# Was the last Rep debate the toughest you've ever seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 16, 2016, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257 "2016-02-16T11:03:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/1 "2016-02-16T11:03:33Z")
During the last republican debate the candidates really went after each other. Some name calling, Talking over each other. The candidate speaking spanish. They all went after each other hard. This is different from previous years debates where the candidates were all polite and reserved. Frankly in this debate its more interesting because the candidates get off track and sometimes really reveal themselves. Also this makes for better tv drama. What do you all think? ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/2 "2016-02-16T12:05:06Z")
Tough is not the word that came to mind as I watched. Puerile sums it up for me. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/3 "2016-02-16T12:13:19Z")
These are all candidates for President. :smack: Name calling, interrupting and lack of policies is **not** what you want in a President. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/4 "2016-02-16T16:18:08Z")
If they were auditioning for a spot on Jersey Shore this would indeed be great entertainment. But they’re not and it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/5 "2016-02-16T17:03:17Z")
When most of the GOP candidates are asked a question, they redirect the question to knocking down another candidate without ever answering the question. Tough is not the word for this, more like “weak”. A strong debater comes prepared, doesn’t interrupt, and doesn’t point out what’s wrong with the person next to them before answering the question. Almost every question posed to a candidate ends up with an answer of, “My plan? Well, my plan is better than THIS guy”, without ever describing their plan in detail. IOW, they should just quit pretending to have debates and interview each candidate on the same questions individually, in private. Thus ending all bullshit interruptions and actually answering a freaking question. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/6 "2016-02-16T17:51:53Z")
Tough? No. Mean? Juvenile? Petty? Angry? Useless? Self-destructive? Sure, I’ll go along with those. **Locrian** , your idea sounds good, but all you have to watch is one interview on a Sunday morning talk show to realize we still won’t get a straight answer. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/7 "2016-02-16T17:53:49Z")
I think the current Republican landscape represents the Dunning Kruger effect writ large. The average Republican voter doesn’t know enough about civics and what is required of the president to realize how little they know. They think that they themselves would make a better executive than those jokers in Washington, all it takes is a bit of common sense. And so they want a candidate who looks just like them and bullying an obnoxious thoughtlessness is how they react to the world around them, so why shouldn’t the president do likewise. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/8 "2016-02-16T17:56:08Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > **Locrian** , your idea sounds good, but all you have to watch is one interview on a Sunday morning talk show to realize we still won’t get a straight answer. Exactly. We’ll get Trump saying, “I’ll fix it. I will.”, without saying how, but there won’t be a Rubio or Cruz in the corner interrupting, ALSO without giving an answer of their own. 😃 ---
**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:** [February 16, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/9 "2016-02-16T17:58:06Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > If they were auditioning for a spot on Jersey Shore this would indeed be great entertainment. > > But they’re not and it isn’t. Well, that’s only true since Christie dropped out. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/10 "2016-02-16T18:42:59Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I think the current Republican landscape represents the Dunning Kruger effect writ large. The average Republican voter doesn’t know enough about civics and what is required of the president to realize how little they know. They think that they themselves would make a better executive than those jokers in Washington, all it takes is a bit of common sense. And so they want a candidate who looks just like them and bullying an obnoxious thoughtlessness is how they react to the world around them, so why shouldn’t the president do likewise. And we’re well on our way to becoming an idiocracy. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/11 "2016-02-16T19:22:39Z")
Tough would require some kind of substantive discussion. So would debate. What we have here is failure to communicate. Seriously, I watch the Democrat’s debates and think that I could live with fairy-tale, soak-the-rich policies if it meant seeing that level of professionalism, respect and civility. Maybe I should move to Canada? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/12 "2016-02-16T19:42:31Z")
The debates should lose the audience. It plays more like a roast than a serious political event. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/13 "2016-02-16T19:52:48Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > The debates should lose the audience. It plays more like a roast than a serious political event. Jeff Ross, with his track record for making cutting remarks, might actually come up with questions having the potential to elicit candidate-self-revelations. (Yikes!) ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/14 "2016-02-16T20:05:15Z")
Coincidentally, I just watched the documentary “Best of Enemies” about the 1968 series of debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, which ran during the national conventions. They kinda set the bar for punditry that pertains to this day. So since Rubio didn’t call Trump a “crypto-nazi”, and Trump didn’t call Rubio a “queer” and threaten to punch him in the face – there’s been worse. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-last-rep-debate-the-toughest-youve-ever-seen/746257/15 "2016-02-16T20:22:14Z")
The last debate was a shitshow, and the lack of effective moderating didn’t help. Even Glenn Beck [tweeted](https://twitter.com/glennbeck?lang=en) that it was an embarrassment. These debates are like a children’s playground argument - “I know you are but what am I??” and mainly come down to which candidate can promise to kill or deport the most brown people. The one debate moment I was glad to see was Christie’s epic takedown of Marco Roboto.