Posted on 01/15/2016 5:05:36 AM PST by Helicondelta
Ted Cruz's debating skills are overrated. There. I said it.
Over. Rated.
...
There are three main reasons Trump came out on top against Cruz.
Poll positions
First: ad hominem (I'm a winner and you're a loser) combined with ad populum (I'm ahead in the race, so I must be the best). Trump initially mentioned how Cruz was losing by "going down in the polls" and that Trump was indeed winning as he boasted "In Iowa now...Ted, in the last three polls, I'm beating you. So you shouldn't misrepresent how well you're doing with the polls." Cruz had no response, as do few of the debaters when Trump mentions the success of his campaign. You'd think that Cruz would have an easy answer to this attack, especially since it's Trump's "go to" answer. But it worked, and even though it's a logical fallacy, it's successful for Trump, so I'm sure he'll keep using it in the future. As the saying goes...if it ain't broke...then Trump won't need to blame an immigrant for not fixing it.
Second, humor: Trump was pretty funny. This softens a debater's stance and makes that person's positions more palatable. Trump said he'd "take Cruz along for the ride" as his running mate, drawing chuckles. Finally, he said Cruz has improved in the polls, giving him "maybe a 4 or 5% chance" to win. Again, said with tongue in cheek.
Finally, it's about picking battles properly. The two times they fought were both on Trump's ground. First, on Cruz's citizenship, Trump was able to play the "it's not me, it's them" game. His argument, deflecting away from himself as the bad guy, was that the Democrats would take Cruz to court if he was nominated and this would hurt the Republican Party.
Cruz's rookie response wasn't
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
Something about Cruz is beginning to show through. Something calculating and devious.
I think the comment about Trump’s mother was over the top. It turned a lot of people off — especially women.
Only if they had no sense of humor...
I get the impression of that attitude all the time. He usually doesn’t express it, but it camps his face.
Cruz wiped the floor with the others in last nights debate.
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