Fiorina, Rubio, Christie

Last night, after the second GOP debate at the Reagan Library in Simi California, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer expressed his opinion that Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, and Chris Christie were the three best debaters, in that order.

That was no surprise to me, especially concerning Fiorina.  In my post of August 18, 2015, I suggested in closing, to Keep your eyes on Carly Fiorina.  She has a role to play in the upcoming elections.

  

Poll results from Wednesday evening’s debate were not wholly consistent, but it is clear that Rubio and Christie both have gained momentum.

 

It is also just as clear that Carly Fiorina was more than a match for Donald Trump.  This woman has spent her entire career rising against the tide up the ranks of what was often a largely male-dominated work environment.

Labor Day Musings

Jogging on Long Beach Island, NJ in Late September.

One of the characteristics that I like about Labor Day in Bridgewater and, I suspect in other Central Jersey towns, is that for those of us who have not gone away for the weekend, it’s pleasantly quiet – a welcome break from the hustle and bustle that will begin anew in a few days.

The lazy, hazy, crazy days of a Nat King Cole summer song have been good this year, especially for Jersey Shore communities and their tourists who sought well-deserved pleasure in the waves of the Atlantic, the beckoning aromas of boardwalk food emporiums, and the warmth of sunshine captured by golden sands stretching over one hundred miles along coastal beaches and barrier islands of the Garden State.

“Tending to Grace”

A teen overcomes a bad start. (Bergeron Image)

If it had not been for a writing class that I attended – the only male in a sea of patient ladies – I never would have purchased the book, Tending to Grace.  But within its crisply written pages, I unearthed the gem of a story:  

A small paperback only 175 pages long, easy to read, with some chapters so small, that they consist of no more than a large paragraph.

I read it in one sitting.  You could do the same, maybe in two, but you won’t want to put the book down.  Although its theme seems aimed at young people, it pierces the artificial boundaries of age.

The main character, Cornelia, is an avid, quality reader, well beyond that of her teen years.  She stutters badly, and suffers from the neglect of her mother Lenore, a person who has fallen off the ship of life.

A Debate or a Negotiation?

A black & white Trump delivers a stark, black & white message.

Watching Donald Trump romp through the Fox News debates on Thursday, August 6, caused me to reassess the nature of his candidacy for the GOP nomination and 2016 presidential run.

Prior to that “debate,” Trump said that “I’m not a debater.”  He emphasized that he “just knows how to get things done.”

Trump is right.  He is definitely not a debater.  Yet he continues to lead the pack of GOP contenders with a 25% lead, double that of the next person, with all of the others falling well behind.

Despite the fact that his entrenched popularity appears to be at odds with many of his seemingly outrageous comments, poll respondents seem to love what he says and the style by which he delivers it.

So what’s going on?  Here are at least two clues:

GOP Presidential candidates in first debate tonight, August 3rd.

Updated 8/3/15, 9:23 PM

A first-in-the-nation Q&A debate among all GOP candidates except Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee (they declined to participate) will be held this evening at 7:00 PM at the Dana Center in Manchester, New Hampshire.

It will be carried live nationally by C-Span on Channel 109 Verizon FIOS, and on Channel 75 Cablevision.  It will also be available on iHeartRadio, and will be hosted by WGIR radio personality Jack Heath.

 

This debate, dubbed “The Voters First Republican Presidential Forum” is the brainchild of Joseph W. McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Granite’s State’s largest newspaper, and one which reflects the independent spirit of that state.