The first two Republican debates were a farce. Although CNBC wasn’t perfect, and the moderators were less prepared than they should have been, the questions had more substance overall in the third. This was the biggest complaint of the candidates, because they didn’t have honest answers.

“The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” Ted Cruz said with considerable disgust. “This is not a cage match.”

Here’s the truth. The Republican National Committee chooses the media and sets the tone for their debates. It was hypocrisy for Cruz to attack the media, and completely false that it favors one party over another. If the debate was unsatisfactory the blame must rest on the shoulders of Reince Priebus, the Chairman of the RNC. Cruz was playing politics.

The question none of them could answer effectively was about taxes. They deny the severe income inequality which exists today. All of them offered only a part of a tax plan, each favoring the wealthy, and protecting corporate incentives.

The most ridiculous was Ben Carson. Proving that he has no knowledge of government and is completely unqualified to be our president, he failed a simple math test. When he attempted to talk his way out of the situation, he fumbled, and it was recovered by the Democrats.

Trump couldn’t or wouldn’t answer another question about taxes and his ‘wall.’

Moderator John Harwood asked, “Mr. Trump, you have done very well in this campaign so far by promising to build another wall and make another country pay for it. Send 11 million people out of the country. Cut taxes $10 trillion without increasing the deficit.”

He refused to directly answer either part. Was this not a fair question; the type of question which was asked often in the Democratic Debate?

There were questions which were frivolous, but having watched the debates beginning with the originals between Richard Nixon and John Kennedy, this is not unusual. They are often asked to break the tension, and keep the audience involved.

Ted Cruz also claimed that the question asked of John Kasich was designed to incite an attack against others on the stage. Totally false. It was a fair question, and Cruz simply didn’t like Kasich’s truthful answer.

Kasich was asked about a speech he made on the day before the debate when he called proposals made by his rivals ‘crazy.’

His answer was the complete truth, and revealed the weakness of GOP candidates: Kasich argued “that Republicans who proposed abolishing Medicaid and Medicare, imposing a 10 percent flat tax, or deporting millions of people were out of touch with reality.”

Cruz can’t handle the truth.

Cruz was asked a very substantive question about why he opposed a bipartisan agreement which avoided a debt ceiling crisis, saved Medicare and Social Security Disability Insurance. He refused to answer and began a tirade about the questions asked by the moderators. He pleased the audience, but once again proved that he has no answers for the serious questions and issues before our government.

The GOP does not want to answer serious questions. They were all pleased with the FOX debate which was obviously an effort to derail Donald Trump. There were no complaints, and there was no substance.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

Source

Photo Courtesy of DonkeyHotey

Author’s Page http://www.amazon.com/By-James-turnage/e/B00LOCJ2Z2