They were, in a word, presidential.
Did Ohio Gov. John Kasich bring his outstanding Detroit debate A-game down to Miami, or was it Donald Trump who scored big with his blustering bravado?
Truth be told, it was neither — the big winners at Thursday’s CNN Republican presidential debate were Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas.
Only two people raised their hands when pollster Frank Luntz asked the debate focus group how many walked in supporting Rubio. When he asked whether he performed well at the debate, all hands were raised.
Rubio’s highlight moment came when he said more terrorists should be shipped off to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and the military needs rebuilding.
“Barack Obama is gutting our military. He’s going to leave us with the smallest Army since the end of World War II, and the smallest Navy in a century, and the smallest Air Force we’ve ever had,” he said.
“We are going to rebuild that military and that military is going to find the terrorists and destroy them. And if we capture any of these terrorists alive, they’re not going to have the right to remain silent. And they’re not going to go to a courtroom in Manhattan. They’re going to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and we will find out everything they know and we’ll do so legally.”
Luntz tweeted:
.@MarcoRubio’s response on Cuba hit 95% with my focus group.
Republicans want accountability from former enemies. #GOPDebate
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) March 11, 2016
Watch the clip via Fox News.
In the case of Cruz, his observation on the “job killing” federal bureaucracy earned him a perfect 100 percent score by Luntz’s group.
“It’s like government spending. It is very easy. Hillary Clinton says she’ll cut waste, fraud and abuse. If only we had smarter people in Washington, that would fix the problem. You know what? That is the statement of a liberal who doesn’t understand government is the problem,” he said.
“Here’s my philosophy. The less government, the more freedom. The fewer bureaucrats, the more prosperity. And there are bureaucrats in Washington right now who are killing jobs and I’ll tell you, I know who they are. I will find them and I will fire them.”
Luntz tweeted:
.@TedCruz: “I know these bureaucrats. I’ll find them and fire them” hit 100%
14 of my 23 #GOPDebate group members say best line of tonight.
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) March 11, 2016
Watch the clip via Fox News.
And overall, it was the best GOP debate ever this season.
My #GOPDebate focus group feels everybody won tonight.
The candidates. The Republican Party. The voters…
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) March 11, 2016
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