***
Donald Trump:
- Way to insult a fellow candidate (Rand Paul) in your first statement, Trump. Classy. Also, if Americans thought we needed a businessman, we might've elected Mitt Romney. Just saying. Mr. Romney's business background was quite a point of contention when he ran. People were asking, "Do we really want a businessman as a President?" And, ya know, he was actually competent. Just saying.
- Ad hominem, thy name is Donald Trump.
- CNN asks: What makes Trump qualified to be Commander-in-Chief? Wow, CNN, that's... actually a very good question. What does make him qualified? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
- To answer the question no one seems to want to answer, I for one would not be comfortable with Trump controlling anything in our government, let alone the nuclear trigger.
- Mr. Trump [on the topic of casino gambling in Florida]: "If I'd wanted it, I would've gotten it. I know my people." Hmm. HMMM. What could this statement possibly say about Mr. Trump's business practices? We just don't know.
- I'm starting to think Trump is allergic to giving a straight answer to a question. It's like he's physically incapable of giving an actual answer rather than, I don't know, dodging and stalling by talking about tangentially connected topics.
- Trump claims that when he commented on Fiorina's face, he was commenting on her persona; Fiorina retorts that Trump heard Jeb Bush's comment about woman's health very clearly; and she, and the other women of the US, heard his comment about her appearance very clearly.
- Donald Trump wants to build a wall between USA and Mexico. How. Why. I mean, yes, we do need to build up border security, as other candidates have pointed out. But. Why is this such a talking point for Trump. How would you logistically even do this. We just don't know.
- Mr. Trump, you took heat about your immigration remarks because they were pretty inflammatory and racist.
- And Trump didn't actually answer the question. (I'm gonna keep a count of this, I swear I am.) He talks big, but says absolutely nothing about how he'll do his immigration reforms and how much it'll cost.
- CNN asks: Did Trump go too far when he suggested Bush's views on immigration are influenced by his Mexican-born wife? Yes. Yes he did.
- And then he doesn't apologize to Mrs. Bush (who is there at the event), because he "knows he's right". Barf.
- CNN asks: Trump has criticized Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail; what's wrong with speaking Spanish? There is nothing wrong with speaking Spanish. In other news, Donald Trump is trash.
- Trump claims, among other things, that "We need assimilation to have a country." There are just. So many problems with that statement. I don't even know where to start.
- If Trump is so against people coming to America to have "anchor babies", how does he propose we change the laws? How do we then initiate citizenship?
- CNN asks: What is Trump's response to Rubio saying his failure to know details about some US enemies is "very concerning"? Answer: Trump dodges the question, stalls, and deflects by saying that the government now knows those details and is failing. Question Dodging Counter: I don't know, 5?
- Trump Ad Hominem Counter: 6? Maybe? He jabs at Rubio's voting record while "rebutting" Rubio's statement.
- Trump says, "I'm a very militaristic person, but you have to know when to act"; he claims he's "the only person on this dais that opposed our going into Iraq."
- When the camera is on most of the candidates, this looks like an actual presidential debate. When it's on Trump, it instantly becomes a circus. This is terrible.
- CNN asks: Should Trump stop saying that vaccines are linked to autism? Yes. Yes he should. As Mr. Carson says, there have been multiple studies with no link found to autism. The one study that claimed this was debunked.
- Trump claims that his Secret Service codename would be "Humble". Ha. Hahaha.
- Conclusion: With this amount of logical fallacies, question-dodging, and general blowhard-ishness, Donald Trump yet again proves himself to be totally incapable and undeserving of this office. I don't know, guys. I'm pretty sure I could debate better than this guy.
Ben Carson:
- Seriously guys, if you want a candidate who's not a sellout to donors, BEN CARSON. YOU WANT BEN CARSON. NOT DONALD TRUMP.
- Trump is the definition of a powerplaying billionaire political donor.
- Dr. Carson also points out that deporting all immigrants would be really hard and not too cost-effective.
