The table is set for Monday’s Iowa caucuses, but Thursday’s Republican presidential debate did little to whet voters’ appetites.
The fact front-runner Donald Trump petulantly refused to attend probably did little to change the mind of Hawkeye State voters who think he’s all that and voters who think he’s not.
It made for a more substantive debate, without the name-calling and childish behavior the New York businessman engages in, but it didn’t raise anyone head and shoulders above anyone else, either.
The Fox News-Google debate allowed moderators to show – via video clips – how Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio had changed their minds on various pieces of legislature involving immigration and forced them to defend or talk their way around their votes.
As U.S. senators, where members can hold the same position and vote two different ways on the same bill, and as presidential candidates, the pair of senators have mastered the technique. The problem is, the nuances of such votes go over the head of most Americans, and the candidates come off looking wishy-washy.