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ANALYSIS: Debate Without Trump Favors Trump
abcnews.com ^ | January 28

Posted on 01/28/2016 9:03:41 PM PST by Helicondelta

It turns out that a world without Donald Trump is filled with Donald Trump anyway.

To many in the Republican Party, Thursday night's debate was a dream scenario -- seven candidates, and not a reality TV show billionaire in sight. No huge walls were hypothetically built, and no religious groups were banned from entry into the United States.

Yet Trump was still everywhere. He was there for viewers on another channel, giant American flag behind him, two other Republican candidates beside him, chants of "USA, USA, USA" enveloping them.

He was also there with the candidates as the "elephant not in the room," as moderator Megyn Kelly put it, or as Jeb Bush's non-showing "little teddy bear."

His absence was felt, moreover, when the leading candidates tangled over the hot-button issue of immigration. Trump wasn't there to take heat for them, or to face any real scrutiny of his own.

Trump's dominance in the race was revealed by the extent to which the debate lacked an obvious center of gravity. The party and its candidates have grown used to the front-runner; surely the same is true for viewers treated to a debate season like no other.

(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 2016election; bretbaier; chriswallace; debates; election2016; foxnews; megynkelly; newyork; trump; trumpwasright
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To: r_barton

Donald Trump does not play chess or checkers he only plays monopoly and he owns everything on the board including Fox, as well!


21 posted on 01/28/2016 9:48:52 PM PST by MIA_eccl1212 (When you see a drowning liberal, throw them the anchor...)
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To: chris37
I did not watch the debate, i was on c~span channel watching Donald J. Trump...I tried to watch CNN but they cut away to too many commercials and when a MAN who donated $1 Million to the Veteran's Fund was speaking, CNN went to Bob Beckell and that did it for me...

and frankly C~span coverage was excellent, no commercials and great picture and sound...and after they took phone calls and all the callers, even democrats and Iowa voters, were in support of Trump...proved very interesting to me...

So sounds like I didn't miss much with the Fox Network..time to get totally weened off Fox..

22 posted on 01/28/2016 9:50:48 PM PST by haircutter
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To: Helicondelta

hmmm... Trump wins the debate without debating, and renders any future debates as meaningless(except for entertainment).


23 posted on 01/28/2016 9:55:34 PM PST by QuigleyDU
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To: chris37
Who the Hell actually votes for Kasich!? Gotta be kidding me!

Like my Mom used to say.. "it takes all kinds to make the world go round."

24 posted on 01/28/2016 9:56:32 PM PST by VideoDoctor
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To: The Iceman Cometh

“Fox should never get a debate again. “

My EXACT thought!

And to answer your earlier question about “fair” questions, this was THE worse gotcha-palooza yet! Fox actually had VIDEO clips to try and indict Rubio and Cruz with; after the debate, Anderson Cooper said he wondered what kind of clips of Trump they had lined up to “get” him with, and that’s when the light bulb went off, namely I thought that Trump had gotten wind of some kind of nefarious FNC “get-Trump’ scheme which was the REAL reason he ducked the debate, and I believe these Trump video clips that were all lined up to slay him with was the scheme. Also, the illegal alien and Trump-hating Muslim didn’t get to go after Trump, but had to settle for lesser targets.


25 posted on 01/28/2016 9:57:11 PM PST by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: WTFOVR
He drones on and on with his nasally lecturing - like an old school marm - blah-blah-blah!
That and the feigned concern on his hang dog face along with the flailing of his right hand/arm is annoying.
26 posted on 01/28/2016 9:58:52 PM PST by lewislynn
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To: haircutter

I did exactly what you did: switched from CNN to C-SPAN so i could watch it uninterrupted.


27 posted on 01/28/2016 9:59:04 PM PST by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: chris37

Mrs. Kasich?


28 posted on 01/28/2016 9:59:09 PM PST by kiltie65
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To: haircutter

Yeah I heard some of those phone calls too before I switched over to the GOP funeral show, and I have to say that those were surprising.

Donald’s got the mojo. That’s all there is to it.


29 posted on 01/28/2016 10:00:52 PM PST by chris37 (heartless)
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To: haircutter

“So sounds like I didn’t miss much with the Fox Network..time to get totally weened off Fox.. “

i agree. I watched the post-debate on CNN and was somewhat shocked at the depth of analysis and lack of bias. There was much greater insight on that panel than anything you get from the hacks on Fox. Gonna start checking out CNN some more.


