Tonight's Debate

Did you watch it?  What a clusterf**k!  Oh it was entertaining, but man it was chaotic.  As with the other debates (I guess you could call them that) I come away with some pretty specific thoughts on each candidates.

• Carson--it's embarrassing that he is still on the stage.  He should think of his dignity.  He was not called on very often, he made jokes, he was almost a caricature of his real self...like an SNL skit.  Dr. Carson please...go home.  You've made your point.  Just go home.
• Kasich--I thought he was the smartest and had the most substantive comments.  In any other year he would win walking away.  But this isn't any other year.  He can't get his voice heard.  But his experience, his specific proposals, his vision, his optimism...they are all great.  Don't know if I read this right, but I could really see him as Trump's VP.  I think he could be the adult in the room.  
• Rubio--Thought he did well.  He obviously came out swinging on Trump.  I'm sure he had to grit his teeth when he had to team with Cruz against Trump.  His points were spot on.  His proposals had depth.  His ideas on foreign policy were well thought out and believable.  But I just don't see it.  He's got to win something.  So far that hasn't happened and the longer it goes without it happening, the worse it is for him.  And if he doesn't win Florida in a few weeks, then he is dead meat.  I could see him with an outside shot at Trump's VP.  But don't know if he'd take it.  There would be a pretty strong ideological conflict.
• Cruz--Nothing has changed.  The sleaze factor remains.  His stridency, his whining, his holier-than-thou attitude really, really rubs me the wrong way.  He's just so damn sure of his positions and his positions are just a little right of Attila the Hun.  He's the only one on the stage I wouldn't vote for under any circumstances.  I sure hope he's not the nominee.  But if he is, well then my name is going to appear as a write-in on at least one ballot!  
• Trump--Still rolling.  He remains an inch deep and a mile wide.  I just couldn't believe he got away with some of his answers.  And gets away with them every time.  On issue after issue he gives a shallow, vacuous answer and no one can get to specifics.  And many times his specifics are ridiculous.  But, like I said, this year is like no other.   People are pissed.  Really pissed.  And they don't care about shallow answers, how conservative he is (or isn't), what the power brokers in Washington DC think, what the PACs think, or anything else.  He plays to their anger and that is more powerful than anything else.  And I don't see that changing.  Many of the professionals say it's still early and it can break different ways.  I don't see it.  But I'm not a professional.  I hope I'm wrong, but I think he rolls to the nomination.  

Powerline also has a pretty good analysis with more detail.  You can read it here.  

And then there is CNN.  Two thoughts about them.  First, Wolf Blitzer was terrible, as were the other questioners.  The questions were either gotcha or easy.  The amount of time to answer was idiotic.  Wolf had no control.  None.  The second thing was their fawning over Trump.  I mean, it was pretty obscene.  They kowtowed to him during the debate and gave him an unbelievable amount of time in the after-show show.  It's clear that they want a Trump-Hillary contest to boost ratings.  And that is shameful.