Recap: 2024 Republican contenders debate for first time — without Trump | Opinion

NOTEWORTHY AND CRINGEWORTHY

Ryan J. Rusak: Best line — Ron DeSantis, on rehashing Jan. 6 and Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election: “Is this what we’re gonna be focusing on going forward? The rehashing of this? … Democrats would love that. And they will win if we let them get away with it.”

Worst line — Vivek Ramaswamy on Ukraine: “I find it offensive that we have professional politicians on this stage that will make a pilgrimage to Kyiv to their pope Zelensky without doing the same thing for people in Maui or the south side of Chicago.”

FASHION CHECK: THE TRUMP UNIFORM HOLDS

Ryan J. Rusak: Call me shallow, but I couldn’t help but notice that while Donald Trump may or may not be in the other Republican candidates’ heads, he is definitely in their wardrobes.

Each of the seven men on the debate stage wore a blue suit with a red tie — Trump’s usual uniform. Chris Christie and Asa Hutchison varied it up a little, with patterned ties (but still red). Nikki Haley stood out, too, with an off-white suit.

The funny thing is, Trump himself was the one to deviate. In his interview with Tucker Carlson, he wore a shiny blue tie. Of course, that was taped Sunday night. Perhaps he wore a red one as he tuned in from Mar-a-Lago.

EDUCATION

Nicole Russell: DeSantis has a strong record on education reform. He should win some voters on that question. “Education not indoctrination,” is a line a lot of Texas parents will like, as well as the rest of the country.

Bud Kennedy: Hutchinson has a longstanding strong record on education. He got a word in about computer science.

Nicole Russell: This is a thing a lot of conservatives believe, but it was actually Vivek who said it: “Education starts with the family, and the nuclear family is the greatest form of governance known to mankind.”

ONE SECOND THERE ON UKRAINE, VIVEK

Ryan J. Rusak: Ukraine is a great example of an issue where the vocal base of the party obscures how most voters really feel. The Manhattan Institute has done good, detailed polling of voters in early GOP states. And they want more, not less, action to rein in Russia.

On the question of spending on Ukraine, it’s more of an even split. But the neo-isolationists who want you to think that Republicans are overwhelmingly against action in Ukraine are not telling the truth.

‘INVASION’ AT THE BORDER

Ryan J. Rusak: The “invasion” question regarding the border really matters. Gov. Greg Abbott is leaning on the idea as a justification for his increasingly aggressive border security measures, including buoys in the Rio Grande. That issue has landed him in court with the Biden administration. A GOP president would, presumably, not only let him take such actions but help him along.

Bud Kennedy: But a Republican president also robs Abbott of his No. 1 target and scapegoat. When Bush was president, Perry couldn’t blame Washington, and the feds still clumsily managed the border.

Nicole Russell: It’s clearly a controversial issue but I still feel like nobody on that stage actually “got” the importance of it save for perhaps DeSantis. It also seemed like a comment about making Mexico an ally against cartels somehow got twisted to invading Mexico? Too many people talking at once.

OVERALL, A GOOD SHOWING

Bud Kennedy: What this night is proving most of all is that Republicans have a perfectly capable selection of candidates. They don’t need their defeated 2020 candidate.

Haley and Pence both making Ramaswamy look like a rookie who is trying to make the presidency an entry-level job. Christie being Pence’s body man, a couplet we’ll see more of. Sound Republican principles are being expressed up and down the stage. The old guard is winning the night.

Ryan J. Rusak: Good point, Bud. I think Trump looks bad not being here — it’s a substantive debate (mostly) on the top issues, and he’s not part of it. Whether it actually hurts him? Skeptical.

HALEY V. RAMASWAMY

Nicole Russell: Haley slammed Vivek hard telling him he has talked down to everyone on this stage. Her point that Vivek has no foreign relation experience is taken. Vivek is zealous, which could appeal to some, but he’s naive. He’s overconfident, and he’s smiling too much.

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MIKE PENCE, AMERICAN HERO

Ryan J. Rusak: It goes overlooked that Pence did more than just thwart the insane plot to overturn the 2020 election. He also set a precedent, with clear constitutional moorings, that the idea of allowing the vice president to act such a way on the certification of the Electoral College is insane. No one can ever seriously consider it again. He has his faults, and he won’t win the nomination, but he always deserves credit for that.

