Ronald Reagan is expected to loom large in the debate, but not policy
The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library: What’s the big deal? Seven candidates for president addressing the age of the United States, or the history of the Reagan revolution
Even so, more than 40 years have passed since Reagan took office, and it’s unclear how much that image will continue to resonate with younger voters with little or no memory of him. The party is struggling to win over young voters, a key demographic in the upcoming general election.
What’s the big deal? Seven candidates for president will be on stage at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., for the second GOP debate on Wednesday.
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What are the people talking about? Reagan isn’t invisible and certainly won’t be on Wednesday at the library that bears his name. Some candidates invoke his name more than others.
“I must tell you, when I started to hear the voice and the values and the ideals of the 40th president of the United States, I joined the Reagan revolution, and I never looked back,” Pence said on the campaign trail to applause.
“Ronald Reagan gave us a great example,” Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said, recalling when Reagan fired air traffic controllers when those workers went on strike in 1981. He said that if you start striking, you’re going to be fired. To the extent that we could use that again.
Six Takes from the Second GOP Debate: Trump, Desantis, and Vivek Ramaswamy, and How to Survive Dilemma
Last month there were eight candidates in the debate, but this time only seven are taking part. The first nominating contest in Iowa on January 15 will be important to determine the chances of anyone taking on front-runner Donald Trump. Trump did not attend either the first or second debate.
That made for a debate that was at times unruly, with the three moderators struggling to control the conversation as candidates talked and shouted over each other.
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum tried to get more airtime when he answered a child care question in front of Dana Perino of Fox News.
The debate wrapped up with a surprising moment of decorum, when the candidates refused to answer a question posed by Perino, who asked each candidate to single out one rival: “Who should be voted off the island?”
Christie said every person on this stage had respect for Republican voters, and that Trump has divided the country.
The former South Carolina Gov. showed up with her hands in the air.
She sparred with both DeSantis and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott over energy policy. During a heated exchange about how to regulate social media use by teens, Haley told entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy what will perhaps be the single most memorable line: “Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber.”
Ramaswamy complained about the fruitlessness of personal attacks, as the discussion descended into yet another shouting match between the moderated and candidates.
Source: 6 takeaways from the second GOP debate
What are the takeaway lessons from the second republican debate? Donald Trump’s comments on Haley and DeSantis’ visit to the South border
In an apparent sign that Trump views Haley as a threat, his campaign released a statement before the debate even ended trying to diminish her credibility by portraying her as weak on immigration. The statement attempts to connect Haley with Clinton by citing a 2012 New York Times article that said she had been inspired to run for political office because of Clinton.
That visit seemed designed to contrast with President Biden’s decision to join autoworkers on a picket line in Detroit on Tuesday — a move that some of the Republican hopefuls criticized from the debate stage in California. Scott, for example, said, “Joe Biden should not be on the picket line; he should be on our Southern border working to close our Southern border.”
Trump’s Republican rivals are behind him in the polls and don’t have much to lose. That’s probably why some took direct aim at him, including DeSantis, who lobbed an uncharacteristically pointed attack on Trump’s decision not to participate.
Christie claimed that Trump went to the debate because he had to answer for his record, even though he was leading in the polls.
“You’re ducking these things, and let me tell you what’s going to happen,” Christie said. “You keep doing that, no one up here is going to call you Donald Trump anymore. We are going to call you Donald Duck.
The debate centered on China’s dominance of the energy and technology sectors, its role in the flow of Fentanyl into the United States, and efforts to control Taiwan, among other topics.
Source: 6 takeaways from the second GOP debate
“Sleeping with Teachers”: A Disturbative Response to a Pedestrian Theoretical Punishment”
One of the weirder lines of discussion surrounded — that’s right — politicians “sleeping with teachers.” Spoiler alert — the teachers in question were their wives, but don’t let that get in the way of a good, snarky quip.
Several minutes later, Pence followed up by joking that he has been “sleeping with a teacher for 38 years.” But he did make the distinction that his wife isn’t a union teacher.
