CNN: "So, who won the Republican debate?"

[Attorney in Texas]

CNN asked a wide variety of blather mouths who won the debate, and here's what they said (in summary):

David Gergen: Kasich, Fiorina
Dan Pfeiffer: Rubio (“Loser: Jeb Bush. After several bad weeks, Jeb Bush could really have used a good night. He didn't have it. Bush, like Huntsman in '12 and Dukakis in '88, seems to shrink under the klieg lights. He was nervous, halting, and just painfully uninspiring. Politics in our polarized age is about motivation and Bush gave no indication that he could motivate anyone to get out of bed and vote on a rainy day in November.”)
Tara Setmayer: Rubio (loser: Jeb Bush ”(who terribly underperformed by the way)”; Breakout performance: Carly Fiorina)
Mel Robbins: Trump (Loser: Women)
William Howell: Rubio (Loser: Trump)
Donna Brazile: Trump (losers: Paul, Christie)
Buck Sexton: Rubio, Cruz, Paul and Christie (losers: Bush, Trump, Huckabee and Carson)
Dean Obeidallah: Carson, Bush, “especially” Trump, Kasich. Fiorina
Maria Cardona: Fiorina, Kasich, “and Hillary Clinton for all of the fodder the candidates gave her for the general election campaign”) (Loser: Bush)
Julian Zelizer: “Who was the biggest loser? American democracy. This is no way to pick who will run for president. Democracy deserves a more serious conversation.”
Tom Rogan: Fiorina , Walker (loser: Paul)
Raul A. Reyes: Kasich (loser: Walker)
Karlyn Bowman: Rubio, Walker, Carson (loser: “the GOP … the party needs to rethink these cattle calls”)

[elias49]

1. Thanks for this summary!

I guess we roll the dice. Til next time.

[brucefan]

2. I agree

With the Julian guy.

[Attorney in Texas]

3. Scorecard -- Winners: Fiorina, Rubio (5 wins each); Loser: Bush (4 losses); Biggest Split Decision:

Trump (3 said he won the night; 2 said he was a big loser)

[ProfessorGAC]

4. Except, Who There Is Really Worth Listening To?

Well, except for the one who said "no way to pick a president".

[sub.theory]

5. Trump (loser: GOP) (biggest winner: Democrats)

That Trump survived at all makes him the winner. Fox clearly sought to destroy him last night so that the correct Koch brothers approved corporate candidates could take their place at the top. I had expected popcorn, but it was beyond my wildest dreams. I've never seen such an obvious political hit in a national debate. It was essentially a setup. The GOP are terrified of Trump, and with good reason. He's going to sink them. That he survived means he won and they have lost hugely.

Biggest winner: Democrats.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

6. Very well said

[lovuian]

8. Trump won hands down

They wanted to destroy him and he destroyed them

Republican Party shown what it is a SHAM .....for the Billionaires

[BlueStater]

7. They're really propping up that lightweight Rubio and ignoring Kasich.

I must have been watching a different debate because I didn't find Rubio impressive at all. He was as bland and uninspiring as the rest of them.

[sub.theory]

10. Kasich is dangerous

He wasn't on my radar before, but he sure as hell is now. He could be a true threat if he was the nominee. His defense of expanding Medicaid and saying that God will ultimately judge him not by how much he lowered the deficit but by how he cared for the poor was brilliant. That's the sort of candidate I fear. Fortunately, I think the GOP are too stupid to nominate him.

[PassingFair]

12. +1

Fortunately, I also think the GOP are too stupid to nominate him.

[Attorney in Texas]

14. Kasich is a very good bet to be Jebush's VP (but if Walker beats Jebush, Rubio may get the VP nod)

Kasich is not extreme enough (especially on ACA) to get the nomination.

I handicap their race at Jebush 40%, Walker 30%, Rubio 20%, field 10%.