Nicole Russell: 100% agree. Pence’s mission it seemed was to make sure we all knew that the Republic stands because of what he did. Brava to his integrity. May the GOP continue to consider that a key component of our nation’s next leader.

THE ELEPHANT (NOT) IN THE ROOM

Nicole Russell: Moderators ask about Trump.

Christie might have had the line of the night on him: “Whether you believe the criminal charges are right or wrong, his conduct is beneath the office of the President of the United States.”

Half of Republican voters believe this — the other half doesn’t. But it doesn’t make it less true.

DeSantis: “We need to end the weaponization of federal agents.” He says this is about the next election, not the previous. That could hit well with voters who sympathize with Trump.

Bud Kennedy: Bret Baier caught Christie slowly raising and lowering his hand when asked whether he would still support Trump as the nominee if convicted. Christie replies to boos, “Somebody’s got to quit normalizing this conduct.” Then he backtalks Ramaswamy, and louder boos rain down. Wow: Asked if he would pardon Trump, Pence said that requires “contrition.”

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, CHRISTIE STYLE

Ryan J. Rusak: I don’t know if Chris Christie really has any shot, but it takes real skill to take a question about crime in cities and wedge in a Hunter Biden reference.

But his idea to have U.S. attorneys prosecute urban crime is … interesting. Do we really want federal officers and prosecutors getting into even more business that isn’t theirs?

The proper role would be a serious, sustained effort to prosecute federal gun laws — and that’s where the Hunter Biden example really works.

Bud Kennedy: Where is the “like” button?

Nicole Russell: Unfortunately, Republicans in general sounded weak on a question that seriously troubles voters in cities riddled with crime.

WHERE’S TRUMP?

Nicole Russell: About 50 minutes in and candidates have mentioned Trump maybe a handful of times. Anybody miss him? How would the debate be different with him? It feels like it’s a bit more substantive.

Bud Kennedy: He’s coming up. I don’t think this debate hurts Trump one bit. It just shuffles the deck beneath him. DeSantis is too shrill, like somebody who didn’t get the right order at Chipotle. Some backers will look elsewhere.

ON ABORTION, THE GOP IS DIVIDED

Nicole Russell: Moderators suggest that abortion has been a losing issue since the Dobbs decision, pointing to 6 state referendums confirming choice. A lot of conservatives would even take issue with the premise of that question.

Haley handled this question really well: She said Republicans need to find consensus and “stop demonizing” the issue. She mentioned quite a bit of nuance.

DeSantis said: “We’re better than what the Dems are selling. We are not going to allow abortion all the way up to birth.”

Pence disagrees with Haley: “Consensus is the opposite of leadership.”

Scott, Hutchinson, and others chime in. Most of the answers are different in some way. To the average American, who supports some restrictions, but perhaps not a 6-week ban, this will likely sound confusing and disjointed.

FLASHBACK: WHEN CHRISTIE BACKED TRUMP

Bud Kennedy: In 2016, it was Fort Worth where Trump unveiled a mystery guest, his first mainstream Republican endorsement. Christie came striding out from a side door at the Fort Worth Convention Center. “There’s no better fighter” than Trump, he told media before a rally.

BEFORE THE BELL, TIM SCOTT NAILS IT

Nicole Russell: As fun as it is to see everyone barb back and forth, Republicans desperately need a leader and Sen. Tim Scott looked like the grownup in the room when he called everyone else out for being “childish.” Except for maybe Nikki Haley who threw out a Margaret Thatcher quote she mentions often, about how men talk and women get things done.

Bud Kennedy: My better half says Scott is coming off best.

THEY’RE PUNCHING, ALL RIGHT — JUST NOT AT TRUMP

Ryan J. Rusak: Well, in the first 20 minutes, there’s been plenty of Republican-on-Republican punching — but the candidates have focused on each other, not Trump.

Nikki Haley swung hard at congressional Republicans over federal spending. Mike Pence, defending the administration’s record, blistered Vivek Ramaswamy.

