Winning over Milwaukee and the Republican Party: candidates present their views on the economy

Republican+candidates+debate+arguments+focused+on+the+economy.+The+past+debate+was+held+at+the+Milwaukee+Theatre.+Photo+used+with+permission+from+Flickr.+

Republican candidates debate arguments focused on the economy. The past debate was held at the Milwaukee Theatre. Photo used with permission from Flickr.

After four Republican debates and with the first primaries approaching, Republican candidates are feeling the pressure to beat the others and establish themselves as the Republican frontrunner. Each debater hit different views of other candidates, but all focused primarily on attempting to prove themselves as a more viable president than Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner. Speaking to a filled Milwaukee Theatre, candidates hoped to win over Milwaukee Republicans in a debate taking place in Milwaukee, Wisc. on Tuesday, Nov. 10. With the focus of the debate being primarily the economy, each candidate strived to establish a positive intake on America’s economy and prove themselves to be the best Republican candidate.

My views on each candidate from the debate:

Sen. Marco Rubio:

Once again, Senator Rubio spoke eloquently and shined during the debate, proving his viability as a potential Republican frontrunner. In my opinion, Mr. Rubio was extremely concise and didn’t bend under pressure, unlike other candidates.

Throughout the debate, Rubio used his aggressive foreign policy to set a contrast between him and other non-interventionist candidates such as Mr. Jeb Bush. “We can’t even have an economy if we’re not safe,” Mr. Rubio said. “I know that the world is a safer and better place when America is the strongest military power in the world.”

Mr. Rubio’s other main point focused on improving the economy without raising the minimum wage. “The American Dream is the universal dream. Every country has rich people; what makes America different is that we have millions of poor people,” Mr. Rubio said. “Let’s make America the best place to start businesses. We will be able to make more people better off without making others worse off.”

As an extremely popular candidate among the Republicans, Mr. Rubio had roars of approval with every argument he presented. However, despite Mr. Rubio’s popularity, previous debates centered on the controversy around Mr. Rubio’s personal spending with the Republican Party’s credit card. But surprisingly, no candidates brought up arguments regarding the controversy in this debate.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed Mr. Rubio’s performance and anticipate him to be one the most successful Republican candidates in this election. Disregarding the controversy, Mr. Rubio proved to be a successful debater and was well liked by Milwaukee.

Sen. Ted Cruz:

The Texas Senator gave yet another well-liked performance at the debate, ensuring him as a possible top Republican candidate. Critics primarily bashed Mr. Cruz’s conservative “anti-immigrant” position, but Cruz rose above and slammed moderate Republican views on foreign policy. Agreeing with Donald Trump, Cruz argued that “the Democrats are laughing–because if Republicans join Democrats as the party of amnesty, we will lose.”

One problem that appeared with Mr. Cruz’s performance was that when asked to mention five agencies he would eliminate, Mr. Cruz only mentioned four, leaving out the Department of Education and repeating the Department of Commerce twice. Personally, I believe that Mr. Cruz is a solid candidate for the Republican party and could have great success through the election. Despite his forgetfulness regarding the agencies, Mr. Cruz had valid points and argued well alongside the other candidates.

Dr. Ben Carson:

In all of the Republican debates, neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson established himself as an eloquent debater and highlighted his presidential qualities. As a top-rated Republican candidate, Dr. Carson kept his cool unlike his greatest competition, Mr. Donald Trump. During the debate, the moderators primarily focused on the controversy behind Dr. Carson’s past; Carson supposedly “lied” about getting a scholarship to West Point Military Academy. However, Carson argued that he was an “honest person” and that the scandal was merely a “misconception.” Also, Carson received criticism regarding his statement that “minimum wage has always damaged the economy;” Economists are rejecting his claim.

Overall, I believe that the most memorable part of Dr. Carson’s performance was his closing speech. Reminiscent of the memorable lines “We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists” from Thomas Jefferson’s inaugural address, Dr. Carson narrated how “we the Democrats, we the Republicans… must embrace [the American dream] and be proud of it, and never give it away for the sake of political correctness.” Insisting upon improving the nation as a whole, Dr. Carson presented a refined way to maintain the American Dream.

Former Gov. Jeb Bush: 

With steadily dropping ratings, Mr. Jeb Bush, one-time frontrunner of the Republican Party, was passionate to get himself back to being a top candidate. Constantly challenging other candidates and asking for more speaking time, Mr. Bush used a more aggressive form of debating than he had used in previous debates. However, in comparison to other debaters, Mr. Bush still seemed timid and was cautious when arguing against Mr. Rubio.

In my opinion, Mr. Bush’s best contribution to the debate was an argument against Mr. Trump’s proposal of shipping out 11 million illegal immigrants and building a wall on the Mexican-American border. “It’s just not possible and it doesn’t embrace American values,” Mr. Bush said.

Despite Mr. Bush’s above-average performance, I believe that Bush could have done a better job being more aggressive against other candidates. While his performance was better than those in previous debates, I believe that other candidates did a better job taking a stance about their beliefs.

Sen. Rand Paul: 

After three unsuccessful debates, Senator Rand Paul took advantage of the opportunity to make his mark on the Republican Party. Unlike other candidates, Mr. Paul was extremely libertarian in his views, and was constantly defending himself against the majority of the Republican candidates, especially Mr. Rubio. Compared to those in other debates, Mr. Paul’s performance was slightly better. However, despite his improvement, Paul still remains a lowly ranked candidate.

Gov. John Kasich:

Being one of the lowest-ranked candidates, Gov. John Kasich had to fight his way for any speaker time. With only a few questions directed at him, Mr. Kasich interrupted many candidates and jostled his way into arguments. Mr. Kasich has implemented this strategy in previous debates, jumping at every opportunity that aroused. However, despite this, Kasich has had little to no upward movement in the polls following the debates.

Mrs. Carly Fiorina:

As a succesful businesswoman, Mrs. Fiorina was at her best debating about the economy. Reclaiming her spot as one of the best debaters, Mrs. Fiorina exhibited her strengths as a CEO and showcased her knowledge of foreign conflicts facing the United States. Jumping into the debate between Mr. Trump and Mr. Bush, Mrs. Fiorina agreed with Mr. Bush and criticized Mr. Trump’s beliefs.

Unlike her performance at previous debates, Mrs. Fiorina proved herself to be wildly successful. With little substantial growth from other debates, Mrs. Fiorina will need to up her strategy and implement her business knowledge to have the ability to readily compete with frontrunner and businessman Mr. Donald Trump.

Mr. Donald Trump:

I was extremely surprised to see Mr. Trump debating measuredly and clearly. Previously, Mr. Trump would easily get personal and would use any available opportunity to bash other candidates. However, at this debate, Mr. Trump stuck to policy debate and illustrated himself as a possible President Trump.

Delivering well-reasoned, in-depth responses, Mr. Trump greatly improved in his debating skills. Even while being criticized for his wildly conservative views on immigration and foreign policy, Mr. Trump stuck to his message and didn’t get personal. For the majority of the debate, Mr. Trump presented a better version of himself and only let his bashing personality get in the way once: Mr. Trump criticized Mrs. Fiorina for constantly interrupting others, resulting in the crowd booing with disapproval.

In general, I was proud to see that Mr. Trump was capable of keeping his cool and taking a clear and conservative stance on the economic issues facing our country.