Debate takeaways: Without Trump, spotlight on Cruz, Rubio
DES MOINES, Iowa: It was clear, even before it started, that Thursday night’s Republican presidential debate would be dramatically different. GOP front-runner Donald Trump had voluntarily given up his regular place at center stage. He skipped the debate, preferring to mount a rally across town to punish Fox News Channel for “toying” with him. The billionaire businessman’s absence was addressed early and then his Republican rivals quickly moved on, getting a far better opportunity to shine. Overall, the two-hour affair featured a sober tone focused more on substance than personality. There were exceptions, of course. Ted Cruz defended his authenticity and Marco Rubio faced pointed questions on immigration.
But just days before Iowa’s leadoff caucuses, there were none of the breakout moments that have sometimes characterized the more colorful debates featuring Trump, battling Cruz for first place in the 2016 primary season’s opening contest. Some takeaways from Thursday’s Republican debate: question his position on immigration. The issue is by far his greatest vulnerability as he tries to convince skeptical GOP activists that he doesn’t support so-called amnesty. The debate moderators played a series of video clips highlighting Rubio’s apparent shift on the issue, which put the first-term senator on the defensive at the outset of a key exchange. At best, Rubio may have clouded the issue of whether he had backed off his earlier calls for comprehensive legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship. But rival Jeb Bush seemed to get the best of him in an exchange in which Bush questioned Rubio’s retreat on the issue. “You shouldn’t cut and run,” Bush charged.
Bush clouds lane Bush repeatedly beat back questions about his long-term viability in the 2016 contest, insisting he has a path to the nomination and would ultimately defeat leading Democrat Hillary Clinton. “We’re just starting. The first vote hasn’t been counted. Why don’t we let the process work?” Bush said. Overall, Bush had more success on the debate stage without having to contend with Trump. His strength - and full-steam-ahead approach - was a pointed reminder that the fight for the party’s mainstream wing is far from over.
Bush and Rubio are competing with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich to win over the GOP’s centrist wing. Some party officials hoped Rubio would have emerged as the consensus choice by now. Bush defended rounds of antiRubio attack ads. “This is beanbag compared to what the Clinton hit machine is going to do to the Republican nominee,” Bush said.