This was easily and rather undeniably the most substantive and civil GOP debate we've seen so far. Prominent issues were raised and candidates responded with their views and their plans of action. What I found alarming was Trump's vagueness and repetitiveness on stage. He was easily the candidate that was the least specific on his stances and his means on accomplishing them. Before I've always assumed that because the debates were so unruly with stacked crowds, sinister questions, and incompetent moderators, none of the candidates got a proper chance to elaborate on the issues. However, with this debate, the questions were well-rounded (with hard questions addressing statements each candidate has made) and the moderators did a good job at keeping the flow. This was Trump's chance to really go hard ball on the issues, but instead he went with the same old "we gotta make good deals" and "they don't know what they're doing", always ending with "believe me". There were moments that were particularly bad for Donald:
Common Core. Trump said he would abolish it. Didn't give much of a reason other than "being taken over by Washington". When Jake said that states willingly adopt it, Trump had a poor response. Showed some ignorance, especially when deferring to Carson; he mentioned how he had a good handle on it (but this question is for YOU Donald, we want to know YOUR plan). Cruz would do the same but had a far more poignant answer.
Cruz attack. Cruz attacked Trump for not outlying specific programs he would cancel to reduce government spending. Trump didn't address the attack itself but rather went with a weak side blow (a la Jeb Bush), accusing Cruz of changing his stance on ethanol company subsidies. This led to a really awkward moment in the debate as moderators were expecting Trump to have a bit more in his answer.
Social Security. My heart sank when he answered this as it was clearly to appeal to his senior voter demographic. All the candidates mentioned some means of cutting it while Trump said he would leave it as it is. When pressed further on how he would get the money, he responded with the soundbite "eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse". It was a very Clinton response (*shudders).
Israel. I'm not even a big fan of Israel but they do represent the only stable democracy in the Middle East. Trump's extremely vague response of making a deal and remaining neutral truly showed his naivete of the situation. This is a land that has been stifled by incessant conflict for the better part of 2000 years, does he really believe he'll be the chosen one to bring peace?
Cuba. Rubio honestly blew this question out of the water. Clearly prepared for this one but credit must be given where credit is due. He deserved the applause. Again, very meager response by Donald. As a side note, Rubio had a very strong debate overall. Had rational, well thought-out, and fact-driven answers to all the issues raised. No doubt he had a tone of defeat but I hope for his sake he wins Florida or he'll likely be out of a job in 2 years (with his dignity too).
Not addressing attacks overall. Trump didn't even try to defend himself against foreign worker, lobbyist usage, and liberal supporter accusations.
Trump's lack of office experience really showed here and made me seriously question his legitimacy for presidency. I've been a staunch Trump/Kasich supporter since the start but I'm wavering. Resume-wise, Kasich dwarfs the other candidates with his experience in the defense committee, congress, and now governor of Ohio (to which he's done a tremendous job; brought down unemployment from 11 to 4.7%, decreased corporate and personal-income taxes, job growth steeply increased, and high GDP/capita). That said, I vehemently disagree with Kasich's foreign policy and he's also a bit too mid-western for me (no offense, but he talks like a character from Fargo).
To be honest, I liked Rubio the most in this debate and found myself agreeing with him more than Trump. He also did a great job in the Texas debate although that would've been a tough debate for anyone in Donald's position. I may switch to voting Rubio even though it won't go anywhere (if he's still in the running). I'd still choose Trump over Cruz though, any day of the week.