Republican Debate Breakdown

Republican presidential candidates squared off for a third time last Wednesday for the CNBC hosted debate in Boulder, Colorado at the University of Colorado.

The top ten candidates polling the highest faced off at 8 while the four lowest polling candidates faced off earlier at 6. The debate proved to be both entertaining and intense.

The main debate featured real estate mogul Donald Trump, former neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Ohio Governor John Kasich, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina.

The debate was slightly different from the previous CNN debate that had happened nearly a month ago. One less candidate was on stage after Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker had dropped out and there had been a change in the party's frontrunner lineup. Trump had lost his first place status to Carson in both Iowa and nationally. Bush's numbers were also on the decline and Rubio and Cruz were skyrocketing amongst voters in post-debate polls.

The highlights of the night included a swipe at Rubio from Bush as the former Governor attempted to take down the Senator's rising position in the polls. It ultimately backfired when Rubio had a swift comeback and left Bush looking weak. The debate was largely free from attacks however. In fact, the debate moderators were the one who took much of the heat. The moderators were called out by Cruz when he lectured the moderators to focus on questions of substance and policy rather than provoke the candidates to fight each other.

Here is a breakdown of the debate by each candidate:

Ben Carson- The former neurosurgeon had nowhere to go but down as he walked across a debate stage for only the third time. After taking his place as the party's frontrunner and declining to fire back at Trump's attacks he was ready to prove to voters why he deserves to remain as the frontrunner.  Surprisingly he remained quiet for much of the debate. The soft spoken doctor refused to partake in the few bouts of brawling that did emerge and ultimately spoke for just seven minutes according to NPR. He was asked a question late in the debate about his relationship with a diet pill company that openly supports gay marriage and if that speaks to "his character". The question drew loud booing from the audience and Carson was simply able to laugh off the question by replying "They Know". He thanked his fellow candidates on stage at the end of the night for refusing to partake in the supposed moderators attempts to get the candidates to fight each other. His refusal to attack his fellow candidates is perhaps what really speaks to his character.

Donald Trump- Even if you have little or no interest in politics you may still watch the debate simply for "The Trump Factor". Not only did Trump focus on his platform but he barely broke out any personal insults at all. In the previous debates Trump had called Bush "low energy" and claimed he had plenty of insult material with Rand Paul however this time all attacks Trump used were political. He attacked Kasich early on by claiming that the Ohio Governor's work at Lehman Brothers were a reason not to trust him. He also combated a claim by Kasich that he had created economic prosperity in the state by telling Kasich that fracking was likely the cause of the state's economic boom. Trump remained calm and strategic throughout the debate to many viewers surprise. However, at the end he couldn't help but brag that his and Carson's threats to boycott the debate if it wasn't cut from three hours to two were an example of his negotiation skills.

Marco Rubio- The Florida Senator has had a hot streak during the last two debates and has seen his standing in the polls and his campaign donations rise in the wake of them. Once again he had a great night behind that podium. Early on he swatted down an attack from Bush and defended his voting attendance record in the Senate. Earlier that day the Florida Sun Sentinel, a newspaper that had endorsed him when he first ran had called on him to step down due to his constance absences in Washington. It argued that there was no reason for him to receive a tax payer salary if he wasn't doing his job. A friend of his had even been quoted earlier of saying that Rubio "hates" his Senate job. Rubio started the spark of the night's attack on the media. He pointed to examples of missed votes from John Kerry and Barack Obama from when the then-Senators ran yet the media didn't cover it. He got the most applause when he flat out referred to the media as Hillary Clinton's largest Super PAC.

Jeb Bush- Bush by far lost the debate. The former Florida Governor had started out the summer by leading the pack of candidates and having the strongest financial backing. With his debate performance you would have never guessed. He attacked Rubio early in the debate in an attempt to seem fiery and aggressive yet ultimately appeared weak when Rubio had a strong defense. Bush later gave a long winded answer on regulating fantasy football which both confused and annoyed viewers and fans of the sport.

Ted Cruz- Cruz has received a strong haul of campaign cash over the last few weeks as he is now the only Texas candidate in the race. He had managed to lock down many of the Texas millionaires and billionaires that were supporting former Texas Governor Rick Perry's campaign. Yet at the same time he consistently polls between fourth and sixth place in both national and Iowa polls. Cruz needed the debate to go his way. It ultimately did. Cruz delivered a powerful attack on the media when he accused the moderators and the media in general of focusing too much on drama between candidates rather than actual substance.

