I look forward to the future Republican debates when we can play a drinking game based on every time Chris Christie mentions 9/11 or says "... as a former federal prosecutor."
--Gail Collins, The New York Times
The Republicans continued their race to the bottom, afraid to say anything that might make anyone who might vote for them change their mind. Christie, for instance, once suggested that Social Security payments could start later than they currently do. He may or may not have abandoned that position but when asked about entitlements in the current debate he said no more money for Planned Parenthood and no more legal abortions! This has nothing to do with entitlements, Planned Parenthood money is a drop in the budget bucket, and the federal government cannot legally pay for abortions!
Ted Cruz, opposed to Obamacare just as all the other candidate are, was asked how he would replace it, a question all the candidates have been ducking. His answer: more healthcare accounts, allow insurance companies to sell across state lines, and de-link health insurance from employment.
All this is great for people who can afford, one way another, health insurance but does nothing for those without health insurance and can't afford it, those whom Obamacare was designed to help!
On foreign policy everyone wants to bomb ISIS back to the Stone Age and rebuild the military, though no one has the courage to call for the return of the draft. Only Rand Paul seems to have given much thought to the consequences of what to do after ISIS is destroyed. Everyone is opposed to further immigration and no one, any more, wants a path to legalization or citizenship for immigrants who are here illegally.
Rick Santorum and Marco Rubio want to diminish inequality by doing away with regulation and climate control. Rubio actually said he does not want to save the environment if it means losing jobs! Santorum does show some concern for the 74% of adults who do not have college degrees, though neither he nor any of the other candidates shows any sympathy for unions, one important means to get blue-collar wages to rise.
Kasich pleaded with his fellow Republicans to work with Democrats in a conciliatory way but most of the candidates were too busy bashing Hilary Clinton to listen. Gilmore, Huckabee, Carson and Fiorina had little to add to the debate: Gilmore bragged about being a veteran, Huckabee was folksy in a scary way, Fiorina repeated constantly that it was "time to take this country back" and Carson seemed to be dozing off during most of the debate, though he did awaken at the end to prove he could memorize the Preamble to the Constitution.
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