On October 28th, the newest republican GOP debate took place in Boulder, Colorado. The debate featured the top ten republican candidates, including John Casey, Mike Huckabee, Jeb Bush, Donald Trump, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Carly Fiorina, Ted Cruz, Chris Christie, and Rand Paul.
The debate started off with a moderator asking each candidate what their biggest weakness was, causing indirect responses.
Jeb Bush claimed that he “cannot fake anger”, and that he is impatient. Rubio started off with “I’m not sure if it’s a weakness,” and then went on to say that he shares a sense of optimism of America’s upcoming future, which he feels is dwindling from citizens. Donald Trump had stated that “I trust people too much. I’m too trusting.” Trump continued, “When [people] let me down, if they let me down, I never forgive.” Mike Huckabee says that his weakness is that he “tries to live by the rules.” Ben Carson said that he did not see himself as president, until “hundreds of thousands of people” began to tell him that he needed to do it. Chris Christie refrained from answering the question, putting the spotlight on the Democratic debate the past week, saying “that is where [he] sees weakness”.
Carly Fiorina said that after the last debate she was told “she didn’t smile enough” inciting laughs and claps from the audience. Ted Cruz said his weakness is the opposite of his personality, which he claims is easy going. Rand Paul completely did not answer the question, and instead discussed debt and congress.
As the debate continued, the questions became more and more unrelated to the actual politics, which caused some politicians to speak out against it. Rubio had said, after being asked if he’s not the type of problem solver America wants, that “the questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media.” Many politicians also were quick to speak out against the government, with Christie saying “the government has lied to you, and has stolen from you.”
All negative remarks made by candidates regarding the government sparked applause from the audience, agreeing with most of what they were saying. The candidates continued throughout the debate to criticize the questions being asked, and the moderators for asking them. However, despite some unclear questions, several candidates still managed to get their point across. Rubio at one point said “I’m worried about the finances of everyday Americans, who today are struggling in an economy that is not producing well paying jobs.”
Overall, Rubio was considered the winner of the debate as said by several commentators and news websites. CNN said this was “likely due to his well approached ideas towards the future of America.” The debate did cause some controversy in the media, including President Obama responding to some of the comments made about him, saying “Then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators at the debate.” The President continued by saying, “Let me tell you, if you can’t handle those guys, then I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you.” In anticipation of the Republic Debate on November 10, candidates stressed the need for better questions and conditions that needed to be put in place for the remaining debates of the 2016 race for the Presidency.
