Watching the 10 of them all lined up like that – why did I feel like reaching for a bowling ball?
How many pins need to be knocked down before only one is left standing?
Last night’s spectacular on Fox News was like Baseball Opening Day (to quickly switch metaphors) when everybody’s a winner since the season hasn’t started yet – and even the game has yet to begin.
But this debate, mark the day, Thursday August 6, 2015, more or less officially started the 2016 Presidential campaign season at least for the GOP…and the end of frontrunner Donald Trump.
Carly Fiorina surged in the undercard. That says something because, like Trump, her background is business not politics. Fiorina would make a powerful counterpoint to Hillary Clinton. But she’d have to overtake 16 contestants from her own party to get the job and that’s what troubles this set-up that is open for too many applicants.
Hillary has no such problems.
Is there anything wrong with her as a candidate? Yes. Everything. With Hillary as President, America has no hope, Israel has no chance.
But she’s got the Democrat field entirely to herself and that’s a huge plus.
The Republicans are running 17 people and we simply do not have that much room in the White House. We elect one President at a time.
So of that number 17, only one will emerge. The weaker seven (in the polls) debated separately, 5 pm. The Big 10 debated Prime Time, beginning at 9 pm.
Here’s the crux of it all: Democrats are faced with one bad choice. Republicans, we are faced with 17 good choices. That’s 16 too many.
Something or someone’s got to give and the sooner the better.
Bush was the favorite until Trump looped the GOP field. Trump knows television. Trump is the Elvis in the room. Last night he was put on the spot from the word go when he was the only one who refused to rule out a candidacy outside the GOP. He got booed.
It got worse. He got cornered about his past as a Democrat, his alleged misogynistic remarks, his business bankruptcies.
His best moment came when heatedly he remarked that immigration would not even be a topic had he not brought it up. He was in top form, so far as it goes for Trump, but so were moderators Megyn Kelly, Chris Wallace and Bret Baier. Their withering questions had him reacting defensively. No one else got the same treatment. They were good. Too good for The Donald.
They were the professionals. He was the amateur.
But two people – that’s a debate. Ten or 17 people all at once, that’s a traffic pile-up.
In short, Donald Trump was forced to swing wildly and in so doing he was made to appear less Presidential.
The result is that in one night we have witnessed the rise of one star, Carly Fiorina, and the fall of another star, Donald Trump.
They went after him and they got him.
As top dog Trump begins to fade (overnight, I’d say), the race is back to being wide open. The opportunity is there for anyone to step up.
I thought Chris Christie and Mike Huckabee did especially well, particularly on terrorism, foreign affairs, and especially on the disastrous Iran Nuke deal. They proved themselves tough on radical Islam, unapologetic and even emotional on protecting the homeland.
But who will replace Trump for the top spot now vacant? The embarrassment of riches can prove fatal if the process drags on too long.
Yes it was good drama and everyone, except for Trump, did well. But twopeople – that’s a debate. Ten or 17 people all at once, that’s a traffic pile-up.
Those masterminds of the GOP, they never learn.
Last time we also had a crowded GOP field and what’s-his-name won – and lost. Before that, same thing. So-and-so won the Nomination. Lost the Election.
Obama won strictly on stamina.
Of these 10 (plus 7) candidates, any one could be great, much greater than any Democrat. But only one!
Victory goes to the Republican candidate who demolishes his Democratic opponent, not to the Republican who wipes out his fellow Republicans.
Why is that so hard to figure out?
Jack Engelhard writes a regular column for Arutz Sheva. Website:www.jackengelhard.com
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