GOP Debate: It Literally Does Not Matter What the
Question Is
The candidates came to say things, and they'll be damned if they
aren't going to say them.
By Charles P. Pierce
October 30, 2015 "Information
Clearing House" - "Esquire"
- Holy mother of pearl, it's Larry Kudlow, anchoring a debate…on
economics! This already is more fun than a person should
have with their clothes on.
There never has been a debate
in which the panel seemed less relevant, and this isn't the fault of
the three people on it. The folks behind all the podiums came to the
stage wanting to say things, and damned if they weren't going to say
them. It started when John Kasich answered a question about his
biggest weakness by pointing out what know-nothing schlubs Donald
Trump and Ben Carson are. Sequiturs?
Non! It got worse. Trump bludgeoned Kasich in return about how
much of Kasich's success as governor of Ohio was due to the fracking
boom, and then mocked him for getting tough because he's polling so
badly. Dr. Ben (The Blade) Carson spun his mathematical cotton candy
into sweet swirls of complete non-fact. And Marco Rubio claimed that
the bad press he's getting about missing votes—and, it must be said,
for his going around talking about what a miserable job the Senate
is—is a result of the gap between "the mainstream press" and
conservative politicians. Jeb! Bush asked him "as a constituent" why
he didn't walk away from the completely miserable existence forced
upon him as a United States Senator. Rubio flashed back by reciting
how many votes previous senators—citing Bob Graham, John Kerry, and
the president—missed while they were running. Of course, none of
them complained about their day jobs and, by the time Kerry ran, he
was a decorated war hero, and a veteran senator who had led hearings
into international money laundering and the drug trade. Marco Rubio
was…speaker of the Florida House. Where is Lloyd Bentsen when we all
need him?
But the highlight of the first
hour, and the most vivid example of what was going on, was when Ted
Cruz was asked about the budget deal that was struck this week
between the Congress and the White House,
and he replied by ripping the moderators up one side and down
the other. This was the Tailgunner in full cry, channeling the
spirit of the original Tailgunner when he called the last Democratic
debate, "the Bolsheviks vs. the Mensheviks." Are you now, or have
you ever been…
This wasn't a lack of control. The format was
fine. But there's nothing you can do about someone like Ted Cruz,
who isn't encumbered by either truth or civility. Even defending the
other candidates, he doesn't care what damage he does, as long as he
can stand atop the rubble. Come to think of it, that could be said
of pretty much all of these people.
