Ramaswamy Won

How committed am I to you, loyal YSDA readers?

Well, I watched the whole damn Republican debate tonight. The whole damn thing. And I did it without a cocktail. That’s how much.

Ok, so let’s make this quick. Four take-aways.

Vivek Ramaswamy won. He didn’t win with me, understand. I thought he came off like Jimmy Swaggart, only sleazier. But I think he won with Republican voters. He was so far up Donald Trump’s back side he needed a flashlight. Burn more coal. Cut off Ukraine. Pardon Trump without question. I’d be shocked if he didn’t soar in the polls.

Nikki Haley won with me, which means she lost the debate. She came off as the most moderate of the bunch. She admitted there was no way that a national abortion ban would ever pass Congress and she even mentioned birth control. She was sharp and forceful on Ukraine. She called out Trump for running up the deficit more than Biden. What do you get for saying sensible things in a Republican primary? Nothing.

Ron DeSantis won the Scott Walker Flash in the Pan Award. Trump, who didn’t show up, had a much bigger presence there than DeSantis.

The crowd said everything about today’s Republican Party that you need to know. Every time someone would point out that Trump had done something wrong, they booed. When Chris Christie said that, whether or not Trump would be found guilty of his many criminal indictments, he had done things that were beneath the office, he was booed especially hard. There were moments when it seemed like seven of the eight candidates were fighting a mob of MAGAs. Only Ramaswamy pandered at every opportunity.

On the bright side, the intro showed some really nice pictures of Milwaukee and Wisconsin. So there’s that.

So, there. You didn’t watch it? You had better things to do, like watch a rerun of CSI – Toledo? No problem. We had it covered for you.

Sleep well.