A win
Yet again, the candidates on the debate stage appeared wholly incapable of thwarting the ascendant candidacy of former President Donald Trump. If the goal is to become president, which their appearances on a presidential primary debate stage would suggest, all five candidates should have been gunning for the only Republican standing between them and the GOP nomination. And yet, with thinly veiled swipes that were at best mealy-mouthed, no contenders emerged as remotely viable alternatives to Trump. The primary campaign isn’t technically over — so why does it feel like it is?
A loss
Abortion is arguably the most potent issue facing Americans right now. And yet Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott and Vivek Ramaswamy all stood on the Miami stage and reaffirmed their anti-abortion positions. There were caveats and qualifications, with talk of “late term abortions” or the nonexistent concept of “infanticide.” Haley and Ramaswamy made weak mentions of adoption. But all four ultimately found ways to clearly reiterate their support for something that has been an obvious and consistent loser for Republicans ever since the Dobbs decision in 2022. In the wake of decisive defeats in Ohio and Virginia just 24 hours before, this group of Republicans apparently decided, “We’re not finished losing yet.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also professed outrage at abortions performed late in the third trimester. “In my home state of New Jersey, it goes up to nine months you’re getting an abortion. I find that morally reprehensible,” he said. Significantly, though, Christie criticized Republicans for spending 50 years saying abortion law should be decided by the states and then, after Roe v. Wade was overturned, flipping and arguing for a federal ban. “This is an issue that should be decided in each state,” he said. “And I trust the people of this country, state by state, to make the call for themselves.”
A lie
First of all, apparently unbeknownst to Ron DeSantis, the Green New Deal is not a law.
I am going to unleash all of America’s energy potential.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 9, 2023
On Day One, I’m taking all the Biden regulations, the Green New Deal, ripping it up and throwing it in the trash can where it belongs.
We’re going to lower your gas prices. pic.twitter.com/qMJOlRH9zo
But beyond that, the whole reason China has dominance in the field of clean energy manufacturing is the refusal by Republicans to acknowledge the clean energy and renewable manufacturing boom in the first place. Such willful ignorance ceded that space to China, which quickly took advantage. Take solar panels, for example. According to a new report from energy research firm Wood Mackenzie, China “will have more than 80% of the world’s solar manufacturing capacity through 2026.” The notion that the U.S. finally becoming competitive would somehow redound to the benefit of China is completely devoid of logic.
Brian Tyler Cohen
Brian Tyler Cohen is a political commentator, podcast host and MSNBC contributor. He hosts one of the biggest progressive channels on YouTube, with over 2 million subscribers.