August 6, 2015

Post Debate quick thoughts

The debate was long.  It was short on details probably because there were a lot of candidates on stage.  No one flamed out.  No one performed above expectations.  There were a number of good moments, but none great. The most engaging perhaps were Ben Carson's closing comments. But I don't think anybody won, or lost. I think the quality of discussion and debate got better as the night went along.  I don't think there was a clear cut winner.


While I respect the Fox moderators as news commentators,  I think they were a bit too familial and not as professional as they could have been.  Sadly, particularly Megyn Kelly looked more like she was hosting her show than being a moderator or panelist.  She's talented and I hate to say it, but it was not her best night. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as professional as I'd expected.


  1. Yeah. (I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting, but Fox didn't deliver. Maybe it's the format itself doesn't lend itself to real meaningful communication.

    Carly clearly stood out in the first debate. Huckabee did better than I expected, but not enough to move my meter. I don't think Trump helped himself any. He polled well on Drudge but I think overall he lost fans. Time will tell.

    1. Highlights of the first debate align with your comment about Fiorina. I agree on Huckabee and also think Carson had a few good sound bites. Walker was not bad but didn't do as well as he should have done. Bush was really drab.

      Trump I think blew an opportunity. Fox clearly wanted him to fail, starting the debate with the 'general' question about third party run. If Trump didn't see it coming, it speaks to his preparedness. He could have put his hand up and argued that while he wholeheartedly supports conservative principles, it's a tactical move not to reveal that answer just yet because he feels that the RNC has to prove that they'll treat him fairly.

      I'm not saying that's the truth or that the RNC isn't being fair, just that it would have been a more palatable answer for Republican voters and for conservatives.

      As for the Fox broadcast, I think more practice would help them stylistically. It really seemed like a sub-par performance. Not horrible, but definitely nothing to brag about. Post debate the Frank Luntz panel seemed like a Trump hit job too, since those opinions were starkly anti-Trump and as you point out, the (faulty methodology) Drudge poll presents a diametrically opposed result.

      My fear is not that Trump doesn't get a fair shake but rather that those who control the microphone on the right (i.e. Fox) are going to winnow down the field until their preferred establishment candidate wins out. This morning they highlighted a Ben Carson clip to show he did well in the debate, and it wasn't his closing remarks, which were clearly his best.

      I smell a guided predestined outcome. I hope that feeling goes away because I don't like the idea of being a tinfoil hat, conspiracy theorist.



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