Clarence Page: Republicans seek strength in the GOP debate after Donald Trump’s indictments

Vivek Ramaswamy got off to a great start in this primary season’s first Republican presidential debate, and then things slid rapidly downhill.

The 38-year-old entrepreneur and graduate of Harvard University and Yale Law School is a new face in politics, national or otherwise, as his opening line suggested with an indirect reference to another once-rising new face from a campaign long ago.

“So, first, lemme just address a question that is on everybody’s mind at home tonight,” he said, cheerfully flashing a wall-to-wall smile that would prove to be as resilient as the national debt. “Who the heck is this skinny guy with a funny last name, and what the heck is he doing in the middle of this debate stage?’”

That brought some welcoming chuckles, mixed with scattered groans from the crowd.

But things toughened up later in the debate, after Ramaswamy called the climate change agenda a “hoax,” chastised his fellow candidates for “memorized, pre-prepared slogans” and called himself “the only person on the stage who isn’t bought and paid for.” His fellow candidates loudly objected, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was ready with a zinger.

“I’ve had enough already tonight of a guy who sounds like ChatGPT standing up here,” Christie said to Fox News moderator Bret Baier. “And the last person in one of these debates, Bret, who stood in the middle of the stage and said, ‘What’s a skinny guy with an odd last name doing up here?’ was Barack Obama.”

As the crowd hooted like a pro wrestling audience after a decisive body slam, Christie added, “And I’m afraid we’re dealing with the same type of amateur.”

A double shot. But Ramaswamy was ready with a counter-zinger, however weak. “Give me a hug just like you did to Obama,” he said, “and you’ll help elect me just like you did to Obama.”

Not bad, although he sounded a bit rattled that his remark didn’t land as well as he might have hoped. Welcome to the big leagues, Vivek.

But all eight candidates onstage seemed at least a bit off their game as if they were filling in for the main event who didn’t show up, former President Donald Trump, who would be turning himself in to the Fulton County, Georgia, jail the next day after his fourth criminal indictment.

He now faces a total of 91 felony charges across four prosecution efforts, including two federal cases. “Unprecedented” no longer adequately describes the historic majesty of his alleged offenses. Yet, as long as his polling numbers seem to rise with each new indictment, we may not see him onstage again until the GOP convention in Milwaukee.

Still, Trump’s presence in the debate was strong enough to be felt, despite his refusal to show up. Ramaswamy quite obviously seemed to be auditioning to be Trump’s running mate and certainly qualified by any measure of his audacity.

Other candidates on the stage in Milwaukee were Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

I thought Ramaswamy took the prize for a memorable debut, despite his competitors’ scolding of him as shallow and annoying. His campaign reported raising $450,000 that night, demonstrating the old showbiz advice, “Just spell my name right,” especially if it is on a campaign donation check.

But Haley’s performance seemed to be the most impressive, even if it has yet to help her climb out of single digits in polls. The former South Carolina governor’s experience showed in her frankness and knowledgeable grasp of the issues. Significantly, she also called out her own party for losing moderates by taking extreme positions on abortion. Labeling herself “unapologetically pro-life,” she clashed with Pence’s call for a federal ban on abortion, calling on him to “be honest with the American people.”

The Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold, she pointed out, meant that no Democratic or Republican president would be able to set abortion policy without some compromises. “Do not make women feel like they have to decide on this issue,” she said. That was a smart reminder of the current realities since the Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion. Since June 2022, abortion has been on the ballot in seven states, and, in each instance, anti-abortion rights groups have lost.

But Pence, who is more moderate in his demeanor than in his politics, rebutted Haley’s call for compromise, declaring, “Consensus is the opposite of leadership.”

I beg to differ. We Americans need the sort of leadership that can help to reach workable compromises. I’d vote for that.

cpage@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @cptime