What's at Stake in the Second Republican Debate: Full Panic in the GOP

The New Republic ^ | September 16, 2015 | Brian Beutler, senior editor

[tennmountainman]

The GOPe’s will create a stampede running away from Bush.

[sten]

The four candidates with the most establishment-friendly backgrounds and campaigns—Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, and Scott Walker

establishment friendly?

kiss of death these days. want to insure people won't vote for a candidate, start talking up how tight he is with the GOP establishment

[Smokin' Joe]

Conservative Bloomberg View

Well, there are three words I never thought I'd see strung together in that order...

[matthew fuller]

I think that Kasich committed political suicide on CNN tonite.

[Beowulf9]

They certainly don’t give much time to Cruz.

[Calpublican]

I noticed Hewitt primarily directed his questions to his favorite RINO candidates to give them more face time. Not gonna help tho.

[Calpublican]

Agreed.

In addition to the other problems he had, his continued saga of single-handedly balancing the federal budget is getting old.

[867V309]

The GOPe’s will create a stampede running away from Bush.

Without Boosch, they are lost.

They are lost.

[zerosix]

The national media IS doing the bidding of their really big donors (and the RNC) and that is to pretend Cruz doesn't exist!

I mentioned again tonight before this debate that Cruz couldn't get arrested by anyone in the media, were he speeding through their neighborhoods!

After it being made known that he is a master debater before the FOX debate, he was kept from having any chance to debate, not that it was any kind of debate.

[Nifster]

“Republican elected officials would consolidate behind a consensus choice if Trump started winning delegates.”

That won’t help and they won’t do anything more than they already have. The coalesced behind Yeb and gave him lots of money and have been pushing him hard. To no avail.

[smoothsailing]

Full Panic in the GOPe

[Pelham]

“Conservative Bloomberg View columnist Ramesh Ponnuru “

Isn’t he one of the GOPe flunkies who wrecked National Review?

[dforest]

There were no major anythings in the debate. I would imagine polls won’t change a lot.

Oh well, tomorrow is another day.

All pretty well behaved considering.

[bigbob]

Don’t think CNN post-game commentators have even mentioned the word “Jeb”

[LS]

I think Trump had only one job tonight: eliminate, or reduce the threat of, Ben Carson. And he did it without ever having to attack him, and took out Paul and Bush as well.

Prediction: the GOPe will swing everything behind Rubio or Fiorina now. Carson will fade some, Trump's lead---but maybe not overall numbers---will grow.

[timestax]

[arthurus]

A surprisingly sane analysis, considering the source.

[RKBA Democrat]

“Without Boosch, they are lost.”

Naaah. The oligarchs will just go with the ‘rat candidate. It’s a rigged game.

[arthurus]

I don’t see how much of anything could change given this “debate” format. For one, it is not a debate. It is more like a poorly organized press conference.