{"id":3876,"date":"2015-11-15T08:30:09","date_gmt":"2015-11-15T13:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/?p=3876"},"modified":"2015-11-16T07:17:15","modified_gmt":"2015-11-16T12:17:15","slug":"gop-debate-bring-back-the-cnbc-moderators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dougsbriefcase.com\/blog\/gop-debate-bring-back-the-cnbc-moderators\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP<\/span> Debate: Bring Back The CNBC<\/span> Moderators"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

\"GOP<\/a>

GOP<\/span> Pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial con\u00adtenders fum\u00adbled sub\u00adstan\u00adtive ques\u00adtions dur\u00ading last week\u2019s debate. [Cred\u00adit: ibtimes.com]<\/p><\/div>Don\u00adald Trump wants a piece of the Key\u00adstone Pipeline.\n

The issue didn\u2019t come up dur\u00ading last week\u2019s GOP<\/span> debate<\/a>,<\/span> so Trump didn\u2019t have the chance to elab\u00ado\u00adrate on his dec\u00adla\u00adra\u00adtion that he would have approved the project only if the Cana\u00addi\u00adan com\u00adpa\u00adny forked over 25 per\u00adcent of its profits.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>I want a piece of the deal<\/a>,<\/span>\u201d Trump told Bret Baier of Fox News.  \u201cWhen I say I want a piece, I\u2019m now rep\u00adre\u00adsent\u00ading our coun\u00adtry the way I would rep\u00adre\u00adsent myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump and his GOP<\/span> rivals did not rep\u00adre\u00adsent them\u00adselves well at their most recent debate. Con\u00adfront\u00aded with sub\u00adstan\u00adtive pol\u00adi\u00adcy ques\u00adtions, they pro\u00adduced some moments that were embar\u00adrass\u00ading enough to make this view\u00ader yearn for the much-maligned<\/a> CNBC<\/span> moderators.<\/p>\n

Those mod\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtors, you might recall, made lit\u00adtle effort to con\u00adceal their con\u00adtempt for the pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adtial aspi\u00adrants or for the audi\u00adence.  Instead of requir\u00ading the con\u00adtenders to explain and defend their pol\u00adi\u00adcy posi\u00adtions (which is, after all, is the debate\u2019s pur\u00adpose), the mod\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtors posed clown ques\u00adtions and in the process made them\u00adselves the debate\u2019s biggest losers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>This is not a cage match,\u201d Repub\u00adli\u00adcan can\u00addi\u00addate Texas Sen\u00ada\u00adtor Ted Cruz declared<\/a>. \u201cAnd if you look at the ques\u00adtions: Don\u00adald Trump, are you a com\u00adic book vil\u00adlain? Ben Car\u00adson, can you do math? John Kasich, will you insult two peo\u00adple over here? Mar\u00adco Rubio, why don\u2019t you resign? Jeb Bush, why have your num\u00adbers fallen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>How about talk\u00ading about the sub\u00adstan\u00adtive issues?\u201d Cruz pleaded.<\/p>\n

Be care\u00adful what you wish for.<\/p>\n

At last week\u2019s debate<\/a>,<\/span> the can\u00addi\u00addates were chal\u00adlenged on sub\u00adstance and the results weren\u2019t always pret\u00adty.  Cruz engaged in a cringe-induc\u00ading exchange on bank bailouts with Ohio Gov\u00ader\u00adnor John Kasich.  The upshot: nei\u00adther appeared to have heard of the FDIC<\/span><\/a>,<\/span> which insures deposits up to $250,000.  The bank bailouts didn\u2019t pro\u00adtect depos\u00adi\u00adtors, since their assets already were secured by a pro\u00adgram that\u2019s been around since the 1930s.<\/p>\n

But you wouldn\u2019t know that lis\u00adten\u00ading to Cruz and Kasich car\u00adry on.  When Kasich erro\u00adneous\u00adly sug\u00adgest\u00aded that pro\u00adtect\u00ading depos\u00adi\u00adtors required the Solomon\u00adic hand of an \u201cexec\u00adu\u00adtive\u201d to pick and choose among depos\u00adi\u00adtors who could \u201cafford\u201d to lose their mon\u00adey and \u201cthe hard-work\u00ading folks\u201d who couldn\u2019t, Cruz tri\u00adumphant\u00adly pro\u00adclaimed, \u201cSo you would bail them out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>When you are faced with banks going under,\u201d Kasich replied, \u201cand peo\u00adple who put their life sav\u00adings in there, you got to deal with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Actu\u00adal\u00adly, you don\u2019t got to deal with it.  The FDIC<\/span> already does.  Whether or not you agree that the gov\u00adern\u00adment was right to bail out finan\u00adcial insti\u00adtu\u00adtions, the actions were not under\u00adtak\u00aden to pro\u00adtect depositors.<\/p>\n

Kasich also called for the U.S. to estab\u00adlish a \u201cno-fly zone\u201d in north\u00adern Syr\u00adia.  On this, he has plen\u00adty of com\u00adpa\u00adny on both sides of the aisle.  Hillary Clin\u00adton<\/a> has embraced the idea, as have (in alpha\u00adbet\u00adi\u00adcal order): Bush<\/a>,<\/span> Car\u00adson<\/a>,<\/span> Christie<\/a>,<\/span> Fio\u00adr\u00adi\u00adna<\/a> and Rubio<\/a>.  Trump has been cryp\u00adtic, call\u00ading for a \u201csafe zone<\/a>\u201d (what\u00adev\u00ader that is), while Cruz didn\u2019t answer<\/a> the ques\u00adtion direct\u00adly dur\u00ading a recent \u201cMeet The Press\u201d appearance.<\/p>\n

