I was delighted that two of the presidential candidates who I support did extremely well in the first Republican debates – Carly Fiorina in the early session and John Kasich in the prime time session.
Once an unknown, Ohio Governor John Kasich came out of the first Republican debate with high marks. (business insider)
Regular readers will recall that I went out on a limb on May 30, naming Ohio Governor John Kasich for president in 2016, nearly two months before he made it official.
For someone who captured the tenth spot on the evening stage, Kasich appears from all that’s being said was either the winner or he finished in the top three.
Fiorina, from all reports, was the clear winner in the first session.
You had to know one of the moderators would question his belief that the poor, disadvantaged and the mentally ill must be cared for. Kasich didn’t back away, and offered a spirited defense of his programs and their effectiveness.
When asked how he would explain his opposition to gay marriage to a son or daughter who was gay or lesbian, he responded, “Look, I’m an old-fashioned person here and I happen to believe in traditional marriage,” and went on to say he “would love them and accept them … we need to treat everybody with respect.”
When moderator Chris Wallace attempted to bait Kasich to comment on Donald Trump’s candidacy, Kasich politely said, “They say we’re outspoken, that we need to take lessons from Donald Trump; he’s hitting a nerve.”
“Kasich was fantastic,” said Ed Lee, senior director of debate in the Barkley Forum Center for Debate Education at Emory University, “He was confident throughout the debate. While it felt like the other candidates were in a race to one-up each other, Kasich came across as refreshingly real and authentic. The winner.”
Carly Fiorina gave herself a huge name recognition boost by clearly winning the first debate among six other candidates. (AP)
When Fiorina was asked about Trump’s polls, she turned to the other six on the stage saying, “I didn’t get a phone call from Bill Clinton before I jumped in the race. Did any of you get a phone call from Bill Clinton?” She then went on to say, “I think he’s tapped into an anger that people feel. They’re sick of politics as usual. I would also just say this. Since he has changed his mind on amnesty, on health care and on abortion, I would just ask, what are the principles by which he will govern?”
Liberal columnist E. J. Dione of The Washington Post credited Fiorina with being informed and in control, but ridiculed her “over-the-top” attacks on Hillary Clinton. She must have hit a nerve.
A few of the funnier moments:
“I’m the only one to separate Siamese twins, the only one to operate on babies when they are still in the womb, and the only one to take out half of a brain, “ said Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, “although you would think, if you go to Washington, that someone has beat me to it.”
“The Russians and Chinese governments know more about Hillary Clinton’s email server than do the member of the United States Congress,” quipped Scott Walker.
And finally … from Mike Huckabee. “It seems like this election has been a whole lot on a person who has been very high in the polls, who doesn’t have a clue about how to govern, a person who has been filled with scandals and could not lead, “ and added just as everyone was about to gasp, “And, of course I’m talking about Hillary Clinton.”
