'16 GOP Nomination thread

[onejayhawk]

The first debate is less than a week away. Who will be watching? What outcome do you expect? Is there an outcome you hope for or fear?

Historically, these have been much more important to trailing candidates, but it was also a place trailers died.

From a recent article, I note this, for what it may be worth:

6. The eventual winner participates in debates

Since 1972, every non-incumbent major party presidential nominee has appeared in a primary debate, and many of these nominees participated in all or nearly all of the contests included on our list. However, frontrunners do occasionally skip early debates. Reagan passed on an Iowa debate in 1980 only to see George H.W. Bush beat him in the caucuses there, setting up the microphone moment in New Hampshire. George W. Bush passed on the first few debates in the 2000 cycle but ended up steamrolling to the nomination, despite his landslide loss to Sen. John McCain (AZ) in New Hampshire.

http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/eight-decades-of-debate/

J

[DMT]

I'd like to see a question fielded from a gay soldier to see the losers in the audience boo and the cowards on stage stay silent.

[Erik]

This is an unusual debate because we already know what everyone will talk about afterward: What nutty things did Trump say, and what did the others say when he said them?

[Fresno Bob]

I saw a thing where you get a 30 second rebuttal if someone calls you out by name....should make for some interesting provoking

[james33]

In a large field, is it possible that the optimal strategy for any of the lesser candidates to be to attempt to be the most extreme?

[nullnor]

I think they think it's become more important to be perceived to be an entertainer than a leader. they said as much last time about Obama but they didn't say it in spite they meant it in envy. they think that's what it takes to be elected. I don't know what it means, but that's what they think. maybe they are right.

[GwynnInTheHall]

I saw this before....It's the part of the circus when the real tiny car drives in and all the clowns get out.

[heyelander]

This is an unusual debate because we already know what everyone will talk about afterward: What nutty things did Trump say, and what did the others say when he said them?

My progressive family is having a debate party just for this reason. The whole thing makes me too sad to even watch it from a schadenfreude angle. I also don't want to vote up the circus with my viewership.

[Lucky]

Fox has a secret feature they are not telling anyone about. Anytime a candidate says something really stupid, Ronda Rousey runs out and punches them in the nuts.

[Pauly]

Is Kasich in or out? Boy do the reps need a middle-leaning guy like him.

[The Feral Slasher]

Fox has a secret feature they are not telling anyone about. Anytime a candidate says something really stupid, Ronda Rousey runs out and punches them in the nuts.

so who do they have in relief ? I dont think she will make it the distance

[chancellor]

Fox has a secret feature they are not telling anyone about. Anytime a candidate says something really stupid, Ronda Rousey runs out and punches them in the nuts.

She'll throw more punches than in her last four fights combined. Hell, just Trump alone will account for that.

[Judge Jude]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifest...a33_story.html

Chris Wallace tapped the black three-ring binder resting on the corner of his desk. “I’ve got some doozies in there,” he said, eyebrow raised provocatively.

The unlabeled binder holds the veteran Fox News anchor’s questions for Thursday’s Republican primary debate, for which he will serve as a moderator. Clamped inside it are newspaper clippings, memos to his researcher and outlines of what the hodgepodge of presidential candidates vying to top the GOP field have been saying about the issues and about each other.

[Erik]

Have they not yet declared which 10 made the cut?

[Judge Jude]

officially today
but Perry and Jindal and Graham will miss the cut