Thoughts on the first Republican debate: ‘ChatGPT’ steals the show, DeSantis fumbles opportunity
Will the next president please stand up, please stand up...
“Did you watch the first Republican debate?” asked a friend last week. “Did anyone stick out to you?”
My answer:
“Yes, I watched it. And, yes, someone did stick out but for the wrong reasons.”
Like many in my party, I eagerly watched the August 24 debate, hoping to see two very specific things:
a clear cut leader who distanced himself from the pack, and
someone who wouldn’t run from the 800-pound gorilla not in the room, the former president.
I’ve been steadfast in saying I want Sen. Tim Scott to win the nomination, even as I have little hope that he actually will. I don’t think he’s what the party is looking for at this time. Given this, the person I’m thinking and hoping gets the nomination is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who, despite a well-earned reputation as a culture warrior, has proved himself to be a great leader, especially during times of tumult.
ChatGPT shows up and couldn’t be turned off
During the debate, however, neither Scott nor DeSantis stood out as strong challengers to take on the former president—who has a commanding lead in all polls—for the nomination. Instead, the person who stood out was Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech executive from Ohio, who, by all accounts is trying to out-Trump former president Trump.
Throughout the debate, Ramaswamy, who has no realistic chance of winning the nomination, appeared combative, snarky, and childish. It was annoying to watch, or to put into words. Thankfully, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie put the robotic Ramaswamy in his place with a quote that’ll forever live on, if only for its aptness.
“Hold on, I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT,” Christie said in reference to Ramaswamy.
This bit of levity was a highlight of what was a yawner of a debate. Scott came off as a bore; Christie looked like the unelectable leader that he is; Pence appeared stoic aside from a few sound bites; and DeSantis failed to launch.
DeSantis dropped the ball
I wanted him to use this opportunity to show the side of himself that the residents of Florida have come to see and appreciate: fearless, decisive, bold, willing to make the tough but unpopular stand.
However, he and many others dropped the ball when the moderators asked if they’d support the former president if he received the nomination after being convicted of the charges now pending against him in four states.
DeSantis, like most of the field, raised his hand in what was a major disappointment for me. I wanted—and expected—him to make the case for his presidency, saying, loudly, confidently, “Yes, the former president did some good things for which he should be celebrated. But, it’s time to move on. We need to pick a candidate who can win and lead, not just get the nomination.”
This much is certain: I will not be voting for either the current president (well, duh) or the most recent former president. (Read this post for a few of the many reasons why.)
If DeSantis leads, it’s likely voters will follow
In an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal shortly after the debate, Samuel Popkin, a political scientist at the University of California, San Diego, seemed to echo what many of us are thinking and feeling. Mainly that the vast majority of the primary electorate will move on from Trump, but only if the right candidate shows the moxie to stand up to him, which they so far have refused to do.
“There are a lot of things he didn’t do that he said he would,” Mr. Popkin says. “Making a substantive argument is more effective than saying he is evil and dishonest. Don’t tell voters you were wrong to vote for Trump. You can’t say ‘I told you so.’ They’ll give you more credit when you don’t rub it in their face.”
While polling shows that more than 70% of Republican voters are considering voting for the former president, fully 99% of them say it’s because things were better during his presidency than they are now, and 95% say “he fights for people like me,” wrote the WSJ.
The voters live in the real world and clearly see that crime, unemployment, inflation were better under the previous president, even if he did drop the ball in his response to the pandemic.
They want an option other than what’s currently on the menu and DeSantis has proved palatable at times. Popkin thinks voters’ reluctance to get behind the governor is owing to his “insular campaign…focused heavily on cultural issues” and his refusal to go head up against the former president. Despite the occasional tough talk, said Popkin, voters may feel that he’s too timid to bring the fight to the former Pres. Trump.
“Recall the moment in the debate when the candidates were asked whether they’d support Mr. Trump if he’s convicted of a felony. Mr. DeSantis didn’t raise his hand until he saw others do so. This signals to voters a lack of leadership and guts. Ditto his ducking questions.
“They might ask themselves: Is this guy really tough enough to be commander in chief and leader of the free world? Will he take on progressives in Congress and the administrative state as he promises? If China invades Taiwan, will he wilt?”
That’s the question I’m now asking, though I hold out hope that the governor of my former home state will steel his spine and press ahead. To victory.