August 6 marked the first GOP presidential debate between the top 10 republican candidates. The debate was between Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, and John Kasich. The debate ruled that each candidate will receive one minute for an answer, and 30 seconds for any follow up questions. The first question asked to the republican candidates was simple: would any of them NOT make the pledge to run against the eventual primary republican candidate if they do not win. No candidate raised their hand, with the exception of Donald Trump, stating he should be the winner, and if he isn't, he wouldn't pledge. What a great start to this debate.
Fox news hosts then addressed Carson's inexperience with foreign policy, and practically anything about politics, due to his being a neurosurgeon. Carson replied in a respectful manner, stating that it doesn't matter, because the "Most important thing is having a brain," and that being able to learn rapidly is what matters. Eloquent answer, but it does not dismiss the inexperience he has with politics. They then moved on to Rubio, and asked him to explain to Bush why he would be a better president, once again referring to experience, to which Rubio gave a similar answer. Rubio stated that the race isn't a resume competition, and it isn't about what the candidates have done in the past, but what they can do in the future. Rubio also made a slam against Hillary Clinton having the best resume of all of them, but that isn't what really "matters."
Hosts continued the debate with addressing the phrase that's surfaced all over social media: "We don't need another Bush in the white house." Bush answered this question by admitting he is PROUD of what his father and brother have done in the white house, but he has earned the title of "Jeb;" not just another Bush. He closed with the statement, "I govern as a conservative, and I govern respectfully." The debate then escalated when Fox Host Megyn Kelly asked Trump about his past experience with degrading women and making sexist comments, including telling a woman that "it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees." It took Trump about two sentences before he turned this debate into how the U.S is in trouble with Mexico. Trump openly slandered women in his response, and addressed the fact that he isn't politically correct, and neither is the U.S.A.
The debate then circled around Rubio stating he speaks the truth, Christie claiming his governor experience will benefit his presidency, then spun to the topic of abortion, of course. Scott Walker gave an unthoughtful answer, stating that a woman under NO circumstances should be allowed an abortion, even if that circumstance is going to result in her death. He values a fetus over the life of woman – what about that says "pro-life?" Huckabee agreed, slandering planned parenthood and stating his pro-life stance on ending abortion. Hosts then addressed ISIS, to which Paul's answer was simple: lets stop supplying our enemies with money and armery.
Questions were asked, then the main focus of the debate became immigration and undocumented immigrants. Jeb Bush expressed his compassion with the undocumented immigrants that come here out of love, for a better life, and to provide for their families, but the situation must be controlled. Trump quickly weighed in, claiming he was the reason immigration is being discussed in the first place, and that he first-hand knows immigration is bad, because the Border Patrol told him so. He expressed his anti-immigration stance, actively claiming USA's politicians are "stupid," and Mexico is taking advantage by sending their bad people here because they don't want to deal with them. Kasich and Rubio ultimately sided with Trump on the idea of being taken advantage of. Walker agreed with border security, and Cruz expressed his support also.
Chris Christie and Rand Paul then got into a heated debate about security in relations to locating terrorists. Christie believes privacy shouldn't be an issue when you're trying to knock down terrorism, but Paul thought innocent Americans should be able to have their privacy, which led to Paul making a hit at Christie for "hugging Obama." Christie responded, "I gave hugs to the families who lost people on 9/11." This brief debate was soon ended. Jeb Bush was asked about the disagreement he has with his "brother's war," and told a story about how he called every family who suffered from it, telling them he was praying for them. A few normal questions were asked with simple answers, until Trump spoke. Take this into consideration: Trump makes profit off of exposing politicians for being bribed and controlled by the government, yet openly admitted he "paid everyone on stage" along with Hillary Clinton and other politicians so they would "do what he wants." Sound a little hypocritical? Trump spoke of his wealth, and how he pays a lot of people, including Hillary Clinton, whom he paid to attend his wedding. Classic Trump.
We then moved into the common core standards in education, something that only politician Jeb Bush seemed to be passionate about. He strives for smarter students to compete with other countries, ignoring the fact that students learn differently, at different levels and in different ways. He seemed to only care about winning, and having a few students who do achieve. Each candidate was asked how they could compete with Hillary Clinton, and their stance on social security, and each expressed the same ideas about saving money and beating Hillary Clinton. Once again, heat intensified when it was Donald Trump's turn to speak.
Donald Trump was asked about his bankrupt past, which he denied, and bragged about his fortunes. Questions about small business owners and Iran were addressed, then the tension swayed to social issues in today's society. All candidates were pro-life and for the defunding of planned parenthood. Kasich expressed his support for those who do not "think like him" and are gay, while Paul expressed Christians rights to not support or work with gay people. The Black Lives Matter movement was brought to attention for about 30 seconds, during which Walker discussed giving police offers proper training and consequences. A few candidates were then asked about God, and if they received any word from him. Cruz, Kasich, Walker, and Rubio proposed their religious beliefs and how each are following God's plan.
Closing statements were given, available here, and ended with Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan. The debate was intense, but ideas were shared by many of the republicans, and the race for presidency in 2016 awaits. Trump leads all parties by far, being the most outspoken and ignorant, while we look forward to future republican and democratic debates.