Rand Paul- The Kentucky Senator had a less memorable night. After weeks of rumors that he may be the next candidate to drop out it would make sense for Paul to come off as powerful and as strong as ever to prove his critics wrong. Instead he gave a few mediocre answers and spoke very infrequently. He briefly called out the moderators for favoring other candidates by asking when it would be his turn to speak.

Chris Christie- Christie was another candidate who needed to prove himself on Wednesday night. Similar to Bush the New Jersey Governor has seen his poll numbers decline over time. Christie has made it clear he wants his campaign to be about the people. As usual whenever he spoke he did it directly into the camera as if he could see anyone who was watching at home. He was able to seize his moment late into the debate. After Bush flubbed on a question about regulating fantasy football Christie  broke in to declare the question as ridiculous when you consider all the other problems the country faces. He later broke out his classic New Jersey bluntness that made him so popular in his home state. When posed a question on climate change he found himself interrupted by moderator John Harwood several times. Christie quickly responded with "John, would you like to respond?" much to the delight of the audience. He finished it off with "Even in New Jersey what you are doing is considered rude," leading to his largest applause line of the night.

Carly Fiorina- The former CEO was another candidate who had something to prove. With no experience in public office and polling in the middle to lower of the group she needed a strong quote to help her fundraise. After the last debate she had been typecast in the media as being a crusader against abortion after most of her speech material consisted of defunding planned parenthood over videos allegedly showing the discussion of the sale of fetal parts. In this debate she focused on almost anything else. She opened with a joke on how pundits say she should smile more and finished by telling the audience that she is Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare. She came off as smart and prepared and did a pretty good job overall.

Mike Huckabee- Huckabee was another candidate who needed a breakout moment after months of polling in the middle of the group and having less than average fundraising numbers. He never really found it. A substantial amount of time had passed before he even got a question directed at him. He mostly stuck to his policy idea of focusing resources on curing life shortening diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and cancer rather than cut Medicare. He was another candidate on stage who refused to engage in attacks. When asked his opinion on Donald Trump the former Arkansas Governor showed off his Trump brand tie and said he had tremendous respect for him.

John Kasich- Kasich had the honor of getting to answer the first question and he wasted little time in putting his foot down. When asked what his greatest weakness was Kasich declined to answer and instead trained his fire on the rise of the non-politicians. He argued that Carson and Trump (without directly naming them) should not be able to be president without having elected office experience. From there he was able to pivot to his record of balancing the budget in Ohio, cutting taxes, and taking responsibility for the budget surplus in the 90's when he was chairman of the House Budget Committee. He dueled with Trump early on when Trump accused Kasich of taking credit for the state's economic boom when fracking likely had more to do with it. Kasich sort of faded into the background after that.

Rubio and Cruz were the likely winners of the debate. Their attack on the media and the urging of their fellow GOP candidates to refrain from personal attacks made them appear honest and focused. Their youth and charisma also made them appealing. Christie also had his moments and came off as strong and assertive.

The next debate is November 10 and will be held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It will be hosted by the Fox Business Network and the Wall Street Journal. The debate will be slightly different in terms of criteria to be on the stage. The criteria for the previous debate was for a candidate to achieve at least 1% in national polling this one will require 2.5%. This potentially could push Paul, Christie and Huckabee into the undercard debate.

Democratic Debate Breakdown

The 2016 presidential election picked up this month with the first Democratic primary debate of the season.

The debate and the candidates that participated in them show that the race is becoming faster paced as America is now just 96 days away from the Iowa caucuses. The debate pitted together five candidates each vying to be President Barack Obama's successor.

The Democratic debate was held earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Wynn Hotel and Casino. It featured former Secretary of State/New York Senator/First Lady Hillary Clinton, Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, former Virginia Senator Jim Webb, former Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and former Rhode Island Governor/Senator Lincoln Chafee. A sixth podium sat just off stage in case Vice President Joe Biden made a last minute decision to join in.

The debate, which was hosted by CNN and moderated by Anderson Cooper, was a fairly straight forward statement of ideas and policies that went pretty much how political analysts expected. If you were a Clinton fan, you walked away supporting her. If you liked Sanders then you walked away still a fan of his. The other three candidates failed to make much of a splash at all.

Key moments of the night included Sander's now infamous quote "The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails!" in reference to a question posed about Clinton's use of a private server to conduct government business when she served as Secretary of State. It also featured Clinton's comment that worried some moderates when she claimed that Republicans were the enemy she is proudest to have.