30 posted on 01/28/2016 10:00:54 PM PST by catnipman (Cat Nipman: Vote Republican in 2012 and only be called racist one more time!)
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To: haircutter
and after they took phone calls and all the callers, even democrats and Iowa voters, were in support of Trump...proved very interesting to me...

I was also stunned to hear 3 Democrat callers say that what Trump did tonight made them change their mind and were now going to vote for Trump.

Their main point was that FINALLY someone was standing up for America.

Nearly everyone alluded to how Trump got off the stage and let the Veteran with a prosthetic leg talk to the crowd and the C-SPAN audience.

I noticed, during a quick switch, that CNN covered these parts by letting their "pundits" talk rather than allowing people to be won over by what was being said. If I lie, I die. I believe Trump is NOT even aware of the inroads he made tonight.

He won the hearts of many, many Dems and Independents tonight.

Here's a C-SPAN replay link of the entire event for anyone interested.

http://www.c-span.org/video/?403832-1/donald-trump-campaign-rally-des-moines-iowa&live

31 posted on 01/28/2016 10:01:05 PM PST by VideoDoctor
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To: haircutter
I did not watch the debate, i was on c~span channel watching Donald J. Trump...I tried to watch CNN but they cut away to too many commercials and when a MAN who donated $1 Million to the Veteran's Fund was speaking, CNN went to Bob Beckell and that did it for me...

I was appalled that they cut away to Beckell when they had the veterans speaking, especially after they had some Clinton loving gay navy guy who wrote a book going on and on about how Trump's event was abusing veterans. That is why I switched over to CSPAN.

32 posted on 01/28/2016 10:02:04 PM PST by fireman15 (Check your facts before making ignorant statements.)
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To: VideoDoctor

Yep Mom is always right too!

(And they always call at the worst time.)


33 posted on 01/28/2016 10:02:14 PM PST by chris37 (heartless)
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To: catnipman
Fox actually had VIDEO clips to try and indict Rubio and Cruz with;

Come to think of it, is this a new low for a debate? Can't recall videos being used in any other debates.

Usually, the moderators would just quote the person.

34 posted on 01/28/2016 10:03:45 PM PST by The Iceman Cometh (Trumpbots Vs. Cruznadians - the struggle is real.)
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To: piytar

The post debate panel on cnn said Trump won. And having Santorum and Huck at his event will probably ensure his momentum through Iowa.

Over at fox the post debate story is Jeb won. The whole thing was a farce, Megan admitting they has an entirely different playbook waiting in case Trump decided to join.


35 posted on 01/28/2016 10:07:54 PM PST by moehoward
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To: kiltie65

If I was Mrs. Kasich, I’d vote for Trump.


36 posted on 01/28/2016 10:08:14 PM PST by chris37 (heartless)
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To: VideoDoctor

I think Trump may have wrapped it up tonight with a very uplifting rally. He was very generous to Huck and Santorum also.


37 posted on 01/28/2016 10:10:04 PM PST by Georgia Girl 2 (The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped)
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To: moehoward
And having Santorum and Huck at his event will probably ensure his momentum through Iowa.

Didn't know what to think when Trump pulled out. But I think having Huck and Santorum was a master-stroke. Fox seems to be the only ones pushing that this will hurt Trump.
38 posted on 01/28/2016 10:13:18 PM PST by mmichaels1970
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To: Helicondelta
"“I will say this: Gosh, if you guys ask one more mean question, I may have to leave the stage,” Cruz said. "

Nobody laughed.

Cruz was damaged tonight. You saw his responses when under the same pressure as Trump has been in 6 previous debates and it's not becoming on him.

39 posted on 01/28/2016 10:15:38 PM PST by Mariner (War Criminal #18 - Be The Leaderless Resistance)
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To: WTFOVR
Senator Cruz behaves as a sniveling little weasel - "I suggest," "I’d would note,” “I am the most this, I am the most that, and I am the most other thing,” etc. etc. ...

I still like him. But some of his first words were "let me be clear". Me and the wife both cringed.
40 posted on 01/28/2016 10:16:29 PM PST by mmichaels1970
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