Summary and analysis of the Republican debate
A lengthy look at the candidates least likely to get the nomination
Something was missing at the second Republican presidential debate, as with the first one last month. That something was someone, namely the party’s one-time standard-bearer and current front-runner, Donald Trump.
Trump, who hasn’t seen any loss in polling, skipped the gathering once again. It’s surreal that someone can glide to a party’s nomination without debating significant issues concerning the country. What’s additionally troubling is that he’s polling even with President Joe Biden in the general election despite being connected to an insurrection and being subjected to countless indictments.
Florida Gov. Ron Desantis, Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, Former Vice President Mike Pence, Former UN Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Tim Scott, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum were all on stage again.
Childcare, inflation, and personal finances were a focus at the onset of the debate. Unions and collective bargaining were also discussed, emphasizing the auto worker strike in which President Joe Biden joined the picket line. Sen. Scott said that people should not overpromise benefits to unions that they’re negotiating with. He also praised Ronald Reagan’s firing of Air Traffic controllers as president.
Ramaswamy agreed with some of what Scott said. He doesn’t support union bosses, but he said he supports members of the organizations.
The moderator pointed out the massive income and economic inequality between corporate leaders and workers. Pence said that unions were involved in class warfare. Nikki Haley said that inflation had been caused by government spending. She said she would eliminate the gas and diesel taxes. She wanted to cut taxes generally.
Burgum criticized Biden for subsidizing electric vehicle manufacturing. He connected electric battery creation with helping China, where it is produced. Fewer workers are needed to build electric cars, according to Burgum, which leads to job loss.
Christie connected inflation with government spending as well. Christie criticized Trump as well, which got applause from the audience.
“He’s hiding behind his golf clubs,” Christie said.
DeSantis concurred that printing money led to inflation. DeSantis said that Trump owed it to voters to be on the stage.
Daycare costs were another topic of debate. Myself and several other feminists have called for universal 24-hour daycare. It’s a winning issue, and one Democrats should seize on. Republicans focused on tax cuts to free up money to pay for increasing fees associated with caring for children. Despite how salient it is to voters, the moderators spent little time on the issue.
Immigration and border control were discussed as well. Christie said it should be treated as a law enforcement issue. He said he would sign an executive order to send the National Guard to protect the borders. Some of the concerns about drug trafficking of fentanyl and heroin near the border are fair points to make.
To his credit, Christie then said that we need immigrants to fill the massive number of job openings. Restaurants in my hometown have closed because no one wants to work at them. Immigrants help fill those jobs, and many of their children could become great thinkers and scientists. Haley said they should defund sanctuary cities. She called for a policy of catch and deport.
DeSantis called for a ramping up military spending to combat China’s influence on America. He also said China shouldn’t have the cultural influence it currently has. DeSantis said the Chinese Communist Party shouldn’t be as invested in American companies. China isn’t the only country that has gained much control over America through purchasing real estate and other things of value here. Chicago famously sold the rights to its parking meters to an Abu Dhahi company that made back its investment within a month. These types of moves from foreign countries destabilize the country and take control of government from local citizens.
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals law was debated. That deals with dreamers, who are children who immigrants brought without documentation. They work and pay taxes. The moderator asked Pence if he would work with Congress to help Dreamers. Pence dodged the question and directed the discussion to budget spending.
After a break, crime was brought up by the moderator. Christie called for more prosecutions from the attorney general for crimes committed in cities overrun with crime. This is a tough issue for Democrats. In Pittsburgh, our most lively neighborhoods have been lost to crime. They need help recruiting new officers. They’ve cut out drug investigation units in a city plagued by heroin. A progressive judge who is part of the Democratic Socialists of America released a dangerous drug dealer who fled without any bond.
Haley said she plans on getting more police officers by prosecuting more often. That seems insufficient. The public image of police work has suffered due to many of the stories of police brutality and issues with apprehension of suspects. Some liberals claim all police officers are white supremacists.
The media broadly doesn’t cover police with any nuance, either. In many cases, suspects can deflect attention from their bad behavior to the officer's. The Investigative Reporters and Editors handbook explicitly said to consider that possibility while also looking into unethical behavior among law enforcement. That’s also made recruitment challenging.
