5 Things to Expect From Tonight’s Debate
Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debates, broadcast on CNN, will feature two separate groups of candidates spread over nearly four hours of air time. As is the case in almost every debate, there will be a number of unexpected surprises.
But there are five things you should be prepared to expect.
1. Most of the debate will focus on national security.
This was already planned out prior to the Islamist attack in San Bernardino, California, to be a “national security debate.” And with the current situation unfolding with schools in Los Angeles on lockdown due to a “credible terrorist threat,” expect the questions to focus heavily on the issues of defense, national intelligence and relations with Muslims.
2. This may be the most contentious GOP debate so far.
The subject matter alone will open the door for more discussion about Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily halt Muslim immigration to the U.S. in which almost all of the other candidates are going to “pile on.” But it will also expose some fractious debate between: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, and Rand Paul with Cruz and Rubio.
And don’t be surprised if John Kasich, Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina don’t try to score some points along the way. This is an area where there is a diverse array of opinions within the crowded field, so expect some of the messiest “debating” we’ve seen so far this election cycle.
3. This is Ben Carson’s ‘Sink-or-Swim’ moment.
Ben Carson, who once threatened to unseat Trump as the Republican front-runner, has seen his polling numbers plummet in recent weeks as questions mount about his ability to deal with matters of foreign policy and national security. His relatively calm demeanor doesn’t lend itself well to the modern televised debate format, either.
If a different Ben Carson from the one we’ve been seeing emerges and steals the show, it will revitalize his campaign. If we get more of the same ol’ same ol’, his numbers will quickly crater, so expect the pressure to be on him to perform.
4. The debate questioners won’t be completely horrible.
Wolf Blitzer and Dana Bash notwithstanding, the questions and responses to the candidates’ answers won’t be a complete disaster. The last CNN debate, held at the Reagan Presidential Library in California, got mixed reviews, at best.
The bright spot will be nationally syndicated radio host Hugh Hewitt, who has a generally personable interview style on his program. The Catholic talker is a dyed-in-the-wool conservative, and more importantly has an excellent relationship with nearly all of the candidates, so expect his questions to be substantive and helpful to GOP voters.
5. Everyone is going to win this debate.
Within minutes of the debate’s conclusion, the candidates’ campaigns will unleash a torrent of emails to the media, declaring themselves the winner. In fact, several of the participants in the 6 p.m. Eastern Time “first debate” to declare themselves the winner, too, so expect there to be a temporary suspension of reality from more than one campaign.
