The eighth Republican presidential primary debate is over. Here are a few brief thoughts.
Congress vs. the candidates
Moderator Mary Katharine Ham asked a question about executive overreach that elicited some interesting answers from the candidates. Conservatives should oppose executive overreach and support the constitutional legislative process no matter which party controls the White House. The ability of presidential candidates to work with Congress once elected should be a major factor in the race. After all, the point of picking a president is to reform government, and the president has to work with Congress to do that.
Does anyone really think Donald Trump, who so often talks about “winning,” would be able to work with Congress? Keep in mind, nobody in Congress has endorsed him. The same goes for Ben Carson. And even though Ted Cruz is a member of the Senate, he too seems like he would have trouble working with Congress; not one of his 99 Senate colleagues has endorsed him.
Jeb vs. the Donald
In the first seven debates, it was rare for Bush to interject unless he was directly mentioned. Showing signs of life Saturday, Bush didn’t let Trump get away with his support for eminent domain. Trump claimed “Eminent domain is an absolute necessity for a country.” Bush brought up Trump’s eminent domain usage in Atlantic City, when Trump tried to take an elderly woman’s property to use as a limo parking lot for his casinos.
There’s nothing conservative about government seizure of private property. This is especially true when the property gets turned over to a private company for something that is so clearly not in the general public’s interest. That’s why Trump was repeatedly booed by the New Hampshire audience when he tried to defend eminent domain.
Christie vs. Rubio
One of the most entertaining parts of the debate was an early exchange between Chris Christie and Marco Rubio. Rubio gave what seemed to be a pretty standard, well-rehearsed answer. “Let’s dispel once and for all with this fiction that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing. He knows exactly what he’s doing,” Rubio said. Christie responded by saying that all Rubio can do is give a 25-second prepared speech in his debate answers. Rubio responded promptly with a brief retort and a 25-second prepared speech, which Christie called him out for mid-answer.
Then again, the exchange probably won’t change many voters’ minds. Rubio’s debate responses can seem rehearsed. But it’s unlikely voters will care more about the length of his remarks than in the policy proposals they contain.
Jason Russell is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