Neither liberal nor conservative politicians seem to address the primary problem challenging us–the police shortage brought on by a bad public image of the profession. How do they intend to address that? Are they willing to say things that would make them unpopular among specific constituencies?
Pence addressed mass shootings by calling for the death penalty in such instances. He reiterated the standard Republican position about not taking away Second Amendment rights.
DeSantis defended his record on health insurance, as Florida has a massive number of people who don’t have it.
Haley spoke about healthcare costs, which are a leading cause of bankruptcy. She called for tort reform. She thinks every part of the industry–care, insurance, and other aspects–must be fixed.
After another break, the candidates discussed education. Haley said 67 percent of 8th graders aren’t proficient in reading and math. They aren’t proficient in civics. She said we need reading remediation. She called for school choice to increase competition between educational institutions. Haley supports vocational training in schools. She decried critical race theory.
Christie said the teachers’ unions were responsible for public schooling quality. He wanted to combat the teachers’ union as president.
DeSantis said that more emphasis on black history was a form of indoctrination. He said civics and constitutional study was what was needed. DeSantis has been criticized for his positions forcing out studying topics dealing with LGBTQ and people of color. As someone who fought to get these books in schools, I can vouch for the benefits of getting students to study Black and Latino history.
Ramaswamy criticized what he referred to as “transgenderism.”
He didn’t want any transgender education in schools because–as he put it–it confused children.
The moderator mentioned that the LGBTQ was nine times more likely to be victims of hate crimes. Pence said he would defend their rights but deflected attention to education again. He then criticized gender transition surgery.
Artificial intelligence and automation were a focus. Christie said AI permitted a possible revolution that would help Americans. He said retraining would be needed when it happens.
Haley criticized the use of TikTok, which has been criticized for violating privacy and harming children’s mental health. Ramaswamy said Republicans should use TikTok to reach young people.
The candidates discussed the situation in Ukraine and the relationship with China and Vladimir Putin. They called for more robust militarism against Russia, China, and Iran.
A moderator discussed China targeting farmers. As a newspaper reporter, I covered agriculture. Trade deals benefit farmers at the expense of manufacturing. When Trump withdrew from NAFTA, China placed tariffs on soybeans. That devastated farmers throughout the country. I found the candidates’ positions about farming and agriculture to be entirely out of touch with their lives. The logical question is, why would you create a policy that would hurt farmers and create jobs that will eventually be automated? No one on the left or right answers those questions.
Many of the nation’s most concerning issues weren’t addressed during the debate.
The existence and viability of journalism is something chiefly concerning the country. Much of our local government now operates in complete secrecy because newspapers have shuttered. That’s related to another issue. Progressives and conservatives have called for a ban on congressional stock-holding. Today I read an article in my local newspaper about how media outlets sought to get Congress to pass a bill that would force internet companies to share revenue with journalistic content producers. I reported this before anyone on my substack, where the news broke after I went through the financial disclosures of representatives. Many who would vote on that bill own stock in the companies they would regulate. That wasn’t addressed during the debate.
Additionally, there needs to be a massive rewrite of copyright and trademark laws if the actors’ strike in Hollywood is an indication. The nation is vested in ensuring our cultural centers are protected and that our most talented people aren’t exploited financially. One of the things that they’ve contended in that strike is that artificial intelligence can recreate actors without any filming. If the actor is dead–as has happened with James Dean–who gets paid for using their likenesses? Washington needs to lead on this, whether it’s a Republican or Democratic president. That also wasn’t addressed at all during the debate.
Both are issues and areas of concern that Democrats should seize control of to have popular positions when campaigning next year.
These debates seem important until you remember that the most likely to get the nomination isn’t even on stage. It’s surreal watching pundits approach it conventionally, discussing the candidate’s positions and analyzing whether it will win the horse race. If the Republican race were the Kentucky Derby, they wouldn’t even be in serious contention for the crown. It’s possible we could go through the motions of this primary without any of the televised candidates ending up with the nomination. It begs the question of what the point of them was if that happens.