- Ben Carson points out that the immigration strategy in Arizona works amazingly well, and that we shouldn't reinvent the wheel; if a strategy works, why don't we implement it nationwide?
- Carson says that we need to create a better minimum wage rate by getting people from both sides of the debate to agree on a good rate; and we need two rates: a "starter" and a "sustainer".
- Rand Paul and Ben Carson point out that the both of them were also opposed to going into Iraq, proving Trump wrong.
- Ben Carson: "There are smart ways to do things, and there are muscular ways to do things, and sometimes you need to look at both to come up with a solution."
- Carson does admit that we need to space out vaccines and give them in lower doses, so as not to jeopardize small children's health.
- Carson says his secret service codename would be "One Nation".
- Conclusion: Dr. Carson's analysis and solutions are mostly spot-on. I still support this guy, and if I was old enough to vote, I would vote for him.
Jeb Bush:
- Jeb Bush mentions the multiple non-Planned Parenthood organizations that work in woman's health, and maintains that these are the organizations we need to fund, not Planned Parenthood.
- Jeb Bush retorts: On the topic of Trump's judgement, he claimed Ms. Clinton was the best person to negotiate Iraq, and that this level of naivete is dangerous in today's world.
- Jeb Bush: "We don't have to be the world's policeman; but we do need to be the world's leader."
- Bush says that we need Supreme Court Justices who have an extensive record and reputation of willingness to uphold the Constitution. "We can't do this [appoint Supreme Court Justices] in a politically expedient way anymore."
- Conclusion: Eh... I'm pretty ambivalent, to be honest.
Carly Fiorina
- You go, Carly Fiorina. I didn't know much about you before today, but I'm liking you more and more as this debate goes on.
- If I wasn't such a supporter of Ben Carson, I'd probably vote for Ms. Fiorina.
- Ms. Fiorina makes an excellent point about politicians having been in a corrupt system. "You know what a leader does? They challenge the status quo.... This is about changing the system."
- Carly Fiorina lays down some truth on the subject of Vladimir Putin and how he won't listen to anything other than a show of strength. Not only is she completely right about what we should do, but she's incredibly decisive and smart about her hypothetical solutions. Take note, Mr. Trump.
- Fiorina has a very decisive, very definitive plan for dealing with Iran. (1. Reaffirm that we are on Netanyahu's side; 2. Inform Iran leadership that if they don't open their nuclear facilities to any and all inspection by American forces, we will make it as hard as possible to them to function economically.)
- You go, Ms. Fiorina. Take Trump down.
- Fiorina correctly points out that immigration didn't magically become an issue because Trump made inflammatory remarks about it.
- Fiorina points out that it will take an enormous amount of effort to repeal the 14th Amendment, and in the meantime, "anchor babies" will continue to happen.
- Fiorina points out that Trump filed for bankruptcy four times; why would we put a person with that record in charge of an already-catastrophic national debt?
- Fiorina points out that she has many more achievements than Hilary Clinton, and that she doesn't have the track record of dishonesty.
- Why does everyone keep trying to interrupt/cut off Ms. Fiorina? I mean, she's certainly not the only one--everyone's talking over their time, I think--but Trump in particular seems to keep trying to interrupt her, moreso than any of his male opponents.
- On putting a woman on the $10 bill, Ms. Fiorina says that ultimately it's an empty gesture, and that the country will be better off when we recognize the potential and freedoms of women in the US.
- Conclusion: As stated, I didn't know hardly anything about Ms. Fiorina before tonight; but in the span of about three hours, she greatly impressed me. I am completely willing to support Ms. Fiorina, and I really hope she'll continue past primaries.
Marco Rubio:
- Mr. Rubio points out that a president needs to be able to lead the country on their very first day in office.
- Conclusion: ???
Ted Cruz:
- Cruz dodges the question about the government shutdown by talking about the Planned Parenthood videos. Which everyone knows about.
