MUST BLOG BEFORE THE DONALD IMPLODES!! So for the last few weeks, I’ve watched with more than avid interest as Donald Trump, the bombastic, self-promoting business mogul, managed to well “Trump” all the other announced candidates for the GOP nomination in national polls.
As the first GOP debate neared, I wondered aloud if his presence on the stage:
(a) Would lower the already pretty dismal expectations most of us have for GOP Presidential debates;
(b) Was the end result of a nefarious, yet brilliant plot by the DNC;
(c) Was a sign of the impending Armageddon; or
(d) All of the above.
Strangely, it might turn out to be (e) None of the above. (Although the DNC plot hasn’t yet been disproven).
So what were the rather anti-climactic and unsurprising conclusions from last week’s debate?
- Jeb Bush isn’t charismatic. Smart, but not charismatic.
- Donald Trump’s comments are offensive and he doesn’t care that they are.
- Ben Carson is a nice guy who is a neurosurgeon.
- Marco Rubio, John Kasich and even Chris Christie each did a good job of seeming genuine and staying on message.
And here are a few of the not-so-obvious, but I think more important, takeaways:
- Those candidates from larger swing states presented a more compassionate view of their policy positions. A good example was John Kasich’s comments on gay marriage. This is good planning towards an eventual general election run.
- Social networking will play an increasingly important role in political campaigning. Did you notice that Facebook co-sponsored the debate? Check out this interesting article by Andrea Chang and Samantha Masunaga in the Los Angeles Times. Even Snapchat will be getting into the act.
- Maybe the Donald isn’t so bad for the GOP after all. OK, I’m saying this assuming he will implode in the coming days. But his presence at the debate had to be a major factor behind its rating success. Over 24 million people tuned in (including my 17-year-old daughter and some of her friends). That’s the largest viewership, by far, of any previous televised presidential debate and even beat out the Women’s World Cup and NBA Finals. If people were watching, maybe they came away with more than the confirmation that Donald Trump will liven things up.