Phew, it’s finally over. Five hours of childish bickering and political grandstanding just wrapped up at the Reagan Library in California.
From Jessica Mackler, President of American Bridge:
“It was an agonizing, and at times hilarious, night that perfectly embodied the mess of today’s Republican Party, and one thing’s clear: the amateurs are in control. Surprising no one, Donald Trump was the gravitational force of the stage — pushing around Jeb Bush and Scott Walker like a bully on the schoolyard. But of course, Trump was a skyscraper of rhetoric and dumpster of substance. Carly Fiorina’s performance belies a business record that will quickly wilt under a harsher media spotlight. Her ‘credentials’ for the White House include tanking HP’s stock, laying off 30,000 workers and being named one of the ‘Worst CEOs’ of all time. The only people that came away from this thing winners are the folks who changed the channel early.”
The supporting cast spouted the same extremist rhetoric and empty right-wing talking points that we’ve come to expect from this crew: anti-immigrant, anti-choice, and anti-women’s health.
Other highlights:
- The Donald re-upped his “Low Energy Person” Jeb Jab, with a backhanded compliment on Bush’s snooze-fest-inducing tedium: “More energy tonight — I like that.”
- But even when things got most heated — even when prompted to go after Trump — Jeb still mostly just tiptoed around him.
- And when Jeb did try to go after Trump, well — just take a look.
- The Donald spared no one, going after Marco Rubio for having missed more votes than any other Senator running for president.
- John Kasich eagerly added that he’d like to defund Planned Parenthood.
Published: Sep 17, 2015