September 30, 2023

The second Republican debate was held on September 27 at the Reagan Library.  The library is on a magnificent hill with picturesque views of rolling hills and canyon, creating a serene setting.  Yet the debate was anything but serene, with some acting like a bunch of children who did not get their way, talking over one another.

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After the debate, the candidates did not make themselves accessible, but some campaign managers or spokespeople answered a few questions from me in the Spin Room.

Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign manager was asked why Vivek seemed so abrasive during the debate.  She responded, “Not at all.  We have a very short time, and he feels an increased pressure to make the American people understand his vision and come alongside him.  His energy and tone match where we find ourselves today.”

Chris Christie’s campaign manager was asked if his candidate was hypocritical for not talking to the press, considering he called the former president “Donald Duck,” yet President Trump has done interviews and speeches.  He responded, “He just did the debate.  He is talking to all the voters.  To say he is the same as Trump is not even close.  He is not coming here to the Spin Room because the debate performance speaks for itself.  It is not even the same thing.  Trump is afraid to debate.”  I then asked him: if he were President Trump’s campaign manager, would he seriously advise him to debate, considering he is up by such a wide margin?  He ignored me.

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Ron DeSantis’s campaign manager spent a considerable amount of time answering my questions.  I asked why there was not more concentration on President Biden than on President Trump.  He responded, “President Trump is a candidate in this race, so his policies are at issue.  He owes it to come and debate and defend his record.  While he ran his first campaign on border security, we cannot deny that the situation at the border has only gotten worse.  The fentanyl coming in has affected hundreds of thousands of people, and the wall was not built.  He made promises he did not deliver on.  Both Biden and Trump did not get the job done.  There is work that can be done even without Congress’s blessing.

“Governor DeSantis has said he will declare a natural emergency, declare it an invasion to stop the drug cartels, and get the military involved at the border.  Governor DeSantis has worked with those in the legislative body who had differences of opinion and yet they found common ground and got the job done.”

Regarding the debate with Governor Newsom, he said, “That debate has already been won.  People voted with their feet, considering how many people have come to live in Florida.  He will talk about how families are suffering, how people are seeing gas prices going up, mortgage rates are over 8%, and food on the table is more expensive.  People are not buying it when Newsom and Biden say, ‘Things are back to normal.'”

A spokesperson added, “Governor DeSantis is debating Governor Newsom because he looks forward to comparing the contrast of ideas between a red state and a blue state.”

What are the major issues?  “The most important issues are cutting irresponsible spending, incentivizing the right type of business investments in the U.S., bring back energy independence, make prices more affordable, and the dangers on the porous southern border and the danger of China.”

What about women’s sports?  He noted, “I believe Florida is the first state to pass a bill protecting women in locker rooms and bathrooms.  A woman should never feel unsafe.”  Governor DeSantis “has made it clear there are two sexes: a man and a woman.  There are certainly physical differences.  People need to speak up, fight back, and not be politically correct all the time there is a danger.  I am surprised more feminists are not speaking out.”