Everybody Hates Vivek: Republican Debate Had Plenty of Agreement On At Least One Point
At the end of the first GOP primary debate on Fox News, the Drudge Report poll had the winner as Vivek Ramaswamy, with Chris Christie in second place. An unusual pair for the result, and not reflected by the apparent consensus among the candidates themselves, who while certain to claim personal victory made it clear they felt the loser on stage was Ramaswamy.
The youngest Republican candidate, tech businessman Ramaswamy was the object of multiple confrontations, in addition to provoking his own. The exasperation and edge of contempt the other candidates had for him was palpable and a major theme in the overall debate, despite their differences individually and apart from him.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley had a big night and was a trending topic through most of the debate, even earning praise from the likes of MSNBC’s Jen Psaki for the way she handled herself. From big cheers after invoking Margaret Thatcher to internet kudos for calling out the lack of control by the Fox News moderators, Haley had a good night. And went after Ramaswamy.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did himself no favors at Wednesday’s debate. While he didn’t commit any major errors, he did nothing to show himself the frontrunner among the non-frontrunners, and took heavy fire from Christie and even a harsh interjection from Brett Baier. DeSantis also went after Ramaswamy.
Former governor and 2016 debate veteran Christie was the most combative, and by far the most openly critical of Donald Trump. He didn’t hold back on answers, didn’t get too involved in the crosstalk or messes, and, yes, went after Ramaswamy.
Mike Pence for his part sounded like he still thinks it’s the 1990s with his style of debate, his delivery on his lines, and Clinton-esque thumb pointing. But when he tangled with Ramaswamy, which was a lot, he came out looking a little less old-fashioned.
Being just the first of the primary debates, one can’t consider the results too consequential on the broad field. Christie and DeSantis, Pence and Haley, Tim Scott and Doug Burgum will all continue their campaigns.
But one thing is clear — the way the instant polls turned and the way the debate participants felt was not the same. And political press, commentators, and the non-MAGA social media electorate did not enjoy him much either. Which means that Trump probably loved the performance and will probably say so soon enough.
In the end, there were actual policy points discussed amid the bland electioneering, and Fox News put on a program that highlighted some of what differentiates one candidate from the other in a group that collectively runs second to the soon-to-be subject of a Fulton County mugshot.
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Oh snap, also Asa Hutchinson was there, y’all.
