Just returned from an out of town trip and finally have time to write about this week's GOP Super Tuesday vote and last night's debate held on the Fox News channel.
First, here are the results from Super Tuesday's primary and/or caucus votes:
Trump took Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, & Virginia. Cruz won Texas, Oklahoma & Alaska. Rubio placed first in Minnesota. Kasich did not win any state but gained additional delegates.
Overall, it was a win for The Donald but Cruz and Rubio made gains along with Kasich due to the proportional delegate process used in some states where 'winner takes all' does not apply.
Bottom line is that it's all about total delegate count in regards to winning the race to the White House. A candidate can claim victory in a ton of states, but if he or she doesn't have the highest total, then 'Houston, we have a problem'. Interpretation? This could lead to a heated brokered convention where the candidates would have to battle it out in order for one of them to gain the highest count in order to win.
To see where each candidate stands with the delegate count as of now, check out this site. It offers a chart that updates itself every time there's another primary or caucus.
https://www.conservativereview.com/2016-presidential-candidates/votes/delegate-count
On to last night's debate.
Though there's something to be said about watching it live, I've discovered that by waiting till the next morning, you can watch the entire production on Youtube. The advantage to this, is that it is commercial free and only takes an hour versus 2 on tv. Plus you can rewind and hit the pause buttons as needed. Definitely the way to go!
Here's the link to watch the debate in full if you missed it or want to see it again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxxFQNLFDUw
Moving on to the debate.
Here's a synopsis on how each candidate answered various questions.
When Cruz was asked about how the U.S. could defend itself against possible nuclear attacks by N. Korea, Iran or China, he suggested the use of a Space Base Missile Defense System which could destroy the missiles before they could reach their destination.
Kasich responded that he would 'not bite' when asked about an ad that shows Trump saying how he and Putin would get along, etc. In other words, he would not get sucked into a war of insults between he and The Donald or any of the other candidates for that matter. How people have often commented how he's the only 'adult' in the room and that's how it should be.
When asked about whether he is in favor of H1B visas for foreign workers, Trump said he was. But this contradicted his stance stated on his website which said by issuing more of these type of visa's it would hurt American workers. When this was pointed out, The Donald said that he has changed his mind.
Cruz was asked the same question. However, it was also pointed out that Cruz was in favor of increasing the amount of H1B visa's in the past but has since changed his mind and is now against doing so. His response was that he changed his mind due to the abuse of people overstaying their time, etc.
In relation to the above Cruz made comments about how The Donald hires immigrants over American's. In response, Trump said he has done so because American's don't want short-term, part-time jobs and thus it's out of necessity.
Rubio was asked about whether he'd put troops on the ground in Libya due to the fact that ISIS now seems to be trying to take over that country. He responded that yes he would but it would be a coalition of Sunni/Arabs with U.S. help.
Kasich was asked the same question. He quoted his 18 years of serving on the Foreign Relations Committee and that yes, he would put ground and air troops in Libya. But would also, like Rubio pointed out, would like the help of others in the fight against ISIS. That his biggest fear of the terror group gaining ground in Libya would be that they would then take over the oil fields for funding.
Trump was asked if he would endorse or accept the practice of 'water boarding'/ use of torture against known terrorists. He said he would. He then defended his position by mentioning how the terrorists have no problems cutting off heads and/or drowning the opposition in cages, thus indicating that this form of interrogation is acceptable for use in the U.S.
Cruz was asked about tax reform. And how he would bring jobs to America. At first Cruz went on a tirade about how the Democrats ruined Detroit (lots of applause there), then he went on to say how he would lift crippling regulations and repeal ObamaCare. That he would also replace the current tax code with a 16% flat tax rate, which in turn would bring more jobs back to the US and level the playing field for all Americans.
Kasich was asked about his stance on gay marriage and should business owners be required to sell their services to those who violate their religious code. Kasich replied that he was for traditional marriage. That if a person owning a business has strong religious belief's and selling to gays violates those beliefs, then they shouldn't have to do so. He also said that if gays were not happy about that stance, they should just walk away rather than sue. That they should find another business that doesn't have this kind of issue.
Cruz was asked whether a gay couple should be able to adopt children. Cruz replied that he thinks that should be left up to the individual states. He then went on to mention how he has defended religious liberty in 4 different cases in U.S. Supreme Court and won every ruling.
Rubio was asked about the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms. He responded that he's in agreement with the Second Amendment and that American's have the constitutional right to protect and defend themselves.
Trump was also asked about the above and about changing his previous stance on banning assault weapons. The Donald replied that he no longer supports the banning of assault weapons and agrees with the Second Amendment.
Cruz was asked about his wanting to abolish the IRS and how realistic it would be to do so. Cruz replied by saying how he had a plan where you could fill out your taxes on a postcard and no longer would need the IRS. That there would be office at the Treasury to handle the payment of taxes and also to process returns.
Kasich was asked if he would support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. He said he supports raising the minimum wage but not to that amount. That he has helped to increase it in his state as Governor of Ohio, but in small increments. That he had increased jobs in Ohio by 400,000 and also balanced the budget. That as president, he would leave this issue to the states.
It was mentioned to Cruz how Jeff Sessions (Senator of Alabama) endorsed The Donald. Cruz then dumped on the Trumpster about his support of Democrats running for office and in particular about donations made to Hilary, completely avoiding commentary about the topic. To those not in the know, Sessions and Cruz had worked on some bills together and were thought to be pretty tight.
The Donald was asked by Megyn Kelly about the recent news of his interview with the NYT's where he said 'off the record' that his statements about building a wall on the border was basically a negotiating tool. Trump responded that one has to be flexible with any kind of negotiation and that 'off the record' means 'off the record' and should be respected.
All 4 candidates were asked if they would support the nominee if it were NOT them. All said they would.
Here's a brief synopsis of each of the candidates closing statements.
Kasich said that he would take his success as Governor of Ohio and apply this experience to help fix America using the same tools and skills he used to turn Ohio around.
Rubio said that he plans on making the 21st century a successful one.
Cruz said he will listen and talk with the American people, keep the government from tying their hands and thus blocking their success. That he will have their backs.
Trump said he will bring jobs back to the U.S., secure the border, help Vets and make America great again, etc.
So there you have it. Another debate gone by. . .
