The 2024 Republican Primary Debate

It has been a long time since my last post, and I would like to start with an apology. I was not expecting a summer full of international travel and a new baby (to come). I promised commentary on the political happenings of the day, and I (sadly) was not able to provide as much as I wished to. My apologies for not providing consistent content. In the future, I will write posts when time allows and my schedule permits. Thank you to those who remained subscribed despite my long hiatus. I hope you continue to appreciate any future content I provide, and I wish all of you well as the primary season heats up for the 2024 Presidential election.

A few points on the news leading up to this debate:

1. I think it is a sad day for Democracy when both leading presidential candidates refuse to participate in debates which are meant to outline their policies and principles on key issues. If you are running to be your parties nominee you should debate. Full stop.

2. Yet, I find our current method of debate to be broken. We have 5-10 candidates stand on a stage for two hours with only 60 seconds to respond to nuanced and controversial issues. The result? Individuals who only get to share their opinion for 10-12 minutes (if that). Instead, candidates should be required to have sit down conversations for at least one hour to explain their positions and agenda. While I disagree with many of Trump’s positions, I did find his decision to participate in a 45 minute interview instead of the debate fascinating. He was able to talk more than most of the debate participants combined. Ultimately, we need to hear more from our political candidates and not less. Long form conversation reveals inconsistency, locks politicians into promises they can be encouraged to keep, and it provides time for the audience to digest new arguments.

The Debate:

This debate was surprisingly insightful. Contrary to prior Republican primaries there was actual disagreement on Ukraine, Abortion, and Climate Change. These disagreements epitomize a Republican Party that is trying to find its identity post-2016. Will the GOP revert back to its establishment roots? Or will it shift to become increasingly populist and MAGA-centric? Nicki Haley was the winner of the evening if you were hoping for an establishment resurgence. She emphasized supporting Ukraine, finding consensus on abortion, and called out Republican spending. Vivek Ramaswamy did well to carry on Trump’s mannerisms and bombastic style. He called the climate change ‘agenda’ a hoax, emphasized the need to spend money at home instead of in Ukraine, and reiterated the need to beef up security at the Southern border. Ron DeSantis, Chris Christy, Tim Scott, and Mike Pence sounded like politicians desperate to maintain legitimacy in a political landscape that is forgetting them. Doug Burghum (who?) and Asa Hutchinson (I had to Google the debate list to remember he was there) should back out now and leave this race for better candidates.

Will this debate, and the ones to come, even matter? Trump is 40 points ahead in national polling for the primary race. He is 25 points ahead in most polls in Iowa. Strategically, he did not need to be at a debate where his closest competitor (Ron Desantis) is 40 points behind him (even though I wish that he was for Democracy’s sake).

But.

There is a chance something unexpected happens to Trump before the 2024 election season. He is facing multiple indictments, old age, and a few challengers who could consolidate support. We may be looking at these candidates with more attention if Trump’s legal woes or his health catch up with him. I will be looking closely at these candidates in the months to come. I hope that they seek out longer form interviews to highlight the nuances of their opinions, and I hope that the American people read up on these candidates before they assume that 2024 will be a rematch of 2020. Make an informed, nuanced, and educated decision this election cycle even if you think it may not matter, because anything can happen with an election cycle as unstable as this one.