Then, when climate change became the topic, Ramaswamy said he was the only candidate who wasn’t bought and paid for. That practically caused Chris Christie to come out of his skin, comparing Ramaswamy to Obama.

One message they’ve definitely internalized: Republican voters want a “fighter.”

WELCOME TO POLITICS, VIVEK

Nicole Russell: Vivek made a jab about pre-rehearsed cliches that I bet will honestly play well with younger voters. He’s to the point, he’s energetic, and he’s poking fun at everyone on the stage who seems like a lifelong politician.

PENCE VS. RAMASWAMY

Bud Kennedy: DeSantis leads with his strength, bragging about how he didn’t lock down Florida’s economy.

Pence takes a couple of sarcastic snipes at Ramaswamy and seems to see him as the one to beat tonight. It doesn’t seem to be playing well with the arena crowd.

Now Christie says Ramaswamy “sounds like ChatGPT.” How many watching know what that is?

FOX PLAYS A NEW BELL BUT TO THE OLD EFFECT

Ryan J. Rusak: Much was made of Fox News replacing its unpopular bell from four years ago, which had dogs across America preparing for home invasions that never materialized.

But here in the East Fort Worth bureau, I can tell you that at least two of those same dogs find the new bell, more like that from a hotel desk, just as big a sign of danger.

Can’t we just have a buzzer or something?

Nicole Russell: I’m so over the bell. It feels like school. You can also tell it’s not really helping. Moderators are a bit overrun.

Bud Kennedy: The bell is a little too game-show sounding, but it’s not disturbing the mellow pup here.

Debate begins with reference to ‘Rich Men North of Richmond.’

Nicole Russell: Showcasing perhaps the power of culture, the Republican debate started by playing a clip of Oliver Anthony’s #1 Billboard hit, “Rich Men North of Richmond,” and the question: Why is this song so popular?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis came out swinging, saying that “the country is in decline” and we need to “send Biden back to his basement. “ He suggested that if the American people are working hard and can’t afford things and Congress is spending too much, people will not be able to succeed. DeSantis claimed he would “open up all energy production” and that we would be “energy dominant” again with him as president.

IT’S THE ECONOMY, WISCONSIN

Bud Kennedy: FOX dives right in on high prices with a plug for Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond.”

DeSantis is speaking more slowly and deliberately than in early appearances. He drops the name “Hunter Biden” to jeers. Scott wants to “turn the spigot off in Washington.Ramaswamy gets to the point: “Who the heck is this skinny guy with the funny last name and what the heck is he doing in the middle of this debate stage?”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN THE FIRST REPUBLICAN DEBATE

Ryan J. Rusak: Months of anticipation finally pay off Wednesday night as, for the first time, the top Republican presidential candidates debate in Milwaukee.

Well, most of them, anyway. The clear frontrunner, Donald Trump, is sitting this one out. Is that a smart decision? He’s got a huge lead in the polls and will instead appear with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. The interview, already recorded, will apparently begin streaming just before the debate begins, which is at 8 p.m. Central time.

As for the candidates who will actually be there, expect a range of ways they’ll try to deal with Trump. They have a tricky task, convincing Trump voters to abandon him without insulting him (or them). Some, such as Chris Christie, will go directly at Trump’s alleged crimes and even his fitness for office. Others will decry the charges against him but argue subtly that he would put the GOP at risk of another loss to Joe Biden.

Two things I’m watching for in particular: how much the other candidates gang up on Ron DeSantis, trying to vault themselves into the position of top alternative to Trump, and whether any of the candidates toward the bottom of the polls have a breakout moment.

While we wait, check out a couple of my recent columns. In one, I make the case that the debate would be better if Texan Ted Cruz were in it. And I also explain how debates have taken on too much prominence in presidential politics and don’t tell us what we need to know about who would be best to occupy the Oval Office.

Bud Kennedy: I think what we’re watching tonight is the first elimination round for the experienced candidates — DeSantis, Pence, Christie, Haley, Scott.

Scott, Christie and Pence have gained slight ground but all that can be wiped away with one misstep. DeSantis, of course, still has everything to lose as he tries to rebuild a slumping campaign.

Their support is all so fragile that one might easily fall off the map tonight.