LAS VEGAS — Many candidates performed well at Tuesday night’s fifth GOP presidential primary debate, but perhaps no candidate is likely to benefit more than Chris Christie.
Once upon a time, the New Jersey governor was supposed to be the 2016 presidential frontrunner. But by the time he officially entered the presidential fray, his star had fallen because of scandal that had engulfed his gubernatorial administration.
So starting at the back of the pack, Christie focused on New Hampshire and has seen in recent weeks a slow but perceptible rise in the polls there. After Tuesday, he will likely continue to climb, setting himself up as a dark horse contender for the nomination if he can stage an upset in the Granite State.
As [crscore]Marco Rubio[/crscore] and [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] went back in forth debating their opposing stances on surveillance in a way that many watching probably could not make heads or tails of, Christie attempted to cut through the clutter and portray himself as a get-it-done governor competing against do-nothing senators.
“Listen, I want to talk to the audience at home for a second,” he said, looking into the camera. “If your eyes are glazing over like mine, this is what it’s like to be on the floor of the United States Senate. I mean, endless debates about how many angels on the head of a pin from people who’ve never had to make a consequential decision in an executive position.”
“The fact is, for seven years, I had to make these decisions after 9/11, make a decision about how to proceed forward with an investigation or how to pull back, whether you use certain actionable intelligence or whether not to,” he continued. “And yet they continue to debate about this bill and in the subcommittee and what — nobody in America cares about that.”
If you are a voter who believes America needs a governor with executive experience as commander in chief, Christie may be your last, best hope.
Donald Trump also emerged from Tuesday night’s debate as a winner. If substance was a criterion for judging Trump’s debate performance, the real estate billionaire would be a clear loser. But Trump succeeds much more because of personality than policy. And by that standard, Trump did well, making bold and confident statements even when presented with issues he knew nothing about (like when debate panelist Hugh Hewitt asked him about the nuclear triad). There is no reason to believe Trump’s numbers will fall at all because of his performance in the debate and there is a good chance his numbers will continue to go up.
Cruz also stood out. Not only did Cruz avoid a confrontation with Trump that many thought might come to a head Tuesday night, he doused any tension that exists between the two because of his rise in the polls in Iowa with humor.
“If I’m elected president, we will secure the border. We will triple the border patrol,” Cruz said at one point discussing his immigration position. “We will build a wall that works and I’ll get Donald Trump to pay for it,” he added to laughter not only from the audience, but from Trump as well.
Cruz also successfully demonstrated strength by making clear, uncluttered statements about his intention to protect America.
“Let’s be absolutely clear: ISIS and radical Islamic terrorism will face no more determined foe than I will be,” Cruz declared, looking directly into the camera and — he hopes — into the very souls of voters. “We will utterly destroy them by targeting the bad guys.”
Remember, appearance often matters more than substance in these debates. If you project strength, it probably matters as much or more than explaining how you actually intend to protect America in detail.
Rubio had his moments as well, but he was put on the defensive as Cruz and [crscore]Rand Paul[/crscore] attacked him over his position on immigration, surveillance and foreign policy. That prevented the most gifted speaker in the race from shining like he has in previous debates.
But make no mistake: These aforementioned candidates — Trump, Rubio, Cruz and Christie — are the final four contenders in the race for the Republican nomination. It’s time the other candidates drop out. The field needs to winnow.
Jeb Bush did fine in the debate — it may have actually been his best performance — but he just doesn’t have the “it” factor that is necessary to win at this level in our current media environment.
Ben Carson’s campaign is on the decline and it won’t rise again. People don’t perceive him as a man who can protect them in this age of terror. Nothing was more emblematic of Carson’s fall than Trump heaping praise on him during the debate when just weeks ago Trump was comparing him to a child molester as the neurosurgeon was threatening the real estate mogul in the polls.
Paul, who was on the main stage debate only because CNN bent their own rules in his favor, is now a libertarian message candidate with no prospect of winning the nomination (if he ever really had one). Carly Fiorina is a steady debater, but she failed to capitalize on her moment in the sun in the fall and can now only hope to be on the presidential ticket as the vice-presidential nominee. And you know your campaign is all but over when you are making the case that you should be the nominee because you are a from a particular state, like John Kasich did Tuesday night.
This race needs to narrow. It’s time those with little to no shot of winning the nomination — Bush, Carson, Paul, Fiorina, Kasich and all the candidates in the undercard debate — to call it a day. There is little chance they will be 2016’s Santorum, as many hope to be, especially considering the much stronger make-up of the Republican field this year compared to 2012.
Many of those with little prospect of success are also stridently opposed to Trump. If they really think Trump would be a disaster for the country, then there’s all more reason for them to get out so their supporters — many of whom likely have a similar view of Trump — can consolidate around Christie or Rubio.
But here’s hoping the next debate in January has far fewer candidates on stage so those who really have a prospect of winning the Republican nomination can go at it. Four podiums would be plenty.