- Cruz sticks up for Spanish-speaking immigrants and talks about his grandfather, who was an immigrant, and who spoke Spanish. Good for you, Mr. Cruz.
- Cruz claims that the answer to the minimum wage program is to help people get the education they need for a better job. But where does the money for that education come from?
- Conclusion: ???
Scott Walker:
- Good for you, Scott Walker. You call Trump out on his crap. I'm probably not gonna vote for you, but I like the points you're making.
- I feel like that was an ad hominem that Trump just used against Scott Walker. It probably was.
- Conclusion: ???
Rand Paul:
- Rand Paul: "I don't think we need to be rash; I don't think we need to be reckless; and I think we need to leave the lines of communication open." Good thought.
- Rand Paul points out that toppling dictators often destabilizes countries, and our actions against dictators in the Middle East have been catastrophic. I probably won't vote for him, but I like the points he's making.
- Rand Paul and Ben Carson point out that the both of them were also opposed to going into Iraq, proving Trump wrong.
- Rand Paul says that the "boots on the ground" in Iraq need to be Iraqi boots. He says that we need to defend American interests rather than fight an never-ending war. If the conflict goes on, we need to equip people native to the area to carry it on.
- Rand Paul points out that the poor people are going to jail for marijauna use, and that people in prison are often African-American or Hispanic, while rich teenagers are getting away with drug use. Mr. Paul thinks that the federal government should not override the states' rights to legalize marijuana; however, he is in favor of not incarcerating drug users and treating it as an illness rather than a crime.
- Rand Paul says that it is hypocritical to put poor people in jail for marijuana, while letting rich kids off for more or less the same.
- Conclusion: Rand Paul has some good points, but in my opinion he doesn't have quite enough merit or momentum to do amazingly. (Although he really doesn't deserve to be dissed by Donald Trump.)
Chris Christie:
- Chris Christie points out the infighting in this debate: the candidates' real issues aren't with each other, but with Democratic candidates and their values.
- Chris Christie says that we need to secure the border and up surveillance of the visa system. But he does point out that deporting all illegal immigrants is an extreme, unrealistic, unattainable goal.
- Chris Christie promises to prosecute Ms. Clinton, both at the R vs. D debates and if he becomes President.
- Christie says that he is for rehabilitation rather than incarceration, but he disagrees with Paul's statement that "the only victim of drug use is the user".
- Conclusion: He's... okay? I guess? He made some good points? But there's really not that much distinguishing him from the other candidates?
John R. Kasich:
- In the words of my mom, Kasich doesn't seem like a politician; Cruz does.
- Kasich is in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood, but isn't for shutting down the government to force a solution (good for him).
- Kasich points out that he worked on an economic plan that left the US with billions in surplus and a booming economy.
- Kasich points out the ideological battle with ISIS, and our need of a public condemning of the ISIS mentality.
- Conclusion: See the conclusion for Chris Christie.
Mike Huckabee:
- I'm getting some slippery slope vibes from Mike Huckabee's argument on the Iran deal. Threatening the fabric of Western civilization? Really? Really? I know this is an ineffective deal and its outcome may be dangerous, but the very fabric of Western civilization? That seems hyperbolic.
- Mr. Huckabee points out that in the case of Kim Davis, she swore to uphold the law under the Constitution of Kentucky, which states that marriage is between a man and a woman. And furthermore, the Supreme Court isn't allowed to make up a redefinition of law like gay marriage out of thin air.
- Huckabee says that a president needs to declare war on heart disease, cancer, alzheimer's, and diabetes, as these are taking the most lives in America.
- Conclusion: ?? ????
And a general thought:
- Not that this necessarily means anything, but the candidate lineup seems really tokenistic. We have one white woman... one black man... two (white-passing) Cuban-American men... and a bunch of white guys. Hmm.
***
...And that concludes my thoughts on this presidential debate. (I honestly didn't know this would end up so long. Sorry about that.) Feel free to weigh in with your opinions in the comments! And remember: Donald Trump sucks. Vote Carson for President 2016.
