The GOP’s Dispiriting Display
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The first GOP primary debate confirmed the end of the old Republican Party and squelched any hope for a normal presidential election in 2024.
First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:
- The mercenary always loses.
- What Bradley Cooper’s makeup can’t conceal
- Rosencrantz and Guildenstern at the Republican debate
An Inane Spectacle
The morning after the eight top Republican contenders—minus Donald Trump, of course—faced off in a debate in Milwaukee, the consensus seems to be that Vivek Ramaswamy had a good night, Nikki Haley was the grown-up, Mike Pence fought hard, and Chris Christie fizzled out. There were some other people onstage, too, including the supposed Trump-slayer, Ron DeSantis (who once again stood awkwardly alongside other human beings while seeming not to be one of them).
Overall, the consensus is accurate. Ramaswamy a lot of time and attention by acting like an annoying adolescent, which might seem like “winning” in an environment like this (although a about who won had him essentially tied with DeSantis). Haley—whom at the start of her campaign—was a surprisingly strong and adult presence in an often juvenile scrum. Christie tried to tangle with Ramaswamy, and got drowned out. Pence showed genuine flares of anger, including when he made an impassioned defense of the Constitution (which apparently needs to be done in front of a Republican audience these days).
