Alas, there are no debates, lively or otherwise, on the Democratic side, so we’ve only the dwindling number of GOP candidates to observe. What was different about the most recent Republican debate is that both candidates have experience as governor of a state.
These are just notes, sometimes random and sketchy; they are not recaps or analyses.
I don’t always write down the question. Both candidates sometimes did not respond to the question, but reiterated their own main points.
The two rivals are now trying to distance themselves from Trump the person, while still aligning themselves with the Republican goals and policies that he presumably endorses: less government spending, tighter border security. Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, repeatedly accused Nikki Haley of being inconsistent; he emphasized that he would build a border wall and reverse the Green New Deal. Haley, former governor of South Carolina and former ambassador to the U.N. (appointed by Trump) repeatedly referred viewers to a website “DeSantisLies”. Actually, this website is quite interesting and useful, as it provides links to newspaper and other websites evaluating what DeSantis has said, so here’s the link: https://desantislies.com/?utm_campaign=20240111_search&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-eOnoJHggwMVKCytBh2ImQ4VEAAYASAAEgLgWvD_BwE
The debate began at 5 p.m.
Q: Does Trump have the character to be president?
NH: You need moral clarity. I don’t have vendettas. “A new generational leader” is needed.
RD: Trump didn’t build a wall after saying that he would. He added to the debt. I debated Gavin Newsom; he lied a lot, but Nikki Haley does also.
NH: Trump needs to be here defending his record. He didn’t deal with China. We need a president who thinks far into the future.
RD: She made friends with China as governor.
NH: One third of Americans are on Food Stamps. We need to get back the unspent CoVid money. We need to get back to the pre-CoVid levels of spending. We need tax cuts for small businesses.
RD: Haley’s ideas are “warmed-over corporatism.”
NH: We killed the gas tax in South Carolina! Florida has the highest cost-of-living increases in the country.
RD: (In Florida) we eliminated the sales tax on baby items. We need to reduce the size and scope of government. Florida has the lowest percentage of state workers in the nation. We need a single rate tax.
NH: I’ve never raised taxes. He raised the debt limit after saying he wouldn’t.
RD: We’ll be energy independent. I’ll reverse the Green New Deal and the electric vehicle mandate. We’ll pay for the border wall with fees on remittances to foreign countries. NH says it’s disrespectful to say “illegal aliens.”
NH: We passed the toughest immigration law in the country. We fought Obama. I got laws passed to defund sanctuary cities.
RD: It’s easy for terrorists to enter the U.S. We need to build a wall.
NH: “You can’t just build a wall.” My parents came here legally, fifty years ago.
Q: There are ten million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. now. What will you do?
RD: None of them can remain. Remove benefits. California gives them free health insurance! Crack down on sanctuary cities.
NH: You have to deport them. That’ll get them to stop coming. While at the U.N. I went to Honduras and Guatemala. (U.S. military went there to train law enforcement.)
Q: Ukraine
NH: Ron DeSantis has switched. We should not give cash….but dictators do what they say they will do….Balkans and Poland will be next. Ukraine support is only 3.5% of our defense budget. If Russia wins, China wins.
RD: She is a carbon copy of Biden’s policy. She cares more about Ukraine than about our border. We don’t have enough resources (to do both).
NH: It’s a lie that we have to choose between Israel and Ukraine. The 3.5% of our defense budget that’s for Ukraine is all equipment (manufactured here).
RD: Our tax money paid for pensions in Ukraine!
NH: I’ve never said that. He’s blown $150 million in his campaign. How are you going to manage a country?
RD: Florida is #1 in talent development. People are leaving California, Illinois, New York, and moving to Florida.
Q: Israel?
RD: We have to back Israel. A two-state solution would mean the destruction of Israel.
NH: “Israel is a bright spot in a tough neighborhood.” We need to give Israel what it wants, eliminate Hamas, and bring the hostages home.
RD: I arranged for Americans to be rescued…. In Florida, we will waive the transfer fee for college students who’ve been harassed in their own state on account of their religion.
NH: (on Houthis, etc.) Biden has been slow to respond to strikes on U.S. ships. (on the Sec. of Defense being in the hospital, unbeknownst) How could Biden not talk to his Secretary of Defense every day? “My husband is deployed now.”
RD: Biden relaxed sanctions on Iran…. I served in Iraq in 2007-08.
(a break at 6:45)
Q: (about treatment for transgender)
NH: There should be no hormone treatment before the age of 18.
