Fiorina on Fire, Pessimism on Display at GOP Debate

Mother of Mercy, could this be the end of The Donald?

After the marathon Republican Presidential Debate on CNN Wednesday—a debate that felt like “War and Peace,” only longer—it seems fair to ask that question after Trump, who had a stranglehold on the GOP imagination and polls leading to the first vote casting next year, appeared to have been not only held in check but undressed a little, suffering what could be some serious damage in his quest for the presidency.

It’s no small matter of poetic justice that the person on stage who inflicted some of that damage was Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, the most wounded and pointed coming after she was prodded to reply to Trump’s tasteless comments about her physical appearance which don’t need to be repeated here. “I think women all over the country understood very clearly what Mr. Trump said,” she said. With that, Mr. Trump was left to resort to half-baked gallantry, which was likely to be understood as lame by women all over the country.

Trump started badly enough by including a contemptuous comment on Kentucky Senator Paul Rand’s standing in the polls in typical spontaneous, thoughtless fashion. It got worse as the evening went along with the moderators acting less as moderators and more as picadors, goading the candidates into arguing with each other by reading them comments they had made about the issues and each other.

Often, Trump disappeared altogether, especially when detailed discussions about foreign policy broke out surprisingly and periodically in ways they had not in the previous GOP debate, although he did emphatically say he was one of the earliest critic of the war in Iraq, which prompted an argument with Jeb Bush. Trump also insisted he could handle Russia’s bellicose and troublesome president Vladimir Putin better than anyone. The possibility exists, of course, that the pair are two-of-a-kind in terms of temperament.

Most media and political experts agreed that not only had Trump not excelled or dominated the proceedings, he was diminished by Fiorina’s performance. Fiorina, who had moved up to the “A” team after distinguishing herself among the “B” candidates in the last debate, made the most of it. She won every clash with Trump, including their fight over their not always stellar business experience. Trump denied that he had ever gone bankrupt, and in any case, it was smart business practice while Fiorina made her firing by Hewlett-Packard seem like a triumph of principle, which meant that for an outsider, she was getting to be quite the politician.

The debate was supposed to showcase the talents of the so-called “outsiders,” Trump, Fiorina and Ben Carson, the soft-spoken, articulate neuro-surgeon, while being a life-line opportunity for better known politicians with floundering campaigns. For Trump, and Carson, too, their outsider standing didn’t help much. If Trump lacked his usual gift for outrageousness and directness, Carson gave a pedestrian performance, the substance of which was instantly forgettable.

Fiorina was on fire—even, forgive us, in her appearance. Trump chose not to sport his usual blazing red tie, and even his hair seemed placid and quiet. Fiorina wore a stunning bright blue outfit that commanded attention, which proved that a woman can still wipe out the fashion competition when it comes to appearance, especially if the competition is made up entirely of men. She was also prepared and eloquent—in a crowd where she was being ignored at times on foreign policy and military matters, she trotted out her detailed plan to strengthen what she said was a weakened U.S. military without once mentioning the possible cost. More than that, while all the other candidates duly noted the longevity of their marriages and praised their spouses, she did something more—she personalized her story, including a bout with cancer and the death of a son to drugs.

As for the rest—if you like Marco Rubio, the Senator from Florida, you could argue that he did not stumble, that he was very emphatic, that he led the charge against Hilary Clinton and what he continually described as the disastrous presidency of Barack Obama which, he argued, drained the country’s economic strength and wounded the world’s respect for America. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie—who often makes himself sound like a key figure in the aftermath of 9/11—continued to do his bully boy act, lacing into Trump and Fiorina for their fight over their business record.

Bush certainly saved himself for another day. He appeared at turns as moderate, reasonable, anti-Clinton and anti-ISIS (who isn’t?). At times, he waved to the center. At others, he courted the base, which is to say he swung to the right. The true blue conservative trio of Walker Cruz and Huckabee stuck to their guns and trotted out their presidential to do lists, which included repealing “Obamacare,” “tearing up” the president’s deal with Iran and eliminating federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

This was perhaps one of the longest debates in memory, perhaps even longer than all of the Lincoln-Doublas debates combined, or at least as long as Benjamin Harrison’s speech in the rain.

It’s too soon to tell the effect of the debate. People have predicted the demise of Trump after every one of his gaffes only to see him rise in the polls. But Fiorina aside, Trump seemed, well, tame. He said he had fun, that the other candidates were all talented and that he was honored to be there with them all. He even said that his Secret Service name would be “Humble.” He resorted perhaps once too often to generalities about turning things around, making things great, defeating our enemies and making the country rich. In the end, everything was always about him, his friend, his likes and his ability.

What the candidates as a whole failed to do at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was to capture his optimism and ebullient spirit about the present and the future. They sounded too often like pessimistic, cynical scolds. With most of the GOP candidates, there was no “Morning in America.”

Fiorina has had some experience in losing a state campaign for governor in California. She may have learned a thing or two, which makes her something more than a political novice. She was entirely accurate talking about the process itself: “All of us will be revealed over time and under pressure.”

As always, stay tuned.