Last night, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton took the stage for their first head-to-head “debate”.  Absent was Gary Johnson – evidently because the Commission on Presidential Debates believed an adult in the room was unnecessary. As expected, there was a lot of interrupting, speaking over one another and generally ignoring the existence of the moderator as he ineffectually attempted to keep the topics on track.  Clinton sounded well rehearsed and as such came off more polished.  What little policy she did articulate though was almost complete incorrect.  I found it to be no surprise that her most glaringly erroneous statements involved economic matters.  From her support for higher taxes on companies and the “rich” to an increased minimum wage, “debt-free” college, and paid family leave, she demonstrated either complete ignorance of economic forces or an unbelievable level of hubris that she could overcome such natural law by sheer government fiat. Trump started off the debate strongly, all things considered.  He stuck to his message that politicians were the problem… for the first 30 minutes or so.  Beyond that, he started taking every bit of bait Clinton put out for him.  At times, he ran off into the weeds, losing sight […]

Last night the top 10 GOP candidates for president faced off at the first official Republican primary debate.  More or less they all said exactly what you’d expect – universal condemnation of Obamacare, illegal immigration, Hilary Clinton, President Obama, and his lack of even more intervention in the Middle East.  Here is a brief rundown of the candidates and their notable moments: Donald Trump – “The Donald” is a pompous, arrogant, combed-over clown.  I do have to give him points for his entertainment value, and his non-PC remarks.  He has no filter, which is likely why so many like him.  The debate opened with a question to all candidates, requesting a show of hands.  Any candidate who would not commit to supporting the eventual nominee and who would not rule out a third-party run was asked to raise their hand.  Only one hand went up. It was Trump’s.  As a result, I’m not sure how his poll numbers will fair.  That was an unpopular move with typical Republicans. Jeb Bush – He doesn’t speak particularly well. He was the only candidate on the stage who supports Common Core education standards.  When questioned about it, he attempted to dodge the question […]

I have watched all the GOP debates up until this point and I plan to watch all future debates as well.  Though, I cannot say particularly that I look forward to them.  The debates so far have been biased, and rather worthless as far as highlighting the differences between candidates.  What they do highlight for those paying attention is how the media attempts to pick favorites and how the favorite’s favorite activity is pointing fingers at one another. The newcomer Rick Perry has been at the last three debates.  While new ideas and approaches should always be welcomed, Perry did not have any to offer.  His only contribution to the debates so far has been to give Mitt Romney someone to bicker with – which now happens at every debate.  Generally the topic of the bickering is who flip-flopped on what when.  The only thing this proves is that they are both inconsistent and would rather sling mud at one another than address the real issues in a thoughtful and creative way. Michele Bachmann who narrowly won the Iowa Straw Poll has slipped in the polls since Perry’s entry in the race and now she sits outside of the top […]