Wednesday night, CNN hosted the second Republican debate with the highest-polling 11 presidential candidates. Present at the debate were Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Mike Huckabee, John Kasich, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Donald Trump and Scott Walker. The Chronicle's Likhitha Butchireddygari communicated via email with junior Adam Lemon, president of Duke College Republicans, freshman Steve Hassey, communications director of Duke Democrats, senior Pi Praveen, president of Duke Political Union, and sophomore Matthew King, President of YOUnite and a columnist for The Chronicle, to discuss the debate. Lemon, Hassey, Praveen and King offered their personal opinions and were not speaking on behalf of their organizations.
The Chronicle: What was the most ridiculous moment during the debate?
Adam Lemon: Trump trying to deny he ever attempted to buy Bush's support for gambling in Florida, no matter how many times Jeb clearly and accurately mentioned it.
Steve Hassey: Trump's discussion of vaccinations and their relationship to autism when he was standing next to one of the country's most experienced doctors.
Matthew King: The question about Secret Service codenames was ridiculous and the responses ranged from the stoic (Carson: "One Nation") to the witty (Bush: "Eveready") to the wordy (Paul: "Justice Never Sleeps"), and to the deliciously ironic (Trump: "Humble")
TC: What was the best sound bite or quote in terms of substance?
AL: When Fiorina said, "I think women everywhere heard clearly what Mr. Trump said." The quote showed both class and a very sharp wit, and was a scathing indictment of Trump.
Pi Praveen: When Kasich said, "If I were sitting at home and watch thing back and forth, I would be inclined to turn it off. I mean, people at home want to know across this country, they want to know what we're going to do to fix this place, how we'll balance a budget, how we're going to create more economic growth, how we'll pay down the debt, what we're going to do to strengthen the military... But I think it's important we get to the issues, because that's what people want, and they don't want all this fighting."
MK: When Kasich said, "When I left Washington in 2000, we had a $5 trillion surplus, and the economy was booming. I had spent 10 years of my life to get us to that point, went out in the private sector, was a great experience, and went into Ohio and took an $8 billion hole and turned it into a $2 billion surplus." Kasich definitely makes a strong case for his fiscally conservative record.
TC: What was the funniest sound bite or quote?
SH: Trump on Paul's looks: “I never attacked him on his look, and believe me, there is plenty of subject matter right here.”
PP: When Bush said, "I would go with Ronald Reagan's partner, Margaret Thatcher. Probably illegal, but what the heck?"
MK: "Sorry, Barbara," Fiorina's mid-sentence sorry-not-sorry moment to Bush's mother over the issue of Jeb's teenage marijuana use.
TC: What was the best zinger?
PP: Christie on Trump and Fiorina’s fighting: "The fact is that we don't want to hear about your careers, back and forth and volleying back and forth about who did well and who did poorly. You're both successful people. Congratulations."
MK: "Mr. Trump, we don't need an apprentice in the White House."
TC: What was the best jab across the aisle at the Democratic Party, Obama or Clinton?
MK: Fiorina's jab at Clinton: "If you want to stump a Democrat, ask them to name a accomplishment of Mrs. Clinton's." She's going after Hillary's perceived strength—her experience—and noting that although she's been in Washington for a long time, Hillary Clinton really doesn't have much of a record to run on except for jet-setting to over 100 countries as Secretary of State and making small-potatoes deals in the Senate.
TC: What was the most overused word/phrase?
AL: An Ayatollah who chants “death to America.” Iran is a serious threat and is not to be trusted, but the Ayatollah's been saying such things since the Revolution. And yet they've never carried it out, because they know they would fail. It's mere rhetoric.
SH: Clinton. The insistence of every candidate, with the notable exception of Kasich, to focus on their likely opponent rather than their own policies is telling.
PP: Mr. Trump.
MK: Obamacare.
TC: What was the best comment regarding the Iran Nuclear Deal?
AL: "Tearing up a deal is not a strategy."—Bush
SH: Kasich's comment on the Iran Nuclear Deal was the only comment I found vaguely rational on this topic: "You have to be steady... if they cheat, you slap the sanctions back on. If they help Hamas and Hezbollah, we slap the sanctions back on. And if we find out that they may be developing a nuclear weapon, then the military option is on the table. We are stronger when we work with the Western civilization, our friends in Europe, and just doing it on our own I don't think is the right policy."
MK: Huckabee had a great soundbite on the Iran Nuclear Deal, which was, "The president treats [the Deal] like the Magna Carta, but Iranians treat it like it's toilet paper."
TC: What was the best comment or plan regarding immigration reform?
SH: Rubio's plan exceeds all others in the Republican field. His Gang of Eight bill, which Cruz bragged about voting down, is the most serious policy proposal on immigration reform of anyone within the Republican field.
PP: "The truth is, you can't just wave your hands and say 'the 14th Amendment is gonna go away," said by Fiorina.
MK: Bush was absolutely dominant on immigration. He literally wrote the book on the issue and his mastery of the facts completely shone through.
TC: Who was the winner in terms of policy stance and substance?
AL: Bush.
SH: Bush.
PP: Fiorina.
MK: Bush.
TC: Who best expressed and advocated their qualifications?
AL: Bush.
SH: Rubio.
PP: Bush.
MK: Kasich.
TC: Who was the winner in terms of audience support?
AL: Fiorina.
SH: Fiorina.
PP: Rubio.
MK: Fiorina.
TC: Who was the most belligerent?
AL: Trump.
SH: Trump.
PP: Trump.
MK: Fiorina.
TC: What is the importance of these debates and why should we as college students watch them?
AL: The Republicans have several highly qualified candidates who have very good chances of winning the general election. But they also have to deal with the serious ideological divides within the party, as well as deal with those candidates who are damaging to the party's long-term success and attempts to change its main policies.
SH: The debates outline the discrepancies between the various candidates. For all college students, and in particular for those who identify as Republicans, this serves as a time when we can determine the positives and negatives of each candidate. In the high-stress environment of the debate, and particularly during a lengthy three-hour debate, true character can pervade through the suit of the politician. Miscues, such as Rick Perry's inexcusable 2012 gaffe, can show that a candidate is not ready for the pressures of the presidency. Conversely, a solid performance can display the tactical acuity of a candidate and his or her qualifications.
PP: The presidential debates, ideally, are a test of whether candidates' personas and presence of mind are well-suited for this nation's highest office. Watching these debates tells us far more about the potential direction our country will take in the future than simply reading different policy platforms can.
MK: History shows that the best debaters win elections. Ronald Reagan famously mopped the floor with Walter Mondale with his wry comment in the 1984 election mocking Walter Mondale's "youth and inexperience." Later, Reagan sat across the table from Mikhail Gorbachev and successfully negotiated a radical reduction in nuclear arms. Look to see who wins at these debates, and you'll find the candidate who will make America win the great debates of the international arena.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Class of 2019
Editor-in-chief 2017-18,
Local and national news department head 2016-17
Born in Hyderabad, India, Likhitha Butchireddygari moved to Baltimore at a young age. She is pursuing a Program II major entitled "Digital Democracy and Data" about the future of the American democracy.