Here is a breakdown of how each candidate performed:


Hillary Clinton: Clinton came out both relaxed yet ready to reintroduce herself to the voters after they rejected her in favor of Barack Obama in 2008. With her comfortable lead in most polls both nationally and in Iowa, she had little to fear as she took the center podium reserved for the frontrunner. Throughout the night she took questions on her email scandal, her economic plan, and how she wouldn't just be an Obama third term (she punted on this question by simply saying the fact that she is a woman would make her bid historic enough). She ultimately walked away with polls saying she won however support for Sanders exploded on social media.


Bernie Sanders: Sanders came to the debate ready to show America why he should be the Democratic party's nominee despite not being a registered Democrat. The 74 year old Senator has claimed he will run a "clean" campaign consisting of no attacks. He did however attempt to paint a picture as to why he is the opposite of Clinton by pointing to his lack of a Super PAC and how he supported gay marriage and opposed the Keystone XL pipeline before Clinton. He was forced to get into mild sparring with Clinton during questions over placing a "no fly zone" over Syria as well as education and Wall Street policy but no personal attacks were used. Sanders finished second in the polls of who won the debate however he became a trending topic on social media as supporters claimed the media was biased towards Clinton.


Jim Webb: Webb came into the debate ready to introduce himself to the American people however stumbled almost immediately. During his opening statement he awkwardly paused while attempting to name all of his children and spent much of the debate arguing with Cooper over the other candidates getting more time to answer questions than him. At one point he spent most of his allotted time arguing about the amount of time he was allotted while Cooper reminded him that he was wasting time in that very moment. Cooper also repeatedly had to tell Webb that he had agreed to the debate rules and he must abide by them. Webb cited his service during the Vietnam War and his son's service during the Iraq War multiple times as he attempted to appeal to veterans and appear smart on national security. Webb ultimately answered very few questions and walked off the debate stage with no rise in poll numbers or financial backing. He became the first Democrat to drop out of the race a few days later and is currently entertaining an independent bid.


Martin O'Malley: The former Baltimore mayor had quite a few questions to answer when he was confronted on how his zero tolerance policy on crime may have led to the riots that seized the city last spring. O'Malley was also forced to change his stance on the "Black Lives Matter" slogan after he offended members of the movement by saying "All Lives Matter" during a campaign speech earlier this year. This time he was ready to point to his work with African-Americans and portray himself as a progressive believer in easing racial tension in the country. His biggest applause line of the night is when he cited the NRA as the enemy he is proudest to have. He barely registered in polls both before and after the debate however the candidate seemed comfortable with his performance in the post-debate spin room.


Lincoln Chafee- Chafee never stood much of a chance. The candidate attempted to contrast himself to Clinton by telling voters "During my 30 years in office I've never had any scandals," however this didn't draw him in any new supporters. During the discussion on Clinton's email scandal he attempted to jump in and voice his opinion on how he believes someone with ethics should be in the White House. It was shown just how little Clinton considers him as a serious contender when she simply responded with "No" when Cooper asked her if she would like to respond. Chafee later stumbled when he appeared confused and flustered over a question on how he voted down the Glass-Steagall Act, a bill that prohibits banks from making risky investment decisions with taxpayer money. Cooper even seemed to suggest that he wasn't aware of what he was voting for. Chafee ultimately dropped out of the race a week later citing Clinton's strong debate performance and her acclaimed Benghazi testimony.


Clinton and Sanders ultimately walked away as the night's winners. Both appeared strong and confident and gave the most memorable lines during the debate. The other three failed to make any major breakout moments for themselves.


The next Democratic debate will be on November 14 in Des Moines, Iowa on the campus of Drake University. It will be sponsored by CBS and the local Des Moines register. CBS news reporter John Dickerson will moderate.

Controversial Food Bill to Hit Governor's Desk

A bill passed by the North Carolina legislature would end most food assistance programs for able-bodied adults unless they work at least 20 hours a week.

This controversial new bill, House Bill 318, seeks to make landing a job a more urgent need for those who receive food stamps. Unless you can prove you are either working, volunteering or in a job training program, you could see your food benefits slashed.

While the bill is considered highly controversial for this as well as its other provisions, bill sponsor Representative George Cleveland isn't worried.

"I don't have a problem cutting off food stamps to able-bodied individuals," he said in an interview with News & Observer.

However, the bill still has several skeptics.

