TV debate blows Republican race wide open

As I watched the first Republican presidential debate, I began to think that there’s room for a new cliché – politics is a demolition derby for bad drivers. One subsequent comment, which I didn’t consider very important at the time, was focused on whether he would run as an independent, like the previous businessman candidate Ross Perot or as Republican. For former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, it was education reform; for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, it was his changing position on a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

The event, featuring Donald Trump in his first debate, was also the highest-rated telecast in the almost 20 year history of the Fox News Channel, a spokeswoman said.

That dust-up, and Trump’s refusal to say he would support the eventual GOP nominee if he’s not the party’s choice, earned him the top headlines from the debate, overshadowing some of the GOP’s biggest stars and creating space for some new faces to shine.

With a record 24 million viewers tuning into the two-hour program-ratings never before seen for a presidential primary debate-Fox News elevated what could have been a boring Republican forum into a high-octane political spectacle. Even those who identified themselves as Republicans felt the debate was good for the Democrats. Trump may have been the center of attention, but others performed as or more effectively overall and probably helped themselves with Republican voters who are beginning to sort through their choices. So if one of my daughters happened to be that, of course I would love them and I would accept them.

Speaking at the Fox News Republican primary debate in Cleveland, Ohio, host Megyn Kelly questioned whether it’s presidential for Trump to call women he dislikes “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals”.

Polls declared Trump the GOP debate victor.

When you’re involved in a beauty pageant, it’s hard not to think you’re back in high school.

And there we had it. Kelly had brilliantly interweaved Twitter and temperament.

Donald Trump always boasted about his ratings for “Celebrity Apprentice“. Fox peaked at one point with 26.8 million viewers.

Citing that remark, conservative commentator Erick Erickson said he was withdrawing his invitation for Trump to appear at his RedState Gathering in Atlanta on Saturday. Rand Paul, R-Ky., had stated that Trump “buys and sells politicians of all stripes”.

In subsequent sessions, as we talked about his business dealings and personal life, Trump kept returning the subject of presidential politics.

Thursday’s prime-time telecast drew 7.9 million viewers aged 25 to 54, the key group for advertisers on cable news broadcasts.

And then he said a thing about treating people with respect and, “God gives me unconditional love, and I’m going to give it to my family and my friends and the people around me”.