# 12/15/15 The final Republican Debate. **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 15, 2015, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529 "2015-12-15T14:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/81 "2015-12-16T05:46:55Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I think Cruz looks like a 20s-era gangster. That would be the notorious Ralph ‘Baby Face’ Wiggum. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/82 "2015-12-16T05:48:31Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > I think Cruz looks like a 20s-era gangster. Or grandpa Munster. Either way, he looks like the kind of guy you wouldn’t want to leave your prepubescent children with. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/83 "2015-12-16T06:29:08Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Yes I’d rather much be a citizen of a country where a pigfucker is Head of Government. :rolleyes::dubious: Way to make **Little\_Pig** uncomfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/84 "2015-12-16T06:47:43Z")
Ben Carson was by far the worst. His opening statement was “Please join me in a moment of silence for those who died in San Bernardino.” Insincere, pandering piece of shit. His next chance to speak, he complained that other people got questions before he did. There’s absolutely no way that man is going to be president. ---
**Author:** ![up\_the\_junction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f1d935/32.png) [@up\_the\_junction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/up_the_junction)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/85 "2015-12-16T07:41:48Z")
The USA held a presidential debate _inside a casino_? What, was the race track booked already? Did the local whore house have a block booking? Couldn’t they find a MacDonalds large enough? Did Bono perform at half time? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/86 "2015-12-16T07:48:21Z")
> [@up\_the\_junction](#): > > The USA held a presidential debate _inside a casino_? Nevada has important caucuses and the list of suitable venues that _aren’t_ casinos is probably pretty short. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/87 "2015-12-16T08:48:34Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Ben Carson was by far the worst. His opening statement was “Please join me in a moment of silence for those who died in San Bernardino.” Insincere, pandering piece of shit. > > His next chance to speak, he complained that other people got questions before he did. There’s absolutely no way that man is going to be president. Sure is lucky that the San Berardino shooting happened so that everyone can pretend the Planned Parenthood terrorist attack didn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/88 "2015-12-16T08:53:16Z")
Did any candidate wear something other then a dark blue suit and a red tie? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/89 "2015-12-16T10:11:16Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Did any candidate wear something other then a dark blue suit and a red tie? Fiorino. And Carson’s suit had gangster pinstripes. But yeah, pretty much all that and flag pins. In the left lapel, never the right. Which is odd, considering they’re Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/90 "2015-12-16T10:18:58Z")
OK, just went to the video and Kasich had a blue tie and no flag pin. So that’s him out of the race then. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/91 "2015-12-16T11:11:01Z")
Marco Rubio is very stiff and robotic. Surely he fails on the “I’d like to have a beer with him” scale. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/92 "2015-12-16T11:17:01Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Trump is getting a lot of boos. > [@eschereal](#): > > I just told my cousin this and he apparently heard me wrong, he replied, “_Not surprised, he always did seem like a skid road type drunk to me_.” They were saying “booze-urns”. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/93 "2015-12-16T11:50:08Z")
When Trump and Bush were going at it, and the camera showed both of them, split screen, Trump looked like a confident bully and Bush looked like he was always trying to decide whether to keep confronting the bully or run away in fear. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/94 "2015-12-16T12:15:59Z")
Lindsay Graham had a good night. I find him to be reasonable on _most_ things. I saw a clip of him being very facially expressive, which I found comical, but there was no audio in the clip so I don’t know what he was rolling his eyes about. Jeb is getting high marks this morning. I admit, I don’t get it. He just comes across as a big doofus to me. His has a constant “deer in the headlights” expression on his face. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/95 "2015-12-16T12:45:57Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Fiorino. And Carson’s suit had gangster pinstripes. I’m telling ya, you give the man a Tommy gun and have him utter the phrase “take that, ya’ lousy coppers!” and Cruz could find himself with a new career. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/96 "2015-12-16T13:10:21Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Were we even watching the same debate? TRUMP shut down every time Jeb! opened his tiny trap to squeak out an objection. > > “Sure you are tough enough” > “41-3” Where’s the argument? Bush is a weak candidate who, in my opinion, finally had a decent night… way too late for it to matter. Trump was confident but stupid. He didn’t know what the “nuclear triad” was and tried to bluff his way through. Didn’t work. All he did was give Rubio (who DID know) a chance to look smarter. But this is Trump, so you never know if that kind of thing can possibly hurt him among the people who love him. They SHOULD start to wonder if maybe their hero might be an ignoramus… but they might just get angry at Rubio (Damn egghead !). ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/97 "2015-12-16T13:11:09Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > I remember in the Obama Romney debate, they did an “on the spot” fact check about the Rose Garden terrorist statement - > Why can’t some of these more blatant lies and distortions be called out by the moderators? Because then they don’t get to run debates. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/98 "2015-12-16T13:16:30Z")
I wonder about Christie in particular harping about how Americans are fearful of ISIS. His comment about parents dropping their children off at the bus stop in the morning particularly bothered me. Of all the things their is to fear, I think an ISIS attack here in the USA is way down on the list. Christie’s particular brand of fear mongering really disturbed me. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/99 "2015-12-16T13:17:21Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Trump was confident but stupid. He didn’t know what the “nuclear triad” was and tried to bluff his way through. And it’s the [_second time_](http://www.hughhewitt.com/donald-trump-on-things-2016/) Hugh Hewitt asked him that question. This was a do-over, not an issue Trump was suddenly being surprised with. > [@](#): > > HH: Now let me ask you about the American nuclear triad… Is it necessary anymore, Donald Trump, is it affordable? > > DT: I think one of the most important things that we have to worry about is nuclear generally speaking. The power of nuclear, the power of the weapons that we have today and that is by the way — the deal with Iran — the concept of it is so important that you have to make a good deal and what they should have done is that they should have doubled up and tripled up the sanctions and negotiate from strength instead of the pathetic negotiators that we had so anything that we had to do with nuclear to me the power of the weapons — the problem is that it is not how many soldiers you have, the power of weaponry today is is utmost important. Not that I think it will matter. It’s a pretty abstruse issue generally, let alone for the know-nothing wing that Trump is pulling from. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529/100 "2015-12-16T13:51:16Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Where’s the argument? Bush is a weak candidate who, in my opinion, finally had a decent night… way too late for it to matter. The argument is that he did not, by any definition of the term, a “decent” night. He was repeatedly and completely humiliated by the TRUMP and utterly pulverized much as what happens when a squirrel gets run over by an entire armoured division. > [@](#): > > Trump was confident but stupid. He didn’t know what the “nuclear triad” was and tried to bluff his way through. Didn’t work. All he did was give Rubio (who DID know) a chance to look smarter. > > But this is Trump, so you never know if that kind of thing can possibly hurt him among the people who love him. They SHOULD start to wonder if maybe their hero might be an ignoramus… but they might just get angry at Rubio (Damn egghead !). TRUMP was being quite smart here in all seriousness considering it was a ridiculously specific question. Nobody outside of the military and the think tank people know the pros and cons of each part of the nuclear triad and thus whether to focus on improving ballistic missiles, bombers, or submarines. A President’s job isn’t to micromanage this decision but to appoint the right expert to make that decision for him while speaking of the broader principles involved, as TRUMP did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-15-15-the-final-republican-debate/740529.md?page=6)