Tazra Mitchell of the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center called it a "policy failure" in an interview with WRAL last Friday. "In the rural counties, especially, it's going to hurt even harder because there's not a robust transportation network for folks to use if they don't have a car to keep looking for work so they can land a job," she said.

Democratic Representative Paul Luebke of Durham had a similar concern.

"What about the number of rural counties where there is high unemployment and jobs are minimal?" he asked in an interview with News & Observer.

The massive labor union AFL-CIO chapter in North Carolina referred to the bill as "bullying the unemployed and working poor" and force residents seeking a job "into deeper hunger."

Graham and Scotland county N.C. have the largest unemployment rates in the state according to Bureau of Labor Statistics making them the biggest ones to suffer.

In addition to halting federally subsidized food assistance to certain individuals the bill also seeks to prevent local governments from intervening in arrest process for undocumented immigrants and limits the amount of documents and I.D. that undocumented immigrants can use. It also requires business owners to use E-Verify to ensure they are not hiring illegal aliens.

Hell House

The Republican Party and the broader House of Representatives were thrown into chaos on Thursday when Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California dropped his bid for Speaker of the House.

McCarthy, John Boehner's lieutenant was widely expected to become the next House speaker until he abruptly and without warning dropped his bid. The sudden move throws the Republican party into chaos and may cause the party to become too splintered to get behind a candidate.

McCarthy announced he was dropping his bid to better unite the caucus after his Benghazi gaffe where he suggested the purpose of the committee investigating former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was to bring down her poll numbers. Rumors of an affair with fellow representative Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) also persisted however both have denied it and there is currently no evidence that one took place.

This sudden change is good news for the far right who have been outraged at the idea of someone from House leadership taking over. They felt that McCarthy would have been another Boehner, someone they feel is too weak on conservative values and too willing to cave in to Obama's demands.

With McCarthy out there are now just two candidates left in the race for speaker. Jason Chaffetz of Utah and Daniel Webster of Florida. Both of whom are attractive to the tea party and claim they are willing to stand up to the Democrats. Meanwhile the moderate Republicans are courting Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, John Kline of Minnesota, and Tom Price of Georgia.

With no clear candidate to clear the 218 votes needed to win the race it would appear that the House may be in turmoil for some time. Boehner, who announced he would leave at the end of October may need to stay longer until the party elects a new speaker. Until then, the chaos within the House will continue.

Political Ad Spending on TV for 2014 in North Carolina

Data on the amount of money spent on the North Carolina 2014 Senate race show how campaigns and outsider groups spent their time and resources during the neck and neck campaign.

The numbers show that the largest spender in the race was the campaign of Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan who would go on to lose the race. The campaign spent approximately $11,355,000.

The second largest spender was the Democratic super pac Senate Majority Pac. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also was a heavy spender. The large amount of money from Democratic groups indicate that the party's leaders were clearly concerned about Hagan losing her seat.

The Republican candidate and eventual winner of the race Thom Tillis's campaign posted far less than Hagan's at just $5,366,480. A series of Republican and affiliated super pacs including U.S. Chamber of Commerce, NRA political fund and Americans for Prosperity also invested however it was far less than the Democratic groups.

According to the numbers for the media markets in North Carolina the largest amount of money was invested in ads to air in Charlotte. Greensboro and Greenville were other cities that were heavily targeted with advertising.

The numbers also reveal that the most expensive congressional race in the state was in the state's second congressional district. The race pitted conservative Republican incumbent Renee Elmer against Democratic nominee American Idol contestant Clay Aiken.

The data was collected by Kantar Media Services and was first reported by WRAL News.

Ross Poised to Challenge Burr

Deborah Ross, a former N.C. state congresswoman and attorney resigned from her current job at Triangle Transit Authority to consider a Democratic challenge against incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Richard Burr.

Ross is an interesting choice for the North Carolina Democratic Party to have approached considering she is a devoted liberal. Most Democrats who run successfully statewide in North Carolina are moderates.

"Some people are talking to me about it" she said in an interview with the News and Observer to a question if she was asked to run.

Her resignation is a clear sign that she is giving serious consideration to the idea of running for the North Carolina Democratic Party's nomination. The party has slim pickings for a serious candidate to challenge Burr next year. The possibilities include a handful of obscure state senators and former U.S. Senator Kay Hagan who lost her seat to U.S. Senator Thom Tillis in 2014.

Ross was first elected to the State House in 2002 and became the Majority Whip in 2007 until Democrats lost control of the House. She resigned in 2013 to become general counsel of the Triangle Transit bus authority.