Two hours of canned lines, thrown punches and awkward body language (it seems like it actually hurts Ron DeSantis to smile) resulted in two fundamental problems for Republicans.
First, nothing changed the dynamics of the Republican primary. Trump had a wide lead over his GOP opponents when the debate began; that won’t change for the foreseeable future.
Second, instead of showcasing a strong, confident Republican Party, the debate exposed serious rifts in ideology — a party drifting from its moorings. The GOP once stood proudly, unequivocally, for the defense of liberty around the world. Last night, that same party sparred over whether we should support Ukraine in its war against a revanchist, expansionist, nuclear-armed Putin.
The debate was at times feral, which makes sense. The MAGA electorate is itself feral, escaped from the domestication of respect for institutions, civility, the Constitution, law and order. It was a dystopian chorus of Trump’s inaugural speech in 2017, where America was declining, dismal, a place of carnage.
Meanwhile, far from the debate stage, where facts matter, the Biden administration has helped create 13 million jobs, the strongest two years of small business creation in history, and record-low unemployment. NATO is unified and even growing, Russia is weakening, our alliances are deeper in the Pacific as a result of last week’s agreements with Japan and South Korea.
R&I-Rawr
KnockknockitstheFBI
Article URL : https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/4169048-why-biden-is-smiling-this-morning/