I cannot help but comment on the just completed (third) Republican Party Presidential Debate.

I started this blog as a way, quite frankly, to just externalize the internal discussions I would have with myself (lol) on topics that interest me – politics, science, environment, energy, space, society-well a wide range of subjects.

All parties (no pun intended) that watched the debate stated that it was substantive, the questions asked were on point, the responses illustrative of the candidate’s positions and points of view.

As the debate started, I could not help after hearing candidate Vivek Ramaswamy opening comments wonder how this individual continues to sit in these debates. He started by condemning the Republican National Committee Chair, Ronna McDaniel, to resign due to the dismal performance of the Republican party in recent election cycles. Literally asking her to come up on stage and resign in front of a national audience. Yet, he continues to praise the root cause of these failures, Donald Trump. He then took his caustic remarks on why a liberal news outlet, NBC News, should be allowed to host and moderate the debate. He spoke directly to the NBC News moderators calling them corrupt and the debate would be better served by Tucker Carlson as moderator (what???) moderating the debate. It should be noted that the debate was held in high praise by pundits, news organizations, and voters gathered by different news organizations to gauge their reactions to the candidates. Throughout the debate he threw out these choice tidbits – the leader of Ukraine is a NAZI – even though Zelensky is a Jew. Vivek’s assertation directly supports Russia’s claim as to why they invaded Ukraine – Ukraine was being taken over by “Nazis.”  He claimed that the war that needs to be addressed is the “war” inside the USA. That US Army troops need to be directly involved in protecting our southern border (that is directly prohibited by our Constitution). He went on to talk about abortion, believing in a national prohibition – of course throwing all colors of grey over those thoughts. He called Nicki Haley “scum,” even attacking Haley’s twenty-five-year-old daughter. He claimed liberal news media “rigged” the election of both 2016 (?) and 2020. Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign is designed to play on or to create voters’ fears, anger, incite their biases (or their bigotries). Is he really an example of this current version of the Republican Party? Sadly, he epitomizes a good slice of the Republican Party that is backwards looking, seeking to find who they can blame for their own failures, bereft of ideas on how to really address the nations critical issues.

Here are the key issues from this voter’s point of view for the Republican Party, candidate by candidate. Ron DeSantis has no coattails outside of Florida. Ron Scott has no coattails at all. Vivek is a disaster just waiting to happen. Nicki Haley could be viable but has a huge amount of baggage to carry from her time as Trump’s Ambassador to the UN. And finally, Chris Christie who last night was the only candidate who in every answer he provided gave clear insight into the policies he would pursue if elected, but due to his persistent vocal view of Donald Trump (as poignant as it might be) he is being shuffled closer and closer to being off the stage. 

And finally, Donald Trump. – Since 2016, he has been a loser – in the 2018 election, the 2020 election, the 2022 election (no RED wave). In every court case seeking relief from a “stolen election.”  As Ron pointed out, he was indeed an ineffective President…. not consequential as Senator Leahy would say. He failed to pass any form of infrastructure bill, he failed to build “the wall” or to have Mexico pay for it, his Tax Reform Act of 2017 has added trillions to the deficit and enriched corporations and executives through tax breaks they will keep into perpetuity unlike the tax reductions for 95% of income earners that lapse in the next 18 months.  His withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership opened East Asia to the Chinese as the significant economic partner. His withdrawal from the Iran nuclear agreement enabled Iran to fully pursue nuclear weapons again. He undermined NATO and critical allies of the USA for the past 75 years. For all of this though…. here is where the Republican Party is headed with Donald Trump. Just a fork in the road, just two paths this will take.

If Donald Trump gains the nomination of the Republican Party, it will be a disaster for the party of Lincoln, the party of Reagan. At the end of the day, when voters put their X of their vote onto record – they will (the majority will) turn away from a vile, immoral, corrupt individual who by then may well be a convicted felon and put their faith and belief in the lesser of two evils (much like what brought Trump to power in 2016). Many of the downstream Republican candidates will pay a price due to this.

On the other hand, if the Republican Party rejects Donald Trump as their nominee the factures we have seen in the Republican House caucus will look like only scratches, only wrinkles. Donald Trump will declare a civil war within the party and tear the party apart. This will harm the party for years, decades during which the Democratic Party will control the House, the Senate, and the White House.

Not a good outcome, but years in the making….