Jeb Bush clear, concise, forceful in 4th presidential debate – Updated

Photo by Lynn R. Mitchell

By Lynn R. Mitchell

.@BretBaier on Jeb: “It was his best debate so far.” @oreillyfactor #GOPDebate

— Ken McIntyre (@KenMac55) November 11, 2015

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Jeb is back. Strong performance. He was real. He talked about the issues. Didn’t back down. Held his own. #AllInForJeb #GOPDebate — Mark Langdon (@langdon_mark) November 11, 2015

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Good night for @JebBush. Clear, concise, + forceful on #economy + #foreignpolicy. #JebCanFixIt + has skills 2 do so. #AllInForJeb #GOPDebate

— Keith Fernandez (@keifer24) November 11, 2015

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As seen in the tweets above, Jeb Bush brought it to the debate stage Tuesday night with his sizable arsenal of knowledge and experience on issues concerning the economy, energy, the Veterans Administration, and other concerns of Americans. From his very first response, it was obvious he was on, and ready to face not only his opponents but to hit the trail for the weeks that lay ahead leading to the 2016 presidential primaries.

The New York Times was very impressed with his performance, noting (see A nimbler Jeb Bush turns feisty. But is it enough?):

This was a hungrier Jeb Bush.

Donald J. Trump had just finished a breezy, boastful and hard-to-follow explanation of how he would take on the Islamic State, tossing in a curiously admiring aside about Vladimir V. Putin’s performance on television.

Suddenly a voice rose from his right.

“Donald is wrong,” said Mr. Bush, uncharacteristically interjecting before the debate moderators could move on.

Mr. Bush said it again, more emphatically. “He is absolutely wrong on this.”

Mr. Trump had blithely suggested that he would happily stand aside and let others, such as Mr. Putin, Russia’s president, sort out the messy Middle East.

Mr. Bush looked into the camera and did what he has long resisted: He ridiculed Mr. Trump as naïve and unsophisticated.

Is It Better To Elect A Liberal Democrat Over A Moderate Republican?

By Gregg Hilton
Guest Post

Flashback: The 2010 Delaware U.S. Senate Race

Erick Erickson of Red State has once again written his efforts in one of the top Tea Party triumphs of 2010. Five years later he is still proud of his role.

Erickson writes, “In Delaware, many conservative, myself included, made the conscious decision that it would be far better to have the Democrat win than Rep. Mike Castle because of what Castle would do whispering in the ears of Republican leaders. Few of us thought Christine O’Donnell could win. But Sarah Palin and Jim DeMint get particular blame for their endorsements.”

O’Donnell received tremendous national attention that year and her nomination changed the focus away from the economy and Obamacare. Reporters instead wrote about O’Donnell’s opposition to pre-marital sex, masturbation and pornography, and her links to witchcraft. After winning the nomination on September 15th, she hid from the media for three weeks.

O’Donnell claimed to have a master’s degree during her first campaign when she did not have a college degree. She had no job during the five preceding years, and had been fired by a conservative organization.