Dump on the Donald? There was some of that.
But there were even more attempts to mess up Florida Senator Marco Rubio.
Both did better than survive: They won!
And they weren’t the only winners.
Trump is always a little outrageous, but tonight he was relatively reserved, and in complete control of his rhetoric.
"People like what I say," Trump said, and nothing he said in this debate should change that.
Marco Rubio–as usual–was smooth…But he was challenged in this debate more than in any other.
He never flinched.
He showed he can take the heat, and not melt under pressure.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz was a winner, too.
Sometimes he comes across as too slick, but not in this debate.
Cruz is a true conservative, but–perhaps because we’re in a war with ISIS–he didn’t sound radical or extreme right wing.
Trump, Rubio and Cruz dominated the debate.
But there was room for a big loser.
Jeb Bush tried, but once again fell short.
He attacked Trump, calling him a chaos candidate who would be a chaos president, but Trump brushed him aside.
Later, Bush tried again…With the same result.
This was the last debate of the year and, as one of the moderators said, it was the Christmas dinner debate…Since millions of voters will be talking about it during the holidays.
For three or four of the Republicans, that could mean a Merry Christmas…But, for the rest, it may be time to go home for the holidays, and stay there.
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