Students share opinions on GOP debate
By Ben Easton,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–
Republican presidential candidates went head to head in the third primary debate on Wednesday, Oct. 28 in Boulder, Colo, which focused on the economy and was hosted by CNBC.
While national poll front-runner Dr. Ben Carson had little impact on the debate, other candidates used the spotlight to gain popularity and awareness for their flagging campaigns.
Fla. Senator Marco Rubio was heavily scrutinized, with particular attention paid to his personal financial missteps and missed Senate votes.
“I’m not worried about my finances,” Rubio responded. “This debate needs to be about the men and women across this country who are struggling on a daily basis to provide for their families a better future that we always said this country is about.”
Many, such as junior Sam Goidell, believe Rubio handled the questions well.
“Personally, I think Marco Rubio won the debate,” Goidell said. “What people like about Marco Rubio is that he’s young, he’s part Cuban and he’s well spoken.”
“He likes to talk about how he lives ‘paycheck to paycheck.’ He has a compelling story and people can [identify] with him because of that,” he added.
On the other hand, Goidell thought that some of the candidates lacked their usual flair. “Donald Trump was a let down. He didn’t have typical Donald Trump-ness.”
Davis High alumna Chloe Sommer, who now attends the University of Colorado Boulder–which hosted the debate–wanted to attend but was unable to get a ticket. Sommer thinks that the Republican debates provide more entertainment than information on policy.
“I don’t think the Republican debates are good for helping voters decide which candidate they will support. They have become more of a big media stunt than anything else,” Sommer said. “Obviously not all candidates are as bad as Trump […] but none of the candidates are really there to duke out policy. They’re trying to build reputation with the debates.”
Goidell agrees.
“The debates are pointless. It’s always the moderators attacking the candidates and the candidates attacking the moderator. There’s no real policy. I don’t think the Republican debates will get better until there’s only one or two candidates left,” he said.
Goidell also believes that Trump is one of the main reasons why there is a lack of policy.
“As long as Donald Trump is in this race the ratings are going to be high and the meaning is going to be little,” he said.
