By Dave Andrusko
My wife and I got home late last night, so when we started the tape, about half the nearly three hour long Republican debate had already been completed. We started from the beginning, of course, and I had to resist the temptation to look to see what others had said about the first ninety minutes.
I’m glad I did, because, like you, I had my own take on the exchanges which were hosted at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library by CNN. Here are just a couple of thoughts on what (as they say) a vigorous exchange of views.
The setting for the two separate debates was magnificent. Right behind the 15 GOP presidential contenders was Air Force One, the very same plane that flew President Reagan over 660,000 miles to 26 foreign nations and 46 states. Every time I see it, I get nostalgic.
Besides the usual “what do they have to do to win” cliché, the narrative going in was how much attention CNN host Jake Tapper would give billionaire Donald Trump (plenty, as it turned out) and to what extend his rivals would challenge his front-runner status (on almost every occasion).
From the pro-life perspective, there was much to celebrate. It’s not that passion is everything. But an audience cannot miss when it’s almost as if your devotion to the fate of helpless unborn babies is oozing out of the pores of your skin.
You saw that over and over last night. Carly Fiorina received the most acclaim when, for example, she said, “I dare Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, to watch these tapes,” the ten undercover videos taken by the Center for Medical Progress which revealed the unvarnished truth about Planned Parenthood and the “Tissue Procurement Organizations” which collect intact baby body parts.
In one answer she deftly brought together two separate questions.
I would like to link these two issues, both of which are incredibly important, Iran and Planned Parenthood.
One has something to do with the defense of the security of this nation. The other has something to do with the defense of the character of this nation.
But Ms. Fiorina had plenty of company.
At the end moderator Tapper asked, “How will the world look different once your Air Force One is parked in the hangar of your presidential library?” At the conclusion of his answer, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said
And life would be really deemed precious. Abortion would be no more. It would be as much of a scourge in our past as slavery is.
In the earlier debate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said, “Hi, I’m Rick Santorum. Some of you may know me, because I led the fight to end partial-birth abortion.”
Several other debaters specifically affirmed their respect for life and the governors, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal proudly talked about defunding Planned Parenthood in their respective states.
There are many, many Republican debates ahead. The next is October 28. The first debate among Democrats is October 13.