On the Fox Republican debate

Rosie O'Donnell responds to Donald Trump's debate barb 
  She was not happy.

American Thinker:
What if the media had treated Barack Obama as Fox journalists treated Donald Trump?  "We might have had a different president, and America would be far better off.
 "However one feels about the Republican Party, the multitude of candidates for president, and Donald Trump, last night’s debate was an example of how journalism should be practiced."
Debating Fox News moderation of GOP prime-time debaten. . . "The performance of Fox News makes a strong case that they should be allowed an opportunity to host at least one of the Democrat debates." . . .

DNC indicates which candidate they fear most . . . "The only debater their Twitter feed attacked during the debates was Carly Fiorina, and this tells us whom they fear the most, and whom they saw gaining the most traction."

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Three from Drudge:
 NY Times: A Foxy, Rowdy Republican Debate . . . " On Thursday night in Cleveland, the Fox News moderators did what only Fox News moderators could have done, because the representatives of any other network would have been accused of pro-Democratic partisanship." . .  .
The questions asked "were the right ones, starting with a brilliant opener: Was there any candidate who was unwilling to pledge support to the eventual Republican nominee and swear off a third-party run?
"Trump alone wouldn’t make those promises, even though the moderator who asked that question, Bret Baier, pointed out that such a third-party run would likely hand the presidency to the Democratic nominee."
. . . "They should square their slogans with their records, and that’s what Fox made them do. On this night, the network that pampers Republicans provoked them instead. It was great television, and even better politics."
 GOP debate: Early numbers suggest record audience
 Donald Trump vs. Fox News
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Investors.com: Fiorina impresses as Trump's schtick wears thin   "Republicans. . . in Cleveland . . . produced the beginning of the beginning for a Carly Fiorina surge and the beginning of the end for a Donald Trump campaign."
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Legal Insurrection: 
 Debate Post-Analysis – Trump Rorschach test. . . "the punditry is unanimous that Carly Fiorina was the clear winner, and it was her Breakout Moment. The other candidates in that grouping should just drop out. "

Was Debate Carly Fiorina’s Breakout Moment?   . . . "The consensus among many in media was that Carly Fiorina won the debate. CNN made note of the tweets declaring Fiorina the winner:" . . .
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NRO:
A Fabulously Awful Night for Donald Trump   . . . "He, of course, couldn’t answer about his evidence that the Mexican government is pushing people over the border. And his slap at Megyn Kelly was a classic case of not knowing your audience. The last month has been Trump making the rest of the field look small; tonight was the opposite." . . . Rich Lowry
 Carly   "She was the winner and it wasn’t even close — poised, forceful, fluid. It’s what anyone who has seen her at the cattle-calls or other events would expect (and many of the lines were the same)." Rich Lowry
Fiorina’s Triumph & a Few Other Thoughts  . . . "The first thing to keep in mind, it seems to me, is that just because the people in the primetime debate have higher poll numbers doesn’t necessarily mean they are better political talents. For instance, if you could rank the candidates by their records instead of by poll numbers, Rick Perry and Bobby Jindal would certainly belong on the big stage ahead of many of the folks in the 9 o’clock slot. This far out, poll numbers have more to do with a bunch of variables — from fundraising to name recognition to entertainment value to the fresh-new-thing factor — than they have to do with some single “objective” metric." . . .Jonah Goldberg

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Lucianne:

GOP candidates battle to stake their positions in first 2016 debate
" From fiery criticism of ObamaCare and the Iran nuclear deal to support for Israel and the rights of the unborn, the top 10 Republican presidential candidates did all they could to define and separate themselves Thursday night during the Fox News debate in Cleveland, Ohio."

Democrats jubilant after chaotic Republican debate . . . “I felt pretty good that we increased the chances that the Democratic nominee whoever it is, will ultimately be elected president of the United States,” Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), told MSNBC on Friday.

" 'When you expose America to the extremism that is the Republican party today like they did last night, it’s very evident that there will be a dramatic and clear contrast going into the general election and Democrats are going to show off that we care about fighting for the middle class and they care about taking care of the wealthiest 1%.' ”

 

Much more commentary at Lucianne