GOP Debate at the University of Houston — A Recap
Last Thursday, February 25, 2016, the University of Houston hosted the 10th GOP debate between Donald Trump, Senator Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, and Ben Carson, which was moderated by Wolf Blitzer.
A Cruz/Rubio Onslaught of Trump?
As Pema Levy wrote at Mother Jones (link):
Going into this debate, the media had focused on the fact that Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio were more interested in attacking each other than stopping Trump. But on Thursday night, that began to change. Rubio, in particular, took aim at Trump and did not let up. Cruz was less dogged, but he did piggyback on several of Rubio’s attacks against the real estate billionaire. Rubio didn’t simply hammer the front-runner on policy issues — he also worked hard to convince voters that Trump is mired in lawsuits and scandal. The exchanges repeatedly devolved into yelling matches between the candidates.
This GOP debate was an aggressive attempt by Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio to take down Donald Trump. It was the first time, when two opponents ganged up to put the third one down. The debate was pretty much a shouting match among Trump, Cruz, and Rubio. Ben Carson and John Kasich were mostly out from the debate.
After Trump’s recent momentum, Cruz and Rubio did all they could to suspend a victory for Trump in Houston.
Cruz obviously has a lot more support from conservatives and Hispanic community in his home state. He brought up many substantive issues against Trump. He criticized Trump immigration policy and his plan to build a wall along the Mexican border to bar illegal immigration. Planned Parenthood controversy and healthcare. Cruz also questioned Trump about his Planned Parenthood support, suggesting that Trump was not pro-life and questioned his Christian values. Cruz used his strategy of comparison to highlight his ideology. Interestingly, Cruz narrowed his focus on Trump and did not challenge Rubio or his other opponents.
Marco Rubio fought tooth and nail to win the debate. In the debate, he pivoted to offense, for the first time, attacking Trump. In fact, he largely ignored Cruz, in contrast to previous debates. For instance, Rubio accused Trump of hiring illegal immigrants and of being a poor business-person, throughout the debate.
Rubio scored some points against Trump — Why did he hire illegal immigrants if he wants to bar them from coming to the States? Additionally, Rubio pointed out Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns and other similar issues that raise questions about Trump’s credibility. Rubio stood out firmly against Trump this time, potentially increasing his chance of winning on Super-Tuesday.
Ultimately, Donald Trump is the front runner and the utmost danger for his opponents. In Houston debate, Trump has proved his ability to handle situations strategically. He was the primary target of his opponents, who tried hard to assault him. Yet, Trump remained in leading position and never left his opponents without his counterattacks. He called Cruz a liar and Rubio a choke artist. The billionaire businessman, Trump, is very confident and has a lot of support and at this point, his winning chances are greater than his rivals. In Houston, Trump didn’t win decisively, but he didn’t lose either — his major accomplishment was preventing a Cruz win in his hometown.
Donald Trump knows how to influence public. He is a successful business-person and his most influential tool is his outspoken personality. The public wants a president who is not a politicians, who seem to deceive and conceal truth from them. Trump’s tactics may not appeal to everyone, but it has clicked for many people who see him as a trustworthy and truthful person.
