Debate Thoughts

We had two separate debates for the Republican nominee for President today, but this post will be primarily be about the debate that happened at 9pm tonight with the top 10 in the polls.  I did get to see about 1/2 hour to 40 minutes of the first debate at 5pm, but not enough to make a full analysis.  Carly Fiorina was doing a great job, but some of the other candidates had great answers as well.  I do think, however, that the later debate was the better one.  Here's my brief overview.

Donald Trump:  Some great reactions, a few great answers, but mostly intriguing for his shoot-from-the-hip non-politician attitude.

Ted Cruz, Rand Paul & Marco Rubio:  These three were equal in my eyes.  Overall great opinions and presented very well with a forceful, biting tone, but feeling more like Vice Presidential material.  Gun-to-head, if I had to pick one of these three, I'd take Cruz.

Jeb Bush:  You can tell he's been prepped well for his answers and I agreed with some of what he said, but he's less conservative than what he portrays himself to be. 

Chris Christie:  See my above response for Jeb, but his answers weren't as well-prepped and he's even LESS of a conservative.  I don't look for him to be around long.

Dr. Ben Carson:  Possibly the most intelligent man on the stage.  I loved a lot of his answers, but you could tell he was really thinking through them before he spoke.  I think that will end up hurting him.  But maybe he'd be great as Surgeon General??

Scott Walker:  I think he will end up being the disappointment of the debates.  Everyone was expecting him to do well and carry on the mantle of Ronald Reagan, but I just don't think he was as polished as he could have been.  He will stick around for the next round, but he needs to come out guns a-blazing if he wants to hang in with Cruz, Paul, or Rubio, which is where I see him fitting in.

John Kasich:  A lot of great reaction from the home state crowd, but name recognition is what will be his downfall.  Good points, just not well known enough to be memorable.

Mike Huckabee:  To me, he is the surprise of the debate.  Since he's been in debates before, he has the posture, the delivery, the knowledge, and he answers every question directly, not avoiding the issue or going to a previous one.  I wouldn't be shocked to see his poll numbers rise.  If he keeps this up, he could be a really serious contender.  The establishment would be more inclined to give him the nod than Trump, in my opinion.

So there you have it.  Did you watch any of the debates?  Do you care?  If you don't, why not?  I'm looking for any comments, opinions, questions, etc... that you might have.  Feel free to reach me here or on Twitter (@nBoEnforcer).