Memo on the Republican debate
Trump again missing; Abortion victories mischaracterized
Even for liberal viewers, you almost have to empathize with the Republican candidates for president who took to the debate stage in Miami on Wednesday. None are within striking distance of former President Donald Trump, commanding in polls for the nomination. Trump also leads President Joe Biden in the general election contest.
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were the people who debated. Trump was the first topic discussed. They gave reasons for why the country should choose them instead.
For the most part, everyone tempered their criticism of Trump.
DeSantis said Trump was a distraction. He said Trump hadn’t kept promises on immigration, debt, and fighting corruption in D.C.
Haley said that Trump was the right president in 2016 but isn’t now. He said he softened his stance on Ukraine. She then focused on her campaign instead of honestly criticizing the unprecedented situation where the frontrunner was indicted nationwide.
Ramaswamy blamed RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, instead of Donald Trump, for all the lost elections since 2020. He then characterized the moderators as biased.
Christie, in fairness, said that Trump shouldn’t be the candidate because he would be stuck in courtrooms for the following year.
Scott focused on upholding the legacy of less polarizing Republican presidents like Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln. What the modern Republican party has in common with Honest Abe eludes me.
The next topic was the Israeli-Hamas war. The candidates offered unfettered support for Israel. The mainstream Republican party, by and large, has taken a pro-Israeli viewpoint. Ramaswamy was alone in dissenting. He said that America should be reluctant to get involved in the war and cited the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq as reasons for what a lengthy and costly war would do to the country.
This has been a challenging issue for Democrats to navigate, including in the reproductive rights movement.
We must study more Jewish history before commenting or declaring a position. There’s a good movie called Exodus, which stars Paul Newman, that would be good to watch. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, written by journalist William Shirer, is another thing people must read. I recommend Simon Schama’s The Story of the Jews, a multi-episode documentary. They also have to be aware of anti-semitism in various liberal constituencies, including the black community, as is evidenced by Kanye West. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t understand the Palestinean viewpoint or study it as well. We should master that history. We should understand the difference between Sunni and Shiite. Understand and appreciate Islamic contributions to literature and math. Know the contributions of American Muslims like Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X, whose autobiography we should read.
The candidates also criticized students and faculty on college campuses, where much of the support for Hamas has come. As a former professor, I don’t think limiting speech on campus is the problem. I think liberating it is the answer. Permit them to debate. Permit them to disagree. Don’t make professors apologize for pushing students outside of their comfort zone. I taught Black and White students. I taught Jews and Christians. I respected their intellects. It bothers me that candidates attack universities.
Ramaswamy and Haley again clashed over the Ukrainian war. He said the military shouldn’t get involved in the fighting or fund it because it would be too costly. Haley was more hawkish and called Putin a thug. The other candidates agreed with Haley. DeSantis said he wouldn’t send troops and wanted to send more money to the American border.
China was then discussed. Haley called for an end to trade relations with the country until they ended the manufacture of fentanyl, which has devastated America with overdoses. She said that the government should support Taiwan. She wanted to modernize the American military to utilize more artificial intelligence and increase its power. DeSantis noted that China was as significant a threat as the Soviet Union was.
All candidates called for more military and defense spending. The discussion seemed dated. It was about more ships. More submarines. More troops. But very little time was spent on artificial intelligence, which poses an existential threat. Still, at the same time, it must be developed because other countries are planning to implement it in wars and foreign policy. How do we address and balance that? It’s the new arms race.
TikTok was another topic. The platform had been criticized for gathering data on American citizens, conducting espionage, and spreading antisemitism. Christie called for its banning. So did everyone else, with Ramaswamy offering a more tempered approach because he felt the party needed to reach young people. He said it was poisoning American youth. DeSantis said it was easy to manipulate children this way.
Newspapers, including the Wall Street Journal, have covered the damage social media–TikTok or Instagram–has caused youth. There’s no question that it’s created body dysmorphia. It’s harmed the mental health of many. It can lead to isolation. It’s what permitted Donald Trump to become president. Instead of talented filmmakers, reality TV stars carry the most influence among young people when discussing Hollywood’s impressions on the culture.
At the same time, it’s the most helpful tool in liberal politics. As someone in the reproductive rights movement, I admire young activists who have raised funds for liberal causes with it. But as an older adult, I’m also concerned with cultivating critical thought and people capable of forming meaningful real-world relationships.
Inflation was the next topic. Scott called for the Keystone XL Pipeline to open up. Environmentalists have sought to prevent that because of ecological damage. Liberals have also criticized it because it would dispossess Native Americans of their land. Moderator Lester Scott said that wouldn’t make an immediate difference. Scott struggled to provide an adequate response. DeSantis said he would rescind all regulations Biden issued. He also said he’d monitor the Federal Reserve and remove some of its power. Haley called for tax cuts and the elimination of earmarks and spending.
Haley said that they should raise the retirement age for Social Security. I always found that a fascinating debate. When it was conceived, life expectancy was far shorter than it is now. Democrats have always resisted acknowledging that. Trump and DeSantis have both said they wouldn’t change anything about it.
After a commercial break, moderators asked about what the presidential candidates would do about fentanyl, which is the most dangerous agent in the opioid crisis. It’s caused countless overdoses. Scott called for the country to close its borders. Christie said there needs to be more technology in securing it. He also called for more treatment in rehab. DeSantis called for the use of special forces to wipe out drug cartels in Mexico. Haley supported that. Ramaswamy called for a wall on the Canadian border because drugs were coming in there, too.
Abortion was one of the final things discussed. DeSantis said that he “stood for the culture of life.”
DeSantis also mischaracterized what happened in Ohio. The ballot initiative protected abortion rights up to viability, which is the 22nd week. He said it was up to the point of birth. Haley said that abortion was in the hands of voters. She said she didn’t judge pro-choice people. She then said it would be impossible to pass a federal abortion ban. She said states should be permitted to decide on the issue.
Scott said he would have a 15-week ban on abortion. He didn’t think states like New York or California should be permitted to decide their laws.
Ramaswamy said he was upset about the amendment in Ohio. He also mischaracterized the amendment by saying it protected abortion access up to birth. He also brought up a hypothetical situation where a pregnant woman lost her fetus because of an assault. He felt that the fetus had the right to personhood.
Christie said that the point of overturning Roe was to return abortion regulation to the states. He said he didn’t want the federal government to regulate the procedure.