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Michael Cianchette is a Navy reservist who served in Afghanistan. He is in-house counsel to a number of businesses in southern Maine and was a chief counsel to former Gov. Paul LePage.
Well that was … something.
The first GOP presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle is now in the books. It will not be remembered as a particularly notable example of great minds expounding on the major issues facing our nation. It was more like a free-for-all melee with winners and losers. So who were they?
The first loser was Donald Trump. I’m sure I’ll get some flak for that. But his absence on the stage was notable, even if he was concurrently sitting down one-on-one with Tucker Carlson.
Tactically, I get it. Trump has a commanding lead in the GOP primary polls. It is like an NFL team that has the top playoff seed secured. The remaining regular season games only present downsides, where starters can be hurt or other bad things happen.
Yet, while the race for the White House is often covered like a sports event, the substance is much more serious. Even though Trump may have only been able to hurt his case by appearing on the debate stage, we should expect presidents to step forward into situations that aren’t favorable.
The same knock can be applied to President Joe Biden. He has absolutely nothing to gain from debating his challengers, including Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., for the Democratic nomination. But leadership requires stepping forward.
Turning to the candidates who did appear on stage in Milwaukee on Wednesday, you would be forgiven for forgetting North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgam and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson. They were lost in the crowd.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie burned any remaining bridge he had to the Trump camp, excoriating the former president’s conduct that led to the ongoing criminal cases. This earned him a bevy of boos from the live audience.
Trump’s old running mate, former Vice President Mike Pence, attempted to assert himself as both a Christian and a savvy practitioner of foreign policy. He made some headway on those fronts, but likely not enough to make any real difference in his campaign’s chances. His attempts to ignore the moderators earned scolding and jeers.
That leaves four.
The South Carolinians took different tacks. U.S. Sen. Tim Scott was known as the “nice guy,” so he tried to play against his reputation. Former Gov. Nikki Haley sought to portray herself as a compassionate conservative, closer to Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush, particularly on the issue of abortion.
Yet the two on stage who had the best night were the youngest men.
Vivek Ramaswamy started strong. His views are an amalgam shared with former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul and Trump, alongside a dash of Pat Buchanan. It is an interesting mix. He likely increased his support in some segments.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis probably won the stage. Ramaswamy was the target for much of the field, which gave the Floridian more latitude to address the issues without falling into a scrum. He needed a good performance and he delivered.
The kicker?
Trump probably won the night.
None of the candidates on stage captured lightning in a bottle. Those who had successes likely moved things forward incrementally. Yet, with Trump’s lead measured in multiples of 10s, it is not going to be nearly enough to upset the balance of the race.
We’re a month away from the next GOP debate. We’ll see if Trump shows up and whether things shake up. Or is 2024 really going to just be Biden versus Trump, round 2?