[Paladin]

15. I fail to see Kasich as any sort of threat.

About the 14th time he reminded everybody that his daddy was a postman, I thought he was going to lose it and burst into tears, on stage. And you're right about his charitable instincts---they'll get him absolutely nowhere with present-day GOP droolers.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

9. Did Fiorina win by not being there? How'e she pick up points from the kids' table?

[Mass]

11. Rubio and Walker (at least from a social conservative POV)

They announced that women should not get abortion if their health is in risk and that they should carry their rapists' babies to term.

I thought they were a new brand of Republicans who wanted to appeal to women. This is a good beginning, I would say.

From the POV of a human being, and knowing well that he is a conservative and that I disagree with him on nearly everything, Kasich. He was the only one who seemed to have a minimum of empathy with people.

[StevieM]

13. Could you expand on what they said about abortion? Did they actually say that if a woman is facing

serious health risks she should never-the-less carry the baby to term?

Also, did they reference adoption as the supposedly obvious choice that the woman would be making if there was to be no abortion?

[Mass]

16. No, Rubio was asked how he was squaring a culture of life and accepting abortion during rape

and rushed to say he was not accepting it.

As for Walker, he basically said he did not support a health exception and implied it was ALWAYS possible to preserve the health of the mother without getting an abortion.

They were not asked to elaborate on those specific points (after all, it was a Fox debate).

Here is for Rubio

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/rubio-abortion-rape-exemptions

When moderator Megyn Kelly suggested Rubio was in favor of rape exemptions in abortion bans, Rubio pushed back and argued he never supported such an exception.

"I have never said that, and I have never advocated that," Rubio said. "I have advocated that we pass a law that says all human life at every stage of development is worthy of protection."

It was widely assumed Rubio supported exemptions in the case of rape and incest because those exceptions were included in legislation he introduced in 2013 prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy in 2013.

And Walker
http://thinkprogress.orhttp://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/08/06/3689042/scott-walker-abortion-debate/

“Well I’m pro-life,” the Republican candidate said. “I’ve always been pro-life. I’ve got a position that’s consistent with many Americans out there in that I believe that that is an unborn child that’s in need of protection out there. And I’ve said many times that that unborn child can be protected and there are many alternatives that would protect the life of the mother.”
Moderator Megyn Kelly had asked Walker: “would you really let a mother die rather than have an abortion?” She added that 83 percent of voters are in favor of a “life exception” and questioned whether he is too out of the mainstream on this issue to win the general election

[StevieM]

17. Walker is frightening. A few months ago I was talking to my BIL and he said that he thought

Cruz was a lot scarier than Walker. I responded that Walker was more dangerous IMO, because Cruz can't win--but Walker can.

I can't remember any major Republican ever saying before that it is always possible to preserve the mother's health without an abortion. Usually they list that as the one exception that they will make.

[Deadshot]

18. Julian Zelizer said it best:

Unfortunately, these debates have become the way we measure the people who are running -- opinions are formed, buzz is generated, predictions are made, all on the basis of a stilted event that resembles prime time talent shows like "American Idol." In fact, we are only a step away from having people call into a national number to vote off the candidate they like least. It's no wonder than Donald Trump, the former star of The Apprentice, looked so comfortable on the stage and drew much of the attention.

Who was the biggest loser? American democracy. This is no way to pick who will run for president. Democracy deserves a more serious conversation.

[procon]

19. I don't understand how Rubio is seen as a winner.

I think he's a dupe, a marionette that someone thinks will be able to bring in the 40% Latino voters the GOP needs to win. These would be the same nearsighted Republicans who thought women only voted for Clinton because she was a woman, just like they believe black people only voted for Obama because he's black. Now here we are again and the same blind logic prevails, Latinos will certainly vote for Rubio because he's one of them. Forget about the long history of Republican policies that hurt the Latino community, just please come vote for our guy cuz he looks just like all the other brown skinned people. Yeah, that'll work.

[Attorney in Texas]

20. I agree. He looked scared and over-rehearsed to me. I think he's running for VP or running for 2020

I think it doesn't work to have him and Jebush on the ticket so I think the VP angle only works with Walker (I think Walker-Rubio would not be as weak as most other tickets that they could run -- I think Bush-Kasich and Walker-Rubio would be their best bets).