{"id":2047640,"date":"2023-09-28T05:49:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-28T09:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-debate-trumps-challengers-build-a-wall-of-sound-then-struggle-to-break-through\/"},"modified":"2023-09-28T05:52:23","modified_gmt":"2023-09-28T09:52:23","slug":"republican-debate-trumps-challengers-build-a-wall-of-sound-then-struggle-to-break-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-debate-trumps-challengers-build-a-wall-of-sound-then-struggle-to-break-through\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican debate: Trump&#8217;s rivals create a wall of noise, but struggle to make an impact."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">30<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-debate-trumps-challengers-build-a-wall-of-sound-then-struggle-to-break-through%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2047640&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>If you\u200b watched the second Republican primary debate with closed captioning, you\u200d might have concluded that the leading candidate was \u201cCrosstalk.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Wednesday \u2063night\u2019s gathering at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was less a\u2062 debate than a cacophony in which the seven candidates each said worthwhile things but often struggled to be heard.<\/p>\n<h3>REPUBLICAN DEBATE: CAN GOP \u200bDEBATERS PUT PRESSURE ON TRUMP TO SHOW UP?<\/h3>\n<p>This is symbolic of a field that has largely failed to distinguish itself from former President Donald Trump, the overwhelming front-runner, and one another. The debate was a Tower of Babel overlooking Reagan&#8217;s shining city on a hill.<\/p>\n<p>Instead,\u200c a collection of candidates who \u200care mostly in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-debate-trumps-challengers-build-a-wall-of-sound-then-struggle-to-break-through\/\" title=\"Republican debate: Trump's rivals create a wall of noise, but struggle to make an impact.\">single digits traded insults<\/a> and took carefully scripted shots at the former president, who was campaigning in the battleground state of\u200b Michigan\u2063 rather than joining them.<\/p>\n<p>If Trump\u200b was supposed to build the wall, his primary challengers are building a wall of sound, and their campaigns are paying for\u2064 it.<\/p>\n<p>Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy reprised his role as the\u2064 villain on the stage, clearly disliked by \u2063most of the other six candidates, who\u2064 rejected his call \u2063to come together\u2063 after\u2062 calling them sellouts in the last encounter. But like \u2064many of the attacks on candidates not named Trump, the barbs seemed arbitrary and driven \u200cby personal animus rather than any clear strategy. The same was true\u2062 of the late-period South Carolina squabbling between former United Ambassador Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).<\/p>\n<p>In Scott\u2019s case, \u2062perhaps there was some upside to showing \u2063he\u2064 could throw a punch after a sleepy first debate. Ramaswamy also offers the opportunity to assail some of Trump\u2019s\u200c policy positions by proxy, since he is a fellow populist. Ramaswamy\u200b is mainly a young upstart whose glibness gets under their skin, however.<\/p>\n<p>One exception was Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) calling out Trump\u2019s criticisms of \u2062six-week abortion\u200d bans as \u201cterrible.\u201d That was a real \u200copening for the other candidates\u2062 in the race, especially\u200c in Iowa, and an important policy debate inside\u2062 the\u200c GOP.<\/p>\n<p>How Republicans are going to \u2063legislate on abortion since the reversal of Roe v. Wade should be one of the biggest issues in the primary. It surely will be in the general election.<\/p>\n<p>Yet DeSantis\u2019s defense of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/were-willing-to-lay-our-lives-down-inside-the-effort-to-save-babies-at-planned-parenthoods-front-doors\/\" title=\"\u2018We\u2019re Willing To Lay Our Lives Down\u2019: Inside The Effort To Save Babies At Planned Parenthood\u2019s Front Doors\">anti-abortion movement<\/a> against Trump\u2019s assertions about the midterm elections and \u201cterrible\u201d laws was fleeting. This was the Florida governor\u2019s main problem in the debate. His answers were strong, and he interjected occasionally.\u200d But he\u2063 mostly faded into\u200d the background unless asked a \u200cdirect question, and he seemed content to do so.<\/p>\n<p>DeSantis may be the \u200bfront-runner on that stage, though his recent drop to third place in the RealClearPolitics\u200c average for New Hampshire suggests he should not take that status for granted. He is, in fact, trailing Trump by 30 to 40 percentage points nationally\u2063 and in the early states.<\/p>\n<p>Appearing above the fray among \u200cthe also-rans \u200cis less important than altering the trajectory of the race.<\/p>\n<p>The direct appeals from multiple candidates to Trump to participate in the debates were only partly about his civic obligation. Trump does\u200c owe it to Republican voters \u2062to answer the same questions as the other candidates \u200dand risks shortchanging or insulting them by staying away.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time,\u2063 Trump is the only GOP candidate to have already served as president. Polls \u200bshow Republican \u2064voters want Trump to\u200c debate, but they even more consistently find him in first place, which may be the better indication of how important the\u2062 debates are\u200c to them.<\/p>\n<p>And the other candidates\u2019 attempts to bait Trump are clearly as much about their own needs.