DeSantis had a good performance at debate Trump ignored

 NY Post:

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With his performance, DeSantis cemented himself as the man best suited to unseat Trump as the undisputed champion of Republican politics.

While so many of his colleagues onstage replied to questions with a decided lack of purpose, DeSantis spoke both fluently and passionately.

In an opening answer to a question about the populist anthem of the day “Rich Men North of Richmond,” he wisely pivoted from a musical dissertation to address a more fundamental question.

“Our country is in decline,” he stated plainly, but not indifferently.

“This decline is not inevitable, it’s a choice.”

A few moments later, he punctuated a picayune spat between Pence and Ramaswamy to make a grander point that resonates with both dyed-in-the-wool conservatives and the broader American electorate.

“Why are we in this mess? Part of it, and a major reason is because of how this federal government handled Covid-19 by locking down this economy. It was a mistake. It should have never happened!”

That’s an arrow in his quiver that should have both Trump and Biden shivering.

It was not a perfect performance.

He only admitted that Pence did the right thing by resisting Trump’s calls for him to betray the Constitution in January 2021 after he was prodded to do so.

But even then, his answer – which centered around looking forward to 2024 – was somewhat savvy.

He also fumbled over a question about Ukraine, failing to articulate a clear foreign policy vision.

Flaws acknowledged, it’s still hard to conclude that he wasn’t the most promising candidate on stage.

Pence is running an admirable, if quixotic, campaign.

In another life, Haley and Scott would be leading contenders, but the fact remains they show no sign of finding much traction in this one.

Ramaswamy – who tends to sound like he’s selling an experimental drug invented by Trump – was even more grating and obsequious than usual.
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I think the media is obsessed with the debate Trump did not attend.  That may be a mistake.  Trump did an admiral job in his conversation with Tucker Carlson.  He showed insights that the media rarely does when it comes to the problems of the day and a response to them.  I do agree that DeSantis is likely to be his best challenger.  BTW Trump did a good job of explaining why he was not ordering Pence to betray the constitution.  Some may not agree with Trump's argument but it did not appear as bad as the media attempted to portray it. 

Kevin Downey, Jr. makes the case for Trump:

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Want some proof? Roll the tape:

• Trump gave us the lowest unemployment levels in history.
• Trump gave us the best economy in decades.
• Trump got us out of the absurd “Paris Agreement.”
• Trump re-negotiated the inane “NAFTA” codswallop.
• Trump made us energy-independent.

The truth is this: Trump is the only proven GOP leader with a history of success at this level. He doesn’t care what soi-bois like Chuck Schumer and sitzpinkler Mitch McConnell have to say. He is the only American in my lifetime to lose money as president and the only presidential candidate in my lifetime to be indicted four times, all of which conveniently took place just more than a year out before what some believe may be our nation’s last election.

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