On Donald Trump:
"I actually think the winner in the debate was Donald Trump. Look, there were some interesting moments, entertaining moments in the debate – but generally it was a raucous [debate with] people talking over each other, many interruptions … exactly the kind of thing that Donald Trump used to get criticized for doing. And yet that was the tenor of the whole debate without Donald Trump on the stage. So, I think that inadvertently, all of those candidates – and many of them are very good – nonetheless looked relatively small compared to the presence of the man who wasn't actually there." On Ron DeSantis:"I thought his answers were great. I think his positions on virtually all the issues are basically in line with populist conservatism. He had to beat the expectation game and hasn't done that. But look, we're a long way yet. DeSantis is a serious man. He's done a great job in Florida; he's got a lot of people behind him – and I think it's way too early to count him out." Gary Bauer, chairman On Mike Pence:
"I was appalled by him. He has become such a pompous, self-righteous person. When he talks about his faith, it rings hollow to me. It reminds me of Jimmy Carter saying over and over 'I'm born again.' Don't do that in a debate, unless it's the natural part of the discussion [or] if someone asks you what your guiding force is or something. But don't use that politically. I can't stand it." On Vivek Ramaswamy:"Barack Obama did the same thing [in taking on the language of Christianity]. Anybody remember that? The Rick Warren interview? That's why I don't want Mike Pence to do that. Don't do that in a debate!" Sandy Rios, director of governmental affairs |
The Florida governor has consistently run second in Republican primary polling – but he's been a distant second, far behind former President Donald Trump, who skipped the Milwaukee gathering before Fox News moderators Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum.
Instead, DeSantis statistically has been much closer to political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech entrepreneur, who has charged up to third in the numbers.
Ramaswamy, an articulate communicator, pressed his points with confidence and appeared unfazed in the spotlight while fending off jabs from Chris Christie, Nikki Haley and Mike Pence about his lack of experience. The former vice president called him a "rookie" and said the times call for experience in foreign policy.
If there was a winner it may have been Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador under Trump. Fox News columnist Liz Peek agrees, adding that DeSantis "looked awkward and uncomfortable" as he inserted "pre-prepared sound-bites that rarely met the moment."
CNN calls out DeSantis for 'rehearsed lines'
Peek wasn't the only one who noticed that. CNN criticized DeSantis for failing to take strong positions saying he "largely leaned on rehearsed lines."
"When DeSantis touted his record on crime by declaring it was at a 50-year low in Florida, Fox's Brett Baier interjected that crime was up in Miami. DeSantis clarified: 'Well, statewide.' Asked if he would support a federal six-week abortion ban, DeSantis talked about his electoral victory in Florida. Pressed to give an answer, he replied as he has for weeks, by refusing to rule it out or get behind it," CNN wrote.
DeSantis, who stood center stage, received the first question.
"Our country is in decline," he said. "This decline is not inevitable. It's a choice. We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse this decline. It starts with understanding we must reverse Bidenomics so that middle-class families have a chance to succeed again."
The Florida governor sought to connect with voters by emphasizing a blue-collar background and talking about minimum-wage jobs he'd held in the past. He attacked Congress for excessive spending and pledged to lower gas prices and make America energy independent.
Several outlets took DeSantis to task for disappearing from the conversation for long stretches.
Other candidates seemed less concerned with DeSantis than they were with the up-and-coming Ramaswamy who has passed them in polling.
"This is our moment to revive those common ideals," Ramaswamy said. "God is real; there are two genders; fossil fuels are a requirement for human prosperity; reverse racism is racism; an open border is not a border; parents determine the education of their children; the nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to man; capitalism lifts us up from poverty; there are three branches of government, not four; and the U.S. Constitution is the strongest guarantor of freedom in human history."
Haley stood out with her stances on abortion and climate change. She also distanced herself from Trump.
"What I do believe is you're going to have Donald Trump spend more time in a courtroom next year – not through anything outside of their weaponizing government against him – but he's going to spend more time in a courtroom than he is campaigning," she told Fox's Sean Hannity in a quick post-debate interview.
"I served with him, I was proud to serve with him, I agree with him on most issues and he's my friend – but the reality is we cannot afford Joe Biden."
Haley argued that an early-weeks ban on abortion would not pass at the federal level because of a deeply divided Senate. "Don't make women feel like they have to decide on this issue when you know we don't have 60 Senate votes," she told Pence.
Differences over climate change
She sparred with Ramaswamy over climate change. He called it a hoax; she called it real.
"I'm the only person on the stage who isn't bought and paid for so I can say this," argued Ramaswamy. "The climate change agenda is a hoax, and we have to declare independence from it. The reality is the anti-carbon agenda is the wet blanket on our economy. More people are dying from bad climate change policies than they are from actual climate change."
For her part, Haley said any serious policy to address the climate through carbon emissions has to include other big offenders and not only the U.S. She took aim at Joe Biden's passion for green energy governance.
"Is climate change real? Yes, it is – but if you want to go and really change the environment then we need to tell China and India that they have to lower their emissions. That's where our problem is," she argued.
"And these green subsidies that Biden has put in, all he's done is help China. He doesn't understand that … half the batteries for all these electric vehicles are made in China. That's not helping the environment; you're putting money in China's pocket. Biden did that. First of all we need to acknowledge the truth which is these subsidies are not working. We also need to take on the international world, and say, 'India and China, you've got to stop polluting."
According to The Hill, Haley's best moment was when the former U.N. ambassador challenged Ramaswamy on foreign policy:
"Her single biggest moment came in a blast at Ramaswamy over the entrepreneur's deep skepticism about funding for Ukraine. Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, she told Ramaswamy, 'This guy is a murderer, and you are choosing a murderer over a pro-American country.' When Ramaswamy tried to defend himself, Haley poured more pressure on: 'You have no foreign policy experience – and it shows,'" The Hill wrote.
Sidebar added after story was originally posted
