Reaction to the First Republican Debate – Youth, Pre-Game, and “Politician Speak”

Eight people were on stage last night hoping to introduce themselves to America… again. There were the familiar names of Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, and Chris Christie along with newcomers Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Doug Burgum, which autocorrect keeps switching to Burger for some reason. Between those two groups were South Carolinians Tim Scott and Nikki Haley.

The spirited two-hour long debate was mostly cordial between the potential nominees. If there was any “ganging up” on another person, it would be a handful against Vivek Ramaswamy. Chris Christie landed a punch when, in regards to presidential age limits, he said we shouldn’t have a president who’s too old… or too young. Vivek took offense but did so with a smile. No one really attacked Hutchinson or Burgum because they were the bookends of the group, in other words polling so low that they’re not seen as a threat. The other six can’t visualize them as president. I can’t imagine Chris Christie as president either. It’s not the content of their agenda. I pretty much support a lot of what they said. But just from an optics perspective, a Christie or Hutchinson or Burgum presidency just doesn’t compute.

Trying to pick up a conservative chick? Click here for the Top 10 MAGA pick-up lines.

Another candidate who sincerely irritates me is Mike Pence. The thing is, I probably agree with him on a lot of things, maybe more than any of the others on stage. But I am so fuh-reakin’ tired of “politician speak,” and Mike Pence is the guiltiest. It’s like these types of candidates have a handful of key points and no matter what’s asked, they only talk about those topics. It’s infuriating. Mike Pence is a relic of candidates gone by because of that style of speaking. He needs to go away, or let his hair down and have a real chat.

Another pet peeve of mine is the general elevation of politics. Politicians are now rock stars. Debates are sporting events. In fact, one person on a show leading up to last night’s debate referred to what he was doing as “pre game.” I swear, if someone ever says they’re tailgating before anything related to politics, I’m going to lose it! In essence, we’re looking to hire the #1 public servant. They don’t need to be “cool.” We shouldn’t have the capacity to care less if the nominee is “hip.” The real questions lie in their ability to serve and serve well, how they handle adversity, what will they do about the things Americans care about, and will they stay awake during memorials for citizens who have passed away in a historic fire in Hawaii?

With all that said, after the first debate I’m most interested in Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Vivek Ramaswamy. Of course, lurking in the background is Donald Trump who may or may not be in jail at the time this post goes online. He wasn’t as this debate, by his own choice. He may not be at the next one, by the warden’s choice. I wonder if his one phone call from jail can be be a Zoom call in to the next debate?

That’s all for now. Did you watch the debate? What stood out to you? Did anything surprise you?

-Out of the Wilderness