RD: She flipped!
NH: (mentions his lies about her)
RD: (mentions low education scores in SC)
NH: We brought in the parents and did remedial work. (She stated statistics about the education scores of students in SC.) Take away federal programs and have states handle things themselves. Have transparency in classrooms; put the curriculum online for parents to see.
RD: She campaigned for school choice but caved to the teachers’ union.
NH: “Schools can’t be all things to all kids.”
RD: “Word Salad…Leadership is about getting things done.”
NH: “I flew economy here. He flew in private planes….I stayed at the Heritage Inn.”
Q: China
NH: Stop selling land to China. Build up the military. Move our trade to India, Japan, Israel, Australia. We will sell to friends, not enemies.
RD: We need more sea power in the Pacific. NH’s supporters make money in China. Our pharmaceuticals come from China. We need tax incentives here.
Q: Will you pledge to never cut social security benefits?
RD: Yes! Many in Florida depend on social security, like my grandmother. We can’t raise the retirement age now, when life expectancy is falling.
NH: Three years in a row, he voted to raise the social security age to 70. Social security will be bankrupt in ten years, Medicare in eight. We will tell people in their twenties that the age will be raised. Put a limit on benefits to the wealthy.
RD: “Taxes would go to pay Ukrainian pensions under NH!”
NH: “That’s a lie!”
Q: pro-life?
RD: We must be pro-life for the whole life.
NH: I’m pro-life. My husband was adopted. Democrats put fear in women about abortion. Republicans put judgement on them.
Q: How do you and Trump view the Constitution?
NH: We never want to see January 6 again. “Trump will have to answer for it.” I passed voter ID laws. Signatures on absentee ballots should be verified.
RD: My role model for that is George Washinton. The oath says you’ll defend the Constitution. You can’t just terminate it. During CoVid, the Constitution was violated by the CDC (etc.) in requiring masks and stay-home mandates. (Also denounces Fauci)
Q: Should the president have immunity for any actions, as Trumps lawyer said in court yesterday?
RD: “His lawyer gave the game away.” Trump will lose his appeal and go to trial.
NH: What the lawyer said is ridiculous. What has Trump done in the last few years? The U.S. is divided. A leader brings out the best in people. We don’t need chaos.
(break at 7:30)
Q: Health care. NH did not expand Medicaid in SC as forty other states did. Would states be able to keep their expanded Medicaid? (Neither directly answered the question)
NH: Make hospitals and insurance companies show everything (charges). “Put the patient in the driver’s seat.” Eliminate the Certificate of Need which prevents more hospitals from being built. “Put competition into health care.”
RD: We need better mental health. Florida seniors can buy drugs from Canada for one-fourth the price. Let states run medical care with block grants. Expand private coverage.
Q: What caused the mental health crisis?
NH: We don’t have enough centers and treatment. We need more telehealth, and counselors in schools.
RD: Yes, we need more mental health treatment. … problem of veterans and suicide; can’t rely just on the VA and drugs. We must link vets with resources, such as service dogs.
Q: Climate…rising seas in Florida…What would you do about the cause, carbon emissions?
RD: Day One—tear up the Green New Deal. The policies devastated communities and caused rolling blackouts. Florida had a decline in emissions due to natural gas, etc. “The Left wants to take away your freedom.”
NH: I took us out of the Paris Climate Agreement because nothing made China and India accountable….The E-car requirement is not smart; we don’t have the infrastructure and 70% of the batteries are made in China.
Q: (violent crime)
NH: Defund sanctuary cities. Our law enforcement is demoralized. Criminals are released, not jailed.
RD: Like the BLM riots of 2020. I called in the National Guard. Trump sat in the White House and did nothing. NH tweeted that the death of George Floyd should be painful for all.
NH: SC had two horrible shootings, but no riots, only vigils and prayers. I passed the first Bodycam bill in the country and pulled down the Confederate flag.
Q: What do you admire about each other?
RD: “She did good things at the U.N.”
NH: “He’s been a good governor.”
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Interpretation:
Ron DeSantis’s programs and actions as governor of Florida are well-known, so if one agrees with those actions, he would be the one to vote for.
Nikki Haley comes off as very sharp (as in alert), and appealingly bright and witty. If I agreed with the Republican platform, I’d vote for her in a minute. With Chris Christie having pulled out of the race just prior to this debate, she’d be the most intelligent possibility remaining. But I only agree with her ten percent of the time.
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