For the nearly 17 million viewers tuning into last night's GOP debate, being entertained wasn't a problem. Unfortunately, a good portion of the debate looked like a fight in the boys' locker room -- not a conversation about America's future -- as Donald Trump and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) went back and forth with jabs about their respective stature.
It was a night to forget for Trump, who took a serious bruising for his endless contradictions on immigration, the war in Afghanistan, common core, Syrian refugees, and Obamacare. Fox News played a trio of examples that left plenty of doubts about Trump's real position on issues important to his campaign and to the country. The men on his right and left, Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), picked up where the moderators left off, landing plenty of punches on the front-runner's policy inconsistencies. Trump tried to brush off his series of reversals with a call to compromise. "I've never seen a successful person who wasn't flexible," Donald replied, "who didn't have a certain degree of flexibility. You have to have a certain degree of flexibility." As I said on Fox Business this morning, that's a fine philosophy if you're negotiating a deal for a building -- but it's quite another if you're negotiating national security. If you get that wrong, people die.
Cruz, who rose above the playground antics, (which, as Frank Luntz's focus group pointed out, was no small feat), dominated in his policy exchanges with Trump. Maybe that's why people from Rush Limbaugh to HotAir, National Review, Breitbart, and even liberal Slate magazine called the debate for Ted. Unlike the others, he seemed to avoid most of the bullying and name calling to take aim -- not just at his opponents, but also at the liberal agenda. "Detroit," he pointed out, "is a great city with a magnificent legacy that has been utterly decimated by 60 years of failed left-wing policy." To the military, which has too often been a footnote of these debates, he promised, "I will have your back."
When Cruz did go on the attack, it was to call attention to his rival's serious vulnerabilities against Secretary Hillary Clinton. "The choice Republican primary voters are making is who is best prepared to stand up to Hillary Clinton and beat Hillary Clinton. Donald Trump has written checks to Hillary Clinton not once, not twice, not three times. Ten times. And four of those checks were not to her Senate campaign. It wasn't that she was the New York senator and it was a cost of doing business. It was to her presidential campaign... If you don't like Obamacare, Donald Trump funded Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi taking over Congress to pass Obamacare."
Governor John Kasich (R-Ohio), who continued to call for a group hug on contentious policy issues, managed to steer clear of any real confrontations before the do-or-die primary in his home state. After a particularly damaging answer in the last debate about religious liberty ("make them bake cupcakes!"), Kasich tried to correct course. Even he seemed to realize the threat to our First Freedom lurking behind the veil of tolerance. "If you go to a photographer to take pictures at your wedding, and he says, I'd rather not do it, find another photographer, don't sue them in court. You know what, the problem is in our country -- in our country, we need to learn to respect each other and be a little bit more tolerant for one another. But at the end of the day, if somebody is being pressured to participate in something that is against their deeply-held religious beliefs, then we're going to have to think about dealing with the law."
Unfortunately, Kasich, like too many Republicans, is either naïve or in denial if they think civility will save the day. Christians would love nothing more than to coexist with liberal activists. But the other side has shown absolutely zero willingness to show others the same tolerance they demand. Instead, they exact the steepest of prices for people's deeply-held beliefs: shuttering businesses, bankrupting private accounts, smearing reputations -- even hauling public servants to jail! "Why don't we come together as a country," Kasich asked, "respect one another, love one another and lift this country? I think that's what people want." What people want is for their government to protect religious liberty -- instead of watching it become weaponized by the Left to attack their First Amendment rights. Governor Kasich is making progress, but he has a long way to go before realizing what's truly at stake in this election.
As I pointed out this morning, the world has become an extremely dangerous place under the failed policies of the Obama administration. The Middle East is in full-blown meltdown mode, Russia is reviving itself as a world power, China is flexing its military muscle, and North Korea is unhinged. America's security and our families' security requires a leader who understands these dangers and will deal with them -- not with promises of negotiation but with a steeled determination. For more on my post-debate thoughts, check out this morning's interview with Fox Business below.
DISCLAIMER: Tony Perkins has made an endorsement in his individual and personal capacity only, and it should not be construed or interpreted in any way as the endorsement of FRC, FRC Action, or any affiliated entity.