Many crit\u00adics of the President\u2019s inscrutable war of choice in the region have urged the cre\u00adation of a no-fly zone almost since the Syr\u00adi\u00adan civ\u00adil war\u2019s incep\u00adtion, but cir\u00adcum\u00adstances changed dra\u00admat\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly with Russia\u2019s entry into the con\u00adflict.  Rand Paul seemed to be the only can\u00addi\u00addate who noticed.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Rus\u00adsia flies in that zone,\u201d Paul remind\u00aded view\u00aders, \u201cat the invi\u00adta\u00adtion of Iraq. I\u2019m not say\u00ading it\u2019s a good thing, but you bet\u00adter know at least what we\u2019re get\u00adting into.\u201d<\/p>\n

OK<\/span>, so Paul flubbed the ques\u00adtion too, since the can\u00addi\u00addates have gen\u00ader\u00adal\u00adly talked about estab\u00adlish\u00ading a no-fly zone over por\u00adtions of Syr\u00adia, not Iraq. But he at least rec\u00adog\u00adnized the per\u00adils of pur\u00adsu\u00ading this strat\u00ade\u00adgy now that Russ\u00adian war\u00adplanes are fly\u00ading mis\u00adsions in Syr\u00adi\u00adan airspace.<\/p>\n

Estab\u00adlish\u00ading a no-fly zone in Syr\u00adia over the objec\u00adtions of its gov\u00adern\u00adment is a seri\u00adous mat\u00adter.  Risk\u00ading armed con\u00adflict with Rus\u00adsia in the process is down\u00adright dan\u00adger\u00adous.   Can\u00addi\u00addates who advo\u00adcate such steps must explain to vot\u00aders what these actions would accom\u00adplish, what could go wrong and why it\u2019s worth the risk.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the Trans-Pacif\u00adic Part\u00adner\u00adship<\/a>,<\/span> a trade deal the Admin\u00adis\u00adtra\u00adtion nego\u00adti\u00adat\u00aded with nine Asian gov\u00adern\u00adments.  Chi\u00adna, Mr. Trump informed the audi\u00adence, is \u201cthe num\u00adber-one abuser of this coun\u00adtry. And if you look at the way they take advan\u00adtage, it\u2019s through cur\u00adren\u00adcy manip\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion. It\u2019s not even dis\u00adcussed in the almost 6,000-page agree\u00adment. It\u2019s not even discussed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>We might want to point out,\u201d Mr. Paul inter\u00adject\u00aded, \u201cChi\u00adna is not part of this deal.\u201d  Which might explain why the agree\u00adment doesn\u2019t dis\u00adcuss Chi\u00adnese mon\u00ade\u00adtary policy.<\/p>\n

At this point in the cam\u00adpaign, can\u00addi\u00addates should\u00adn\u2019t be botch\u00ading ques\u00adtions on trade deals, bailouts and no-fly zones. Repub\u00adli\u00adcan can\u00addi\u00addates did, retreat\u00ading to pat answers that betrayed a fun\u00adda\u00admen\u00adtal mis\u00adun\u00adder\u00adstand\u00ading of crit\u00adi\u00adcal issues. That\u2019s not a win\u00adning strategy.<\/p>\n

Vot\u00aders deserve bet\u00adter than a Pres\u00adi\u00addent who is glib, smart and thor\u00adough\u00adly ill-equipped to meet chal\u00adlenges at home and abroad, as we were remind\u00aded again when Islam\u00adic State ter\u00adror\u00adists struck Paris just hours after Pres\u00adi\u00addent Oba\u00adma had boast\u00aded of hav\u00ading \u201ccon\u00adtained them<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has left the world more dan\u00adger\u00adous and the nation more divid\u00aded than he found it. Repair\u00ading the dam\u00adage and heal\u00ading the wounds will require an extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnary leader.  Such lead\u00ader\u00adship was lit\u00adtle in evi\u00addence dur\u00ading last week\u2019s debate. There still is a long way to go in this cam\u00adpaign, more than enough time for the can\u00addi\u00addates to think through their posi\u00adtions and mas\u00adter pol\u00adi\u00adcy details.  Those who want to con\u00advince vot\u00aders that they\u2019re up to the chal\u00adlenge should get busy.<\/p>\n

And if things don\u2019t work out for Trump, there are oth\u00ader coun\u00adtries that may one day be in the mar\u00adket for new lead\u00ader\u00adship.  His insis\u00adtence on get\u00adting \u201ca piece of the deal\u201d on the Key\u00adstone per\u00admit suits him very well for the pres\u00adi\u00adden\u00adcy of coun\u00adtries like Venezuela and Russia.<\/p>\n

Watch your back, Vlad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Don\u00adald Trump wants a piece of the Key\u00adstone Pipeline. The issue didn\u2019t come up dur\u00ading last week\u2019s GOP<\/span> debate, so Trump didn\u2019t have the chance to elab\u00ado\u00adrate on his dec\u00adla\u00adra\u00adtion that he would have approved the project only if the \u2026 Con\u00adtin\u00adue read\u00ading \u2192<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3884,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"nfd_image_url":"","nfd_onboarding_generated":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1172,560,1173,158,19,587,1065,441,157],"tags":[281,1258,1174,410,1257,1207,1259,1260,278,1256,440,1198,639,1261,847],"class_list":["post-3876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2016-presidential-election","category-banking","category-donald-trump","category-national-security","category-politics","category-putin","category-russia","category-syria","category-terrorism","tag-bailouts","tag-cnbc","tag-donald-trump","tag-fdic","tag-fox-business-news","tag-iraq","tag-john-kasich","tag-no-fly-zone","tag-rand-paul","tag-republican-debate","tag-russia","tag-syria","tag-ted-cruz","tag-trans-pacific-partnership","tag-vladimir-putin"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t