Cruz repeatedly played the populist.
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And the business mogul was effusive in his praise of Fox Business Network, who hosted the debate following a performance by CNBC moderators in the previous debate that was widely panned by its participants and other Republicans.
The debate centered on mostly economic issues, which at times lead to a dry discussion about economic issues that resonated with middle-class voters.
Jeb Bush had a few good moments, especially when discussing immigration. (Incidentally, Democrats viewed Rubio as the victor, which suggests that his “generational change” message has resonance with non-Republicans and/or that he’s simply an attractive candidate overall).
“I have no problem with being vetted”, Carson said. “What I do have a problem with is being lied about”.
Bush insisted he wasn’t criticizing Rubio, even after declaring “I’m a better bet” to defeat Clinton. “I think that’s very different from somebody misinterpreting when I said that I was offered a scholarship to West Point”.
BEN CARSON: “Every time we raise the minimum wage, the number of jobless people increases”. Rubio was asked about his proposed enlargement of child tax credits and was pressed on the fact that his plan would cost as much as $170 million a year.
He said the government must first prove to the American people that “illegal immigration numbers are down significantly” and then “modernize our legal immigration system so that it’s merit-based”. If Russian leader Vladimir Putin “wants to go and knock the hell out of ISIS, I am all for it, 100%, and I can’t understand how anybody would be against it”, he said. From left are Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, U.S. Sen. In Rubio’s words, “We need more welders and less philosophers”. “But for the 11 million people?”
The Comb-over King, of course, bristled and once again called upon his oh-so-intimidating godlike attitude to declare, “I’ve built an unbelievable company worth billions and billions of dollars, I don’t have to hear from this man”. He said he’s won as a conservative in a Democratic state. Rubio was able to counter by focusing on the importance of family, noting that “the most important institution in society is the family”, a statement that resonated well with the live audience. Rubio and Paul on defense spending and entitlements.
On ABC’s Good Morning America, George Stephanopoulos asked Rubio about the incident, noting Bush “seemed to ice” him in the Vine.
During the debate, candidates traded opinions and ideas as the nation watched and made their own judgment on what transpired.
The former Florida governor lived to fight another day after Tuesday’s performance. Potential caucus goers peppered him with questions about a nuclear-armed Korea, Social Security and veterans’ benefits.
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In the end, Ben Carson had an unremarkable showing at the debate, but emerged relatively unscathed.
