Grading the Second Republican Debate

Like the first debate which I graded in an earlier article, I watched the Republican debate on both Wednesday, September 27^th (when it was held) and revisited the debate a second time on Friday morning, the 29^th. Like the first debate, the following scorecard is not based on any endorsement of the candidates. Rather, it is my opinion as to how well each candidate did on stage based on their political objectives and needs. Thus, a high score is not an endorsement of the candidate. With that stated, here is how I believe the candidates did (in order):

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (A-); Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (B-); (fmr) Vice President Mike Pence (C+); North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (C); (fmr) South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (C-); South Carolina Senator Tim Scott (C-); (fmr) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (D).

A few things to consider before reading my breakdown of each candidate and where I believe they went right or wrong.

This debate was a laughable disaster of a meeting. It was filled with bizarre accusations, yelling at one another, and interesting body language. It was also one candidate lighter. Asa Hutchinson did not make the cut and should be out of the race soon. I predict he will endorse Pence. Furthermore, it featured a Hispanic female moderator, Ilia Calderon, from Spanish speaking Univision. It was a pathetic example as to how badly both Fox News and the Republican Party understand the base. At a time while Whites are being replaced thanks to a wide-open border, it was just a reminder as to how many people are against Heritage America – including their own de facto party. Reminding them that they are not important is a bad move.

Returning to the candidates, I still believe there are only two candidates running for the presidency on stage – Mike Pence and Ron DeSantis. The other candidates are either seeking a high-profile cabinet position or running mate consideration by Trump (Ramaswamy, Scott) or Pence/DeSantis (Haley, Christie). It is really hard to understand why North Dakota Governor Burgum is in the race. Perhaps he wants to be the Secretary of Agriculture. He is a billionaire former software executive who is polling well below a percentage point. It was impressive that he stood on one leg in the last debate after breaking his leg in a freak accident the day before. But that is about it.

Additionally, it is easy to dismiss the debates due to Trump’s overwhelming lead. However, I continue to reiterate that – assuming voting matters – Trump has no future. It is not because I dislike his message, per se. It is not because I feel he failed millions of White Christian Americans when he had the power to do something for them. Rather, it is simple math. Trump will be convicted in Georgia and there is a good chance he will face additional legal consequences in a federal court system that is loaded against him. Even if I loved Trump, the reality that he has no path to an electoral college victory would have me exploring other options.  Not only will he be disqualified from running for office in Georgia, but he will also find himself disqualified from running in a number of other states that automatically disqualify felons from running for office, such as Virginia – another “must win” state in 2024.

The campaign, therefore, is really Pence (establishment old guard, neoconservative) vs DeSantis (young, hyper-rightwing, conservative social warrior). That was clearer in this debate. Pence took some swipes at DeSantis, attempting to bait him. For his part, DeSantis avoided a few traps. In fact, Pence’s hits were aimed at the consequences of Florida’s extraordinary growth. It was smart, but at some point, DeSantis will need to have a response as to things like higher insurance costs and greater spending at the state level.

Here are my brief analyses of each candidate’s performance:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (A-): In the previous debate, I gave DeSantis an “F.” He failed every opportunity to land a blow in the last debate. Somehow, the talking heads thought he won the debate. I didn’t see it. This time, he did win. It was not a great debate performance, but it was solid. The one thing he did this time was that he highlighted his Florida accomplishments in a more natural way. He did not shy away from his rightwing populist victories, either. Finally, he put away the terribly canned responses and over-rehearsed stories of random people he met on the campaign trail.

DeSantis also benefited from loud bickering by Haley, Scott, and Ramaswamy. Burgum would shout at odd times just to get heard. Christie is just corny. As for Pence, he was measured, but he did not land a blow. He is really there to remind the establishment that he is their man. The failure of the other parties helped DeSantis stand above the rest with an A- performance. He still comes across as a bit stiff, which hurts his likeability. He is more natural in small, bar settings.

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy (B-): The last time, Ramaswamy won the debate largely because no one knew who he was. Believing in the accolades he received from members of the Trump team and some populists, Vivek came in cockier then the first time. In essence, he acted like he already won. Ramaswamy tried to offer an olive branch to his political competitors. That is a move for someone finishing off the competition who seeks the political support of his defeated foes down the road. It did not work. This time, the others were prepared for him, and they hammered him. His political inexperience showed. Still, he got in a few humdingers. One brilliant exchange occurred between Calderon and Ramaswamy, in which she asked him if he would deport so-called “Dreamers.” He not only said he would, but he also further explained that the 14^th Amendment did not apply to anchor babies. It was a fantastic response. There was another hilarious exchange with Haley that I will cover under her paragraph.

Vice President Mike Pence (C+): Pence is playing for a different set of voters. His core constituency are neoconservative Never Trump and Never DeSantis voters. He is the “anti-populist” candidate. As such, Pence is very much a Lincoln Project’s Republican and it showed. Pence attempted to bait DeSantis – his only rival on the stage – and DeSantis never took the bait. One example was a weak attempt to call out the fact that Florida’s spending grew by 30% over the past five years of DeSantis’ leadership. Of course, it failed on a number of levels, not least of which is the fact that Florida pays off its debt annually, enjoys a $22 billion surplus despite no income tax, responded to Covid within that same time frame, and its population grew by nearly 10%, requiring new infrastructure to handle the “blue state refugees.” Still, it will remind Pence’s base that he is the lower taxes/lower spending neocon in the room.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (C): I still do not know why this guy is running. He is an odd-looking character without a compelling message or coherent argument for support. On more than one occasion, the Fox moderators tried to ignore his presence, which caused Burgum to yell out his answers and insert himself into the conversation. Nothing he said was particularly bad. He would just blurt out an answer without being questioned. 

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley (C-): Nikki Haley is just not good at this. She got into several yelling matches, especially with her fellow Indian nemesis, Vivek Ramaswamy. A big fan of global interventionism, Haley was arguing policy positions that reminded me of George Bush, Jr., in 2004. One of the funnier moments, however, occurred while she was arguing with Ramaswamy. A visibly frustrated Haley began lecturing Ramaswamy, who smiled and put his hand out, while bobbing his head in an Indian way. In effect, it was a Bollywood comedy moment.

Senator Tim Scott (C-): The other homosexual Senator from South Carolina has suddenly found himself a “nice Christian girl” just before the debate. Of course, no one has seen her, but that is irrelevant. Despite Scott’s incredibly fortunate romantic timing, he had a poor night. The highlights of his evening were largely when Tim pointed out Ramaswamy’s political inconsistencies. It was helped by Haley. As the two of them hit Vivek with well-written questions regarding Ramaswamy’s prior statements and posts, Scott slipped in his go-to speech of being born “a poor black child.” I still think Steve Martin said it better in the opening to The Jerk.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (D): This is a sad candidate attempting to position himself for a role as the future Attorney General. Eventually, he will run out of money. For now, he will be remembered as the guy who gave an incredibly corny joke about Donald Trump becoming “Donald Duck” for missing the debates. The clock is ticking on this bombing candidacy.