The first Republican primary debate on Fox News has highlighted to the world the cruelty and out-of-touch- politics of the Republican Party. It is embarrassing to watch and a disaster.
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Ron DeSantis started with the first question by lying about increased oil drilling lowering gas prices:
DeSantis with a #GOPDebate lie "Finally, we need to lower gas prices. We need to open up all energy production."
Fact Check: Gas prices are high because the oil is owned by the oil companies. Drilling more doesn't lower gas prices. It increases Big Oil profits. pic.twitter.com/DNLTtwCArK
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 24, 2023
Nikki Haley knows who is responsible for all of the spending in Washington. It’s poor people:
Nikki Haley blames poor people for government spending at the #GOPDebate "When they pass the two-point to trillion dollar covid stimulus bill, they left us with 90 million people on Medicaid. 42 million people on food stamps. I'll tell you how to fix it. Stop the spending." pic.twitter.com/FNuhSmzP9Z
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) August 24, 2023
When the candidates were asked if they believed in man-made climate impacts, none of them did:
The candidates are asked to raise their hands if they believe in man-made climate change. No one raises their hand. Ron DeSantis answers by lying about Biden's response to Maui wildfires. pic.twitter.com/yidClYQt8k
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 24, 2023
Those three answers came in the first 3o minutes of the debate. Without Donald Trump on the stage, the Republican candidates still showed themselves to be pandering to an extremist base. None of the answers that the candidates gave in the clips above reflect moderate American politics.
Republicans came back from a commercial break and raced to the bottom by supporting a federal abortion ban:
Tim Scott goes big government fascist on abortion, "We cannot let states like California, New York and Illinois have abortions on demand… We must have a president who will advocate and fight for the minimum a 15-week limit." #GOPDebate pic.twitter.com/voTHfLUf8h
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) August 24, 2023
The first debate is revealing that the problem isn’t just Trump. It is the entire Republican Party. The GOP right now alienates women, young voters, black voters, and essentially the majority of the country. This is a party with no plan. Republicans don’t have an agenda, and if the nominee is not Trump, none of the candidates on the stage look capable of winning a general election.
The message that was sent to the nation and the rest of the world is that the Republican Party is an extremist fringe that is unfit to govern.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
