Who won, who lost the latest GOP debate? Hint: It was best for someone not on stage | Opinion
Republicans other than Donald Trump debated for the third time Wednesday. The faceoff was more substantive, but it’s doubtful the outcome will be much different. Our assessment:
WINNERS
Trump: Each of the candidates, trailing Trump by at least 30 points, soft-pedaled their criticism of the front-runner. The first question was the only one at this point that matters: Why you, not him? And they all whiffed. The moderators even gave them another crack to make a distinction at the end, and no one did. Do any of them actually want to win?
Israel: The candidates offered unwavering support for the country’s war on Hamas. Any Republican administration would give Israel the latitude it needs to blast its terrorist enemies and, if necessary, take the battle to Hezbollah and Iran, while Democrats will constantly be torn about reining in Israel.
Moderators: NBC News and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt did a nice job keeping the cross-talk down. They stopped the candidates when they went over time and generally maintained more of a semblance of a debate, or at least, an orderly Q&A that everyone could hear. The lecterns, which lit up red when a candidates’ time was up, beat the annoying bell hands down. As a result, this debate was by far the most substantive one yet.
LOSERS
Everyone on stage: Even if the GOP were looking for a strong Trump alternative — and right now, there’s no reason to think many voters are — no one managed to distinguish themselves as a viable alternative.
Vivek Ramaswamy: Yep, he’s a double loser. That’s what you get for legitimizing Russia’s seizure of parts of Ukraine a decade ago and criticizing Nikki Haley’s daughter, prompting her to call him “scum.” He was gross on policy and on politics. He constantly spewed prepared talking points that he thinks GOP voters want to hear. His style and arrogance is reminiscent of Trump, with even less achievement.
Tim Scott: He seems like a sweet, faith-filled, candidate. But he lacks charisma and zeal, and kindness doesn’t win elections these days. It’s time for him to go.
TikTok: All the candidates but Ramaswamy seemed ready to pile on the social media app that Ron DeSantis called “spyware.” Most of them said as president they’d restrict or ban the app even though it’s popular with kids. Good riddance.
This story was originally published November 9, 2023 at 6:31 AM with the headline "Who won, who lost the latest GOP debate? Hint: It was best for someone not on stage | Opinion."
