The second Republican debate, like the first, took place in a parallel political universe in which Donald Trump was an obscure figure of no serious importance.
The candidates who showed up at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, engaged in a largely vapid exchange of canned lines and talking points, repeatedly attempting to create “moments” that didn’t quite land.
Nikki Haley showed some spirit in picking fights with her rivals, I guess. Ron DeSantis tried to seem above it all. Doug Burgum attempted to get someone to notice him, the “governor of an energy state.” No one had all that much to say about Trump.
It is difficult for me to imagine how this debate will make any impact on the race. The central characteristic of the contest is still that Trump has a massive lead. A debate with extremely limited discussion of Trump was a useless waste of time.
In a way, everyone onstage was a loser for failing to shake up that underlying dynamic. In a way, everyone watching was a loser for having spent those two hours and gotten so little out of it. But some particularly earned that loser status.
Loser: Vivek Ramaswamy
Love him or hate him, Vivek Ramaswamy was the focal point of the first GOP debate. He was a new face whose rhetoric style contrasted with the career politicians onstage — and he often clearly drew their ire and contempt. Ramaswamy was the subject of much pundit conversation afterward.
But despite some predictions, the buzz failed to translate into a bounce in the polls. And at tonight’s debate, Ramaswamy’s schtick sounded stale.
When his rivals made him a punching…
Read the full article here