The second GOP debates

                   

     I watched with interest a lot of the second GOP debates. I didn't feel one way or the other about most of the candidates as to their "performances" during the course of the three hours. I was only struck by  the Donald's continued bombastic behavior.  It was clear from the beginning that CNN wanted controversy and the manner of questions strove for that end.  And, they pretty much got what they were looking for.  As a result, an aggressive type like Trump thrived in that environment and seemed to dominate the podium. No matter what the question and who it was directed at he was there with his opinion. I'm not sure what the allure for some voters for this man is to become the President of the United States. He spouts lots of platitudes, which I guess appeals to a certain segment of the population, but he offers no idea how he would plan to carry them out. I really heard nothing from him about how he would actually handle illegal immigration, although that is a cornerstone of his campaign. He says he will deport all the illegals immediately, but when backed into a corner about the difficulty of such a move, he really waffled. The rest of the candidates seemed to be prepared and stated their positions rather well on all the subjects that came up. I most struck by Carly and Rubio. 

     What was more interesting was to see the post debate discussions by panels at both CNN and Fox. I have to admit that I felt the CNN had a better post debate wrap-up. I felt that their panel was clearer and really less biased about the debate than Fox's. 

     However, both the Fox and CNN panel felt that the Donald may have not done all that well in the debate, but he really didn't lose his base supporters. They both felt the Carly Fiorina was the real winner. However, they weren't sure how that will be reflected in the polls.  Ben Carson was Ben Carson. Soft spoken and not the fire breather as were the rest of the candidates. This type of format was clearly not his strength. 
    I will be very interested in the next debate, but I wish they would somehow whittle the field down a little. Eleven is just too many for an intelligent debate.