How did the skinny kid in the middle do?

"But here is the question for the day after - how did the skinny kid in the middle do? That would be Vivek Ramaswamy. Note of disclosure - I like this guy. He is fearless, although some of his answers last night were a bit like a bull in a China shop."

First an editorial word. Last night's debate made me proud for a few reasons. First off, out of eight people on stage, two were of Indian (not Native American Indian) decent. And they were sharp. Another candidate was a black man who grew up in poverty and absolutely loves this country. Quite a contrast from many blacks on the other side of the spectrum who hate it here. Finally, one of the remaining five white guys came from a town of a few hundred people in North Dakota. He was steeped in Americana. Made me think of that song, Try doing that in a small town. 

But here is the question for the day after - how did the skinny kid in the middle do? That would be Vivek Ramaswamy. Note of disclosure - I like this guy. He is fearless, although some of his answers last night were a bit like a bull in a China shop. I did not care for the "Super PAC puppet" comment about his fellow Republicans up on stage. And I really did not like his "bought and paid for" remark either. Other than that, I thought he did fine, for a 38-year-old with zero political experience.

Many of the answers last night were basically homogeneous. Not much of a debate there. The abortion issue? Everyone was pro-life, so that was ho-hum. The funniest exchange, however, was when Chris Christie got the UFO question. He handled the answer masterfully. Even Martha cracked up at that one. 

I thought Mike Pence did well, albeit we saw a different side of the former Veep. He seemed to have an edge last night. Not the "Mr. Nice Guy" we have seen over and over again. Even though his resume looks good, from being a Governor, Congressman and Veep, he does not have a lot of traction so far in this election. I see Pence being just a flash in the pan this time around. 

Nicki Haley was good in my opinion. She had some humor and lots of passion for the facts. Her resume is also very heavy. I would not be truthful if I said I did not like her. I always have. She is good on her feet, and quick in her thinking. 

But what about, as Bret said, the "elephant who is not in the room" - Donald Trump. He is still holding the winning hand. Trump loyalists will still vote for him, even if he is in a super max prison. Why? Donald Trump is the shining example of the two-tiered justice system. He is Exhibit "A" of what a victim of the Deep State looks like. Plus, his ideas and numbers when he was POTUS were pretty darn good. 

Donald Trump is still "king of the hill", and it is up to one of the eight candidates from last night to de-throne him. And that is a tall order.