First Look

We saw them, for the most part out of their element and some in their place.  The candidates that were in their element did not interest me as much the people who were not.

The first group to succumb to the debate process clearly showed why they were at the “kids table” or not ready for prime time, with the exception of Carly Fiorina.   If the DNC still feels compelled to run Hillary as their pick, Carly would be a formidable candidate for the GOP.

From the adults table which admittedly Carly should have been at, there were a few front runners and some that fell flat.

From stage left to right…

• Chris Christie made an ok showing and I expect his numbers will get a bump from the debate.  His answers were fairly clear and his rhetoric was loud as expected.  His response to  Rand Paul regarding the “hug” was on point and clearly hit a cord with people who took offence with MR Paul’s  attack.

• Marco Rubio did not hurt himself and I think his numbers too will get a bump.   I think that he appeals to the Millennials and the libertarians and could be a draw from the Democratic voters as he is not a “stogy old white guy.”

• Ben Carson while soft spoken was one of the adults that was in the room last night.  Clearly an educated man, a thinker and strategist also showed a sense of humor that I think will bode well with voters of all walks of life.  Dr. Carson is not a politician and I think needs to watch carefully what balls that he decides to swing at as he has already swung at too many which were in the dirt.  His performance during the debate was good and he was clearly not a target of the moderators. If he progresses he will be, and the next moderators will not be near as friendly.

• Scott Walker made some good points but clearly not a front runner in the campaign.  I do not expect his numbers to move much.  His record is impressive and he is a scrapper.  Some of what he said will resonate with the working class “the middle class” I think he will have to amp it up a little if he wants to stay the course.

• Donald Trump.  Donald is an unknown in the political arena and is carrying his numbers because of his celebrity status.  People are genuinely sick of politicians in general, so his message resonates with the masses. His tone with Megyn Kelly was stupid, and showed his arrogance which as a politician, you cannot do.  Megyn Kelly and indeed Fox news is on the side of the republicans and to alienate them is a mistake.  Further; his remarks about women in general did not go over well, and the DNC will use that to their advantage should he become the candidate.  Mr. Trump; if he is serious should hire one of the best PR firms in the country to do damage control.  He should also hire someone that knows something about politicians and how to make Donald more of a statesmen, while maintaining his moxie, which resonates with the folks.  I think he could do well and indeed become the next president.  Last night should serve as a wake-up call for Mr. Trump. He is out of his sandbox and needs to adapt.  The DNC has enough material on him now that it will be tough to overcome even to the likes of Hillary.  The War on women will resonate with enough women voters to throw the election to Hillary, if Donald is not careful.

• Jeb Bush.  When people look at Jeb they see George W.  There simply is no way around it.  Jeb can either work with his last name as an advantage and stop trying to disassociate himself from it, or he should stop wasting his money and time.  Jeb is a Bush and he needs to deal with it.  Whoever is advising him currently needs to re-think their strategy. Common Core is a mistake and he needs to get away from it.  The federal government should step back from this issue entirely and leave it to the states.  Focus on keeping Americans Safe, the economy and jobs.  “Immigration” which was the “elephant” in the room; needs to be dealt with in a manner that does not screw over the people who have come here legally or Americans.  There is no amnesty.  We are a country of laws, and without that we are nothing.

• Huckabee’s numbers should improve after the debate.  His answers were clear and concise and should resonate with many.  “The purpose of the military is to kill and to break things!”  While that is a great sound bite one could take away from his comment that all we need is a bunch of two year old’s.I am not certain if the military will receive that comment well or not, they are clearly more than that.

• Ted Cruz was probably the winner of the debate but, I cannot help but think that he is too slick and is looking forward to being the “most powerful man in the world” and that bothers me.  What motivates anyone to want to take this job should be center of the conversation. Narcissism is certainly not out of the realm of possibility and we already have a president who claims that title.

• Rand Paul’s numbers I suspect will not move one way or the other by much after his showing at this debate.  I suspect if they do move they will put him at the kids table and elevate Carly and or Perry. He came off as angry and bitter and somewhat whiney.

• John Kasich was hardly memorable in his performance last night.  He came off as likeable but like Bush, I have to look at notes to remember what he said.  My opinion of him is that he is too established as a politician and will be four more years of status quo.

Trump resonates because Americans are really sick of what we have in DC.  Back door deals for 20% of our Uranium to Russia is one such example that if it were put to a vote would be a resounding hell no; except for the percentage of delusionary voters out there who think Obama is the Messiah, and Hillary the next Noah.

Politicians have at their disposal, not only technology, but incredible databases “provided by Facebook and Google and others” to allow the targeting of advertisements to certain groups, for maximum effectiveness in order to manipulate the voters.   They are also amassing millions of dollars to spend on their campaigns.

Viewership of this debate was high because of Mr. Trump.  That inclusiveness of more viewers will make those methods of manipulation more difficult, as lots of democrats got a look at the candidates without the lens of MSNBC putting their very biased slant on it.   Thinking people may actually begin to question the talking heads of the progressive agenda by seeing things without slant.  These same folks also saw that FOX news did not play favorites as they are accused of by MSNBC and other outlets.  Indeed they asked the tough questions which Donald Trump and others should have expected and been prepped for.  Donald in his obvious hubris, was not prepared.  I doubt that he will make that mistake again.  To Donald’s credit, his answers were honest and truthful and for that I suspect many Americans will respect that he is who he is, and what you see is what you get.  If he were elected, I have no doubt that our foreign affairs would be different and that Putin would not be as aggressive as he currently is.

Trump needs to reign in whoever is doing his twitter, and other social media.

“Bimbo” = 

1. an attractive but empty-headed young woman, especially one perceived as a willing sex object.

While she was not easy on him during this debate, she is certainly not a Bimbo.  If Trump stays the course he will face a lot tougher moderators from the liberal media and he should have been prepared for this. Anything that you have ever done is fair game in a presidential debate.  Hiring someone to prep him for such things would be a very wise investment!  If he already has such a person, the meeting with them today should include the words “your fired!”

-Best

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