I thought Trump carried himself with more dignity and maturity last night. Yeah, he shot off his mouth, but not to the usual extent.
What’s Up With That?
(lol)
The biggest loser here was CNN, when the Republican contenders, in an almost concerted effort, took control of the debate AWAY from Jake Tapper, and rendered Hugh Hewitt and Dana Bash virtually impotent. The sharpest shots came from Chris Christie, and John Kasich was almost as pointed in his criticism of the moderator and panel.
The Donald was pretty much in bob and weave mode, and to his credit, managed to avoid any lasting damage. His overall lead was whittled down a little, but not to the point of crash-and-burn.
Yet.
The football term is "Prevent Defense". He's the frontrunner -- just don't screw it up. The only time he was "Trump" was when one of the others came close to landing a power punch. Then, he unleashed his Trumpiness and slapped it back down.
The little jabs, he didn't much care about, but he made sure no one hit him hard.
Unfortunately, I don't think that strategy necessarily plays to undecideds. Trump may have declared himself the winner too soon.