The Fox News GOP Debate is coming from Detroit tonight, and will be televised by Fox News beginning at 9:00 pm ET. The final four, Trump, Cruz, Rubio, and Kasich will be on the stage.
I saw it all over Facebook and Twitter and didn’t bother to watch. You know: another one of these ex-Daily Show guys. Parrots the usual liberal line (e.g. Net Neutrality) to a mindless crowd of millenials. And every headline screams “John Oliver DESTROYS Donald Trump” like all the lefty blogs used to trumpet every stupid Jon Stewart clip. Destroys destroys destroys. Why should I bother?
Then a homicide detective told me I needed to watch it, and that was the push I needed. It is, in fact, very entertaining — all 20 minutes of it. What’s more, it seems to be more careful about the facts, and more effective, than either Serious Media or Marco Rubio’s attacks have been. Worth your time.
My favorite line comes after he shows Trump advocating killing terrorists’ families — something that regular readers know appalled me when Trump first said it. Oliver says:
That is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination advocating a war crime. And he might say he was joking or he’s changed his mind about any of these things, and private individuals are allowed to change their minds—we all do it—but when he’s sworn in as president on January 20, 2017, on that day, his opinions are going to matter. And you will remember that date, because it’s the one that time travelers from the future will come back to to try and stop the whole thing from happening.
Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney is set to “eviscerate” Donald Trump today in Utah at the Hinckley Institute of Politics Forum. Yes, Mitt Romney. The former presidential candidate who was too polite to push back at Candy Crowley during the 2012 debate.
Mark Halperin has released an excerpt of Romney’s anticipated speech:
Yet another reason to be disgusted with the Republican party. Did they not notice what happened to their other guy when he feebly attempted to bring Trump to heel? He ended up dropping out of the race, and Trump’s support continued to grow. Now another establishment guy is being sent out to do the job with a full-frontal attack? How has the party not figured out that the more they send out one of their own to shame Trump into submission, the more his numbers go up?
–Dana
UPDATE BY PATTERICO: On one hand, I get this criticism; you feel like any attack like this will mean a 5-point bump in the polls for Trump. But on the other hand, at this point I’ll take any ally in this fight. Romney can say, in a high-profile way, that he had already released his previous year’s tax returns by this point in the race, and say that Trump’s “audit” defense is a scam. He could call on Trump to release the audit notification letters. Finally, he is appealing to people who aren’t already committed Trump supporters. I think it could help. But I understand the argument that it won’t — and I can’t say it’s wrong. Who the hell knows anything these days?
SEARCH AMAZON USING THIS SEARCH BOX:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Make the comments of annoying commenters disappear, with a simple comment script! Instructions here:
https://is.gd/CommentScript
Join the Constitutional Vanguard! We're a group devoted to promoting the principles of the Constitution, liberty, and the free market. Sign up here!
Check out Liberty Classroom, a site that teaches economics and history from a liberty perspective. I am a lifetime member. You should be a member too.
Help keep the site alive!
PayPal only (no credit cards):
Credit Card donations (PayPal takes a bite):
Subscribe for $9 per month:
About Patterico
Pronounced "Patter-EE-koh"
E-mail: Just use my moniker Patterico, followed by the @ symbol, followed by gmail.com
Disclaimer: Simpsons avatar may resemble a younger Patterico...
The statements made on this web site reflect the personal opinions of the author. They are not made in any official capacity, and do not represent the opinions of the author's employer.