Disastrous debate shows value of NH primary

What did we learn from the second Republican presidential primary debate?

Very little other than, this is why the first-in-thenation New Hampshire presidential primary is a vital part of the process.

Debate No. 2 included seven candidates on a shared stage, for two hours and I can officially say I learned nothing new about any of them. I am their target audience. I am a Republican who will vote in the primary. I am completely undecided on who I will vote for, although I know who I won’t. That leaves six possibilities for me. (Obviously, one on the “no” list is Donald Trump and the other is Trump Jr. No, not the actual son, I’m referring to Vivek Ramaswamy. He should learn some political history. During the 1980 Republican Primary, Phil Crane, R-Illinois, ran his race as an “I’m just like Ronald Reagan but younger” candidate, and, well, until this moment have you ever heard of Phil Crane?)

Out of the six who remain on my list, no one moved me closer to a decision. Not one policy or concept of any substance was brought forward. It was a bunch of “you had $50,000 curtains in the UN ambassador residence”— which Tim Scott apparently didn’t realize were already installed before Nikki Haley became ambassador; Chris Christie referring to Trump as Donald Duck, which I take as an affront to my favorite Disney character. I agree with Haley about feeling dumber every time Vivek speaks, but, is that really appropriate dialogue from someone who wants to be the president of the United States and represent us on the world stage? I can say it, I’m not pretending I’m a mature adult who should wield power, but I expect more from those who are. As for former Vice President Mike Pence and Govs. Doug Burgum and Ron DeSantis, they did fine, but, I don’t remember anything impactful that moved the needle for me as a voter.

Combine the lack of substance with the format of people talking over each other, yelling, not letting people finish a sentence, and it was just messy and uninformative. I don’t know why the organizers don’t just shut their microphones off when they cut someone off or go over their time. That should be a standing rule. That being said, they also need to give a candidate more time to answer questions so maybe we can hear some of that substance I’m looking for. They ask a question and before the candidate has his or her planned one liner out, on to the next. If they are looking to inform the public, as the RNC (Republican National Committee) and hosting media organizations claim, they need to fix the format.

This goes back to why I say, it’s proof the New Hampshire primary is so important to the process. Unlike what can be done in other states, because of geographic size if nothing else, here, candidates can talk to people. They can engage in real conversations with voters, where the media can report and share with the rest of the country substantive ideas and ideals. At a town hall event in New Hampshire, every one of these candidates has the opportunity to present themselves and their beliefs and most importantly, plans, for their would-be presidency and actual voters have a chance to ask what it is they want to know. As a

matter of fact, the parent company of this publication will be hosting several of these this month at the Historic Exeter Town Hall. My personal bias aside, I think this is a great opportunity for all of us on the Seacoast.

I guarantee these events and the coffees and stump speeches and chit chats at fairs etc, will make far more impact on the primary than these “debates” that have devolved more into “how can I land a headline” moment than a “how can I inform the electorate” event.

The reality is, it’s time to thin the herd. Polling in the Granite State repeatedly demonstrates that well more than half of us who will vote in the Republican primary support someone other than Trump. However, with so many people in the race, Trump can win with a small plurality of votes. Whereas, if one or two rise to the top, and for the good of the country, those still running in single digits by November step aside, someone else can win New Hampshire and that can be a projectile to the next states on the calendar and demonstrate, it’s OK to not want Trump. It’s OK to move on. As I make my decision during this process, it won’t be the debates that help me in my determination. But, it could be the town halls and meet and greets that help me figure out who could be that last man or woman standing so we have a chance at success in November 2024.