Winning the Oct. 28 CNBC GOP in Boulder, Co. debate by over 30%, 69-year-old real estate mogul Donald Trump answered the call, exposing his rival’s, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson’s, Achilles Heel. Carson’s inscrutable demeanor has propelled him above most of the GOP field, not because he’s demonstrated mastery of the issues but precisely because he’s remained so ambiguous, making it difficult to know where he stands. Last night’s two-hour slugfest between 10 top-tier Republicans candidates, focused on the economy, something Carson knows little about. Since announcing his run for president May 4, Carson’s had a lot of catching up to do on domestic and foreign policy. While he’s announced his “tithing” tax plan, he’s shown no knowledge of the economy or domestic policy that impact voters’ lives. He’s spent most his time professing his belief in God, attacking abortion.
Former President George W. Bush’s chief strategist Karl Rove proved that evangelicals were a powerful voting bloc, handing Bush two terms in office. While Carson’s a Seventh Day Adventist, he touts his Christian faith on the stump, invoking God wherever possible. Trump expressed dismay at recent polls showing that Carson leapfrogged him in Iowa, where evangelicals play a big role in the nation’s first primary voting. Showing that things didn’t go as planned, Carson finished fifth at 4% in last night’s debate as voters digest his muddled, confused and inarticulate answers on simplified aspects of the economy. All GOP candidates talked as if the economy were still in the 2008 Great Recession, the legacy handed to President Barack Obama by Bush-43. If you listened to all GOP candidates, you’d believe the economy suffers from the worst recession in a generation.
Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiornia, whose polls continue to plummet, insisted that 92% of women suffered under Obama’s economic policies. When candidates come to reality, they’ll find the irrefutable hard data from the Federal Reserve Board, Labor and Commerce Departments showing that the economy’s in the best shape in years. With federal budget deficits cut in a third, unemployment at record lows and the nation’s Gross Domestic Product steadily growing, it’s difficult to argue against the facts. Carson had little or nothing to add to the lively discussion of monetary and fiscal policy, as candidates like Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich touted their economic records. Bush and Kasich know that all states suffered under Bush-43’s Great Recession, where the nation’s biggest banks ran out of cash, prompting economy-saving bailouts by the Fed.
Among GOP voters, Trump’s viewed by a large margin as the best candidate to manage the U.S. economy. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.), urged more government cutbacks, criticizing the recent White House-House budget deal that raises the current $19.1 trillion debt limit until 2017. Candidates, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), urged rejection of the budget deal because of how it adds to deficits and national debt. All GOP candidates urged cutting popular entitlements like Medicare and Social Security, citing government’s out-of-control spending. Surging in the polls, Carson had a golden opportunity to best Trump but couldn’t demonstrate any mastery of basic economic facts. Talking more proves disastrous for Carson, whose muted and garbled speech says more about his insecurities on basic foreign and domestic policy issues, especially on the economy.
Jeb’s attempt to take Rubio to task over his Senate voting records backfired, boosting Rubio’s chances of gaining from the debate. Jeb’s advisors have pushed him to show more aggression, something that doesn’t come naturally to the 62-year-old youngest son of former President George H.W. Bush. Unlike his brother George a natural-born wisecracker, Jeb’s more like his father, coming off too seriously for today’s entertainment-driven politics. Despite his freefall in the polls, Jeb told CNN’s Dana Bash after the debate that he planned to go back to the grindstone, working hard in the trenches to win more votes. Regardless of how Jeb looks awkward on the debate stage, his real problem stems from voters recalling well what life was like under brother, Bush-43. Recalling two costly foreign wars and a Great Recession is enough to turn off voters to another Bush presidency.
Republicans gain far more traction with voters talking about foreign policy than the economy. Last night’s CNBC debate was denounced by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus as unprofessional and mean-spirited. Debating the economy isn’t a winning issue for the GOP, precisely because all reputable metrics—the Fed, Labor and Commerce Departments—indicate that the economy’s in good shape. While there’s always disgruntled folks in various areas, you can’t argue with a booming Wall Street, lowered federal budget deficits and 5.1% unemployment. Telling voters you’d get another four-years of Obama with Democratic front-runner former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is exactly the wrong message because the economy’s doing well. Focusing on Obama’s recognized foreign policy failures or omissions would bear a lot more fruit.
