By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Tuesday, December 15, the Republican Presidential Candidates held another Presidential Debate, this time hosted by CNN. The Alabama Constitutional Conservatives, the Re-Elect Judge Dorothea Batiste Campaign, and the Alabama Minority GOP sponsored a GOP Presidential Debate Watching and Christmas Party at John’s Diner in downtown Birmingham.
In the debate former Florida Governor Jeb Bush (R) went hard after Republican frontrunner, New York City businessman and reality TV star Donald Trump. Bush said that Trump is good at one liners; but called him the, “chaos candidate.” Bush attacked Trump for suggesting that the US should ban Muslims from entering the country while we study how to improve security. Bush said, “The Kurds are our strongest allied fighting fore and they are Muslims.” Governor Bush said that the U.S. needs to lead a coalition against ISIS and Trump’s policy of “Banning all Muslims will make it harder to fight ISIS.” Jeb Bush told Trump, “You are never going to be President.”
Donald Trump fired back at Jeb. “He has failed in this campaign. It has been a disaster….I am at 43 (percent in the polls) and he is at 3.”
Trump said that we need toughness in a President. “Jeb is a very nice person but we need strength.”
Bush fired back, “Donald, You aren’t going to insult your way to the Presidency.”
Trump said, “With Jeb’s attitude we are never going to be great again, that I can tell you.”
Ohio Governor John Kasich said that we need to come together as Americans and think about our country and the big issues.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said, “We have been betrayed. We have been betrayed by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.” Christie promised that when he is President, “We will fight terrorists and we will get our country back.” Christie said that he would impose a no-fly zone over Syria and if the Russians violated that zone he would order the Russian jets shot down.
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul called Governor Christie, “The World War III candidate.” Sen. Paul said that the boots on the ground in the war against ISIS need to be Arab.
Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said that she has been tested her whole life. “I fought my way into this election.” “It is time to take our country back from the media, from the liberal elites.”
Governor Jeb Bush said, “Our freedom is under attack.” “Serious times require strong leaders. Bush said that if elected President he would rebuild our military and take power and money away from Washington. “As President I will keep our country safe, strong and free.”
Florida Senator Marco Rubio said that the Obama foreign policy, “has been a disaster.” Rubio lamented that Americans have been called bigots because they hold traditional values. “If you elect me President we will have a President that believes that America is the greatest country in the world and acts like it.”
Texas Senator Ted Cruz said that America, “Is at war with Radical Islamic terrorists,” and that if he is President, “We will hunt down and kill the terrorists. We will not be prisoner to political correctness.” Cruz said that border security is national security.
Famed neurosurgeon and author Ben Carson asked for a moment of silence for the victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack that killed 14 people.
Carson said, “The war we are fighting now is one we must win….I am asking the Congress, that represents the American people, to declare war on ISIS.”
Donald Trump said that he supports building up our military. Trump said, “We are not talking about isolation, we are talking about security….I will build a wall. It will be a great wall.”
Gov. Bush, “We need to destroy ISIS in the Caliphate.” Bush said that he supports a no fly zone over Syria, safe zones for the refugees, and arming the Kurds. “The Kurds are our strongest allied fighting force.”
Governor Kasich lamented that we have just had a climate conference when we should have been talking about fighting ISIS.
Sen.Cruz called for carpet bombing ISIS.
Sen. Rubio attacked Cruz for voting against the National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA) which fund the military. Rubio said, “You can’t carpet-bomb ISIS if you don’t have planes and bombs to attack them with.”
Rubio also defended the NSA (National Security Agency) meta data gathering program which involved NSA listening in on all electronic communications for hints of terror plots. The two Cuban-American Senators got into a policy debate about which bill was better.
Governor Christie said afterward, “If your eyes are glazed over like mine did. This is what life is like in the United States Senate.” Christie slammed both of the one term Senators saying they have, “Never made an executive decision.” They are arguing about which bill is better, “Nobody in America cares about that.”
Carson said of state department policy preventing the people that vette immigrants from checking their social media accounts, “Get rid of all this PC stuff. This is craziness, we are at war.”
Carly Fiorina said, “Every parent in America and every employer checks social media….Ineptitude is getting Americans killed.” Fiorina blasted the Obama administration for incompetence. “It cost billions of dollars to build an Obamacare website that failed.” American high tech companies weren’t asked to help design the site.
Donald Trump said that ISIS is not masterminds. “These are thugs they are terrible people. ISIS should not be using the internet.”
Kasich said that the problem is encryption.
Sen. Cruz said that he is for using overwhelming air power to totally destroy ISIS. We are flying only 15 to 30 airstrikes under Obama. That is, “Photo op foreign policy.”
Sen. Rubio said that ISIS must be defeated by a ground force. “Under Obama, we have the oldest and smallest air force we have ever had, the smallest navy since before World War II, and massive cuts to the army. I will reverse those cuts.” Sen. Rubio said that ISIS is winning the propaganda war. We need to show the world that ISIS is not invincible. “If you are an American citizen and you join ISIS. We are not going to read you your Miranda rights, you are going to be treated as an enemy combatant.”
Sen. Rand Paul warned that increased defense spending will increase the debt.
Constitutional Conservatives Deanna Frankowski said that her group is working to elect conservative candidates in Alabama.
Judge Dorothea Batiste warned that Jefferson County is turning blue. “The Democrats. They have been working since March. They aren’t taking prisoners.” Batiste said that Republicans need to get to work to elect GOP candidates. Judge Batiste faces no opposition in the GOP Primary but will have a Democratic opponent in November.
Alabama Minority GOP Chairman Phillip Brown said that he is working on growing the Republican Party in the minority community.
Marty Connors with the re-elect Senator Shelby campaign spoke to the group. Joe Freeman with the
Donald Trump in Alabama Campaign also spoke briefly.
The group could not reach agreement on who won the debate.
