Who do you think won last week’s GOP debate? The participants were South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The biggest beneficiary was probably Tucker Carlson, the moderator, writes Roger Kimball in American Greatness:
(Tucker) is a master interviewer, outgoing and friendly in manner, informed about the issues, unrelenting in his questioning.
Tucker Carlson did emerge as one of the stars of the evening. The forum, however, was not about him. It was about a gaggle of GOP Hopefuls, and Mr. Kimball feels it’s prudent to start with the losers.
- Mike Pence: Pence might just as well have used the occasion to perform an act of self-immolation.
The key moment came in an exchange about foreign policy, in particular U.S. policy with respect to the war in Ukraine. Pence said he was distressed that we had yet to send Ukraine the promised Abrams tanks or train Ukrainian pilots to fly F16s
You are distressed,” said Tucker, “that the Ukrainians don’t have enough American tanks. Every city in the United States has become much worse in the last three years. . . .and yet your concern is that the Ukrainians . . . don’t have enough tanks? Where’s the concern in the United States in that?
Well, that’s not my concern. Tucker, answered Pence. “I’ve heard that routine from you before, but that’s not my concern.
Roger Kimball notes the consensus was that Pence did himself significant damage. The “not my concern” slip might be corrected, explained away, as was Obama’s “57 states” comment. But that suffocating sense that the former Vice President is a priggish, platitude-emitting machine will be hard to overcome.
- Tim Scott: Scott strutted on stage with a grinning hallelujah wave but said . . . not much.
- Niki Haley: Haley was much better than Mr. Kimball thought she would be but, at the end of the day, she agreed that Joe Biden
1) had actually got 81 million votes (he didn’t)
2) even though there were “irregularities” in the 2020 election, Biden was legitimately elected.
In other words, warns Mr. Kimball, Ms. Haley is part of the problem.
- Vivek Ramaswamy: the young ferociously articulate candidate who, Mr. Kimball thinks will not be president this time, but who truly gets it.
Asked about the origin of 6 January 2021, the little contretemps at the Capitol in 2021, he said, “Well it was probably because of censorship.
There you have it from Roger Kimball, who “loves” Vivek, whom he feels probably won’t get it this time. But, Mr. Kimball is betting, Vivek will in the future.
Roger ends his article with this thought:
“How about a Trump Vivek ticket?”
Roger Kimball’s just saying.
