Grading the Candidates' Performance/Success... by Nabbbss...
DESPITE the terrible CNBC Hosts' performance, which rates a D- ...
...I shall grade the Candidates, best to worst:
Ted Cruz -- A
His rant and tirade against the highly-personalized, attack-mode,
hard-Left CNBC Moderators was a true high point. In all respects,
Senator Cruz acquitted himself very, very well.
Chris Christie -- A-
He HAD TO, and HE DID. In addition to Cruz, Governor Christie pro-
vided several real highlights to counter the evening's frustrating and
miserable Hosting from CNBC. One thing he does, repeatedly and to
great effect, is hunching/bunching forward, grasping the dais,
and looking directly into the camera (looking at US!).
Carly Fiorina -- B+
Starting off the evening with a big warm smile, Ms. Fiorina then
proceeded to perform as she's done in the first two Debates, all
to superb and positive impact. Authoritative, clear, confident.
Donald Trump -- B
No harm, no foul -- and THAT in itself was a HUGE surprise and a
major accomplishment (for HIM) in an evening filled, some would
say fraught, with stunning surprises. Yes, The Donald took the
advice (in itself a gigantic milestone for HIM!) of nearly everyone,
and dialed it back / toned it down, with the one exception (early-on)
where he went, fang-tooth-and-claw, after Ohio Gov. Kasich. Defying
initial impressions and concerns, Trump is showing real "growth" as a
Candidate (for better or worse, but in HIS case mainly for the better).
He even showed SOME self-deprecation, restraint, perspective, and humor.
Ben Carson -- B-
The good, nice, laid-back but brilliant Physician essentially, to
use tennis jargon, "held service" last night. On a downside, he
seemed over his head in much of the "inside baseball" of Economics
and Tax Codes/Plans. However, his appealing and reassuring person-
ality -- a key attribute and strength in Doctors (many of whom are
utterly lacking in this characteristic) -- kept him buoyed up as
he carefully trod through the night's minefields.
Marco Rubio -- B-
Some are grading him higher this morning, but not me, because the
Florida Senator who has recently declared that, to paraphrase, he
hates the Senate, outright LIED on several occasions when he had
ZERO NEED to do so, and when he would receive ZERO GAIN from doing-so.
On the plus-side, Rubio very effectively defended himself when Jeb!
tried attacking him over yesterday's Sun-Sentinel Editorial (which
I wrote about here yesterday). He stuffed Jeb! back into his dimwit,
dull self. (I've always said Jeb! was the stupidest of the Bush Boys.)
Otherwise, Rubio was his typical smooth, burnished, almost glib self --
but is THAT good enough? Is THAT all there is?
Mike Huckabee -- B-
Huck made several really insightful comments and inspirational ob-
servations, AND he furthered the GROWING camaraderie that, last night,
became especially discernible among most of the 10 Candidates as
they, collectively, pounded-and-pummeled the Hosting Panel's snarky,
snaky sniping and insipid, puerile, pissy 'tudes toward ALL the GOP'ers.
John Kasich -- C
Perhaps...that's perhaps...in his eventual favor, Ohio Gov. Kasich
obviously TURNED UP THE VOLUME AND INTENSITY last night, something
he HAD TO DO! On the downside, it made him seem, and gave the im-
pression that he was slowly becoming "unglued" over this endless
and strife-filled Nominating process. To a degree, it seemed overly
"forced" and affected...and not in parallel with his true "self."
Many/much of his tax-and-economic data and plans were, in fact,
spot-on. NOW, if only the too-too-nicey-nice Governor could find a
happy-medium between his initial "aw-shucks" and "I feel so compassion-
ate about the downtrodden" demeanor and the unleashed pit-bull
temperament he exhibited last night?
Jeb! Bush -- C-
It just ain't gonna cut it any longer; this is NOT working. The
ershwhile and earnest former Florida Governor and Bush family-scion
was as forlorn, stumbling-bumbling, and nearly inchoate as ever,
showing NO "improvement" or personal or political "growth" whatsoever.
This morning, his benefactors and backers are completely apoplectic, ter-
rified, and in turmoil -- running-about and calling each other about
what-the-Hell-do-we-do-NOW? The end, methinks, is drawing nigh, which
is my Writerly way of saying his remaining days as a Candidate are
running out, and his gas tank is 95% on Empty. (None of this bothers me,
and most of us, one single bit!)
Rand Paul -- D
As in previous Debates, Kentucky Senator Paul just seems not quite
ready. His thin skinned petulance and peevishness was augmented --
to no great improvement -- by whining-groaning and "...poor, poor me,
won't you people take me more seriously? What do I have to DO, anyway?"
...AND his obstinate and stubborn attitude, which he may mistakenly
believe constitutes a "personality" strength, is nothing of the sort, and
does him ZERO good.
That is all.