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s presence on the stage gives the rest of the field opportunities and validation the former president simply does not want to give them.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps by looking ahead to\u2062 the general election, by focusing\u2064 on blue-collar voters in Michigan and suburbanites made jittery by GOP abortion talk, Trump is making a mistake in the primaries.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a strong logical argument for this position. The evidence from the polls and the attempts of the\u2064 other candidates to capitalize on Trump&#8217;s missteps\u200c don\u2019t support it\u2062 very well.<\/p>\n<p>CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM\u200d THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/p>\n<p>The best hope for the non-Trump candidates is that as the field\u2064 shrinks, there will be less noise and more opportunities for breakout moments in future debates. This would also potentially give a Trump alternative \u2063a cleaner shot at the former president in \u2062the crucial\u200d early states.<\/p>\n<p>If the debates continue to produce modest bumps for several candidates simultaneously and offer no stronger rationale for Trump to attend than to \u200davoid being called \u201cDonald Duck,\u201d \u2062crosstalk will\u200d prevail.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How did Act fare in the debate compared to the \u2062other candidates?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Act, \u2062the only candidate on stage who has \u2062defeated Trump in a head-to-head election. But his lack of dominance in the debate does not bode well for his campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Another standout moment came from Sen. Tim Scott, who made a passionate plea for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/former-dem-oregon-governor-freed-hundreds-of-inmates-early-now-one-is-reportedly-person-of-interest-in-deaths-of-four-young-women\/\" title=\"Ex-Dem Oregon Governor Released Inmates Early; One Now Suspected in Deaths of Four Women.\">criminal\u2064 justice reform<\/a> and highlighted his\u200d own \u200dexperiences as a black man in America. This was a\u2063 refreshing departure \u200cfrom the usual talking \u2064points and\u200c showcased Scott&#8217;s ability to connect with audiences\u200d on a personal level.<\/p>\n<p>However, the rest of the candidates\u2062 seemed to struggle to break through the noise. Sens. Ted Cruz and Rand\u2064 Paul attempted to engage in substantive policy discussions, but their voices often got lost\u2064 amidst the chaos.\u200b Former Gov. Mike \u2063Huckabee and\u200d Dr. \u200cBen Carson\u200c tried \u200dto inject some humor\u2062 into \u2064the evening, but their jokes fell flat.<\/p>\n<p>One candidate who managed to stand out in the sea of noise was\u2062 Carly Fiorina. She was articulate, confident, and unafraid \u2063to challenge her opponents. Her performance was a stark contrast to\u200c the jumbled mess\u2064 that characterized the rest of the debate.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the second Republican primary \u200bdebate was\u2062 a missed\u2062 opportunity for the candidates to differentiate themselves and make a strong case to voters. Instead of presenting clear policy \u2062positions and engaging \u200cin substantive\u2063 discussions, they were overshadowed by the constant interruptions and crosstalk.<\/p>\n<p>If the leading candidate in this debate was &#8220;Crosstalk,&#8221; then it is\u2062 clear that the other candidates have some work to do in order to be heard. They must\u200c find \u200ca way to break through the noise and capture the attention of voters. Otherwise, they risk being drowned out by\u2062 the overwhelming presence of Donald Trump and the chaos that surrounds\u2062 him.<\/p>\n<p>As the primary \u200dseason progresses, it is essential for the\u2064 Republican\u2062 candidates to find their voices and \u200cpresent a\u2064 coherent and compelling vision for the future of\u200b the party. They \u2062must move beyond insults and personal attacks and instead focus on the issues that matter most to the American people.<\/p>\n<p>Only then will they be able to differentiate themselves from both \u200bDonald \u2063Trump and each other, and make a convincing case \u2062for why they should be\u200c the\u200b Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, voters are left with the image \u2062of a \u200ccacophonous debate in which\u2063 the leading candidate \u2063was\u2063 not a person, but rather the noise\u200b itself. Whether or \u2063not the Republican Party can rise above\u200b this \u200cchaos\u2064 and find its footing remains to be seen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you watched the second Republican primary debate with closed captioning, you might have thought the leading candidate was &#8220;Crosstalk.&#8221; The event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was more of a noisy gathering than a proper debate. The seven candidates had valuable points to make, but often struggled to be heard.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2047641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2047640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2047640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2047640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2047640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2047641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2047640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2047640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2047640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}