My Updated GOP Candidate Rankings

I'm not sure why I'm still doing this. Is it just me or, since these debates have been occurring so frequently, are they starting to all blend together? Overall, I'd rank the Fox Business debate slightly behind CNN's Democratic debate and slightly ahead of CNBC's Republican debate. The moderators didn't go after the candidates with as many follow-up questions as those in the CNBC debate did, but did on a few occasions, albeit with minimal results. However, perhaps due to this being a "Fox" network, their tone did come across as a bit more pleasant than those at CNBC. As far as the debaters are concerned, once again, nobody stood out to me. Donald Trump, Ben Carson, and Jeb Bush are arguably the three worst debaters this side of the galaxy, however, their lack of substance fit right in with the rest of the pack. Rand Paul and John Kasich decided to speak up for a change and with mixed results. There weren't many standout moments like in the CNBC debate, but the word salads produced by Carson and Carly Fiorina were entertaining, not to mention the pissing contest between Paul and Marco Rubio. Overall, I'd give the debate a "B" grade, which places it second in my mind thus far: 

1) CNN's Democratic debate: B+

2) Fox Business' Republican debate: B

3) CNBC's Republican debate: B-

4) Fox News' Republican debate: C+

5) CNN's Republican debate: D

On October 29th, here were my rankings of the 14 remaining candidates (http://thekind-heartedsmartaleck.blogspot.com/2015/10/my-updated-gop-candidate-rankings-were.html): 

14) Ted Cruz

13) Bobby Jindal

12) Ben Carson

11) Rick Santorum

10) Mike Huckabee

9) Marco Rubio

8) Carly Fiorina

7) Donald Trump

6) Chris Christie

5) Lindsey Graham

4) Jeb Bush

3) George Pataki

2) Rand Paul

1) John Kasich

Here are my updated rankings:

14) Ted Cruz (no change): Unless the guy somehow becomes someone else entirely, chances are he's going to remain at the bottom of my list. Cruz is so awful, he makes Dick Cheney come across like Santa Claus.

13) Bobby Jindal (no change): I'm sorry, but I can only listen to hyperboles for 3 seconds before I feel the need to reach for some Aleve.

12) Ben Carson (no change): There are at least two different Ben Carson's: 1) Debate Ben Carson and 2) Non-debate Ben Carson. Debate Ben Carson typically comes across as calm, sane, and somewhat personable. However, non-debate Ben Carson, who is much more prevalent than debate Ben Carson, ironically makes it appear as though the former neurosurgeon needs his head examined, he's so crazy. 

11) Mike Huckabee (down 1 spot): He and Rick Santorum seem to flip-flop in position after every debate. Whoever sounds less nuts in that debate could very well swap places with the other. So, congratulations, Mike, from my perspective, you came across as a bit more nutty than Santorum in last night's debate!

10) Carly Fiorina (down 2 spots): Okay, so Ms. Fiorina stopped the trend of Huckabee and Santorum swapping spots #10 and #11. To some, she may come across as a solid debater, as she's good at deflecting questions and blame to areas she knows will pump up the base, not to mention she's an incredible actor. However, these seemingly constant non-answers are driving me up a wall (almost literally, but not quite). If she ever actually answers a question she was asked and does so with accuracy, I may have to stop whatever I'm doing and give her a standing ovation, slow-clap style. 

9) Rick Santorum (up 2 spots): Read #11.

8) Marco Rubio (up 1 spot): Sure, the guy is a good speaker and physically attractive, but again, like most of the candidates to this point, he's provided about as much substance as a sumo wrestler provides dieting tips. I'm also starting to wonder if the Florida senator took Harvey Danger's lyrics to "Flagpole Sitta" to heart: "Paranoia, paranoia, everybody's coming to get me!" That's what it certainly sounds like...

7) Donald Trump (no change): The guy comes across like a complete asshole, but sadly, I like a couple of his ideas far more than the other seven candidates I've mentioned to this point. His hyperbolic tangents, like Bobby Jindal's, drive me nuts too, but unlike Jindal, who doesn't seem to have a progressive bone in his body, Trump does at times display some signs of such a bone (or four). 

6) Chris Christie (no change): It kind of cracks me up when Governor Christie pretends to talk face-to-face with the American people. Considering he was demoted to the JV debate last night, it appears that strategy has really paid off thus far. All kidding aside, though, he does appear to be one of the few candidates willing to work with Democrats in order to reach a compromise.

5) Lindsey Graham (no change): He didn't even debate last night, but is still technically in the race. If it weren't for his seeming obsession to bomb every country that doesn't rhyme with "Fanada" or "Lexico," I'd probably rank him higher than this.

4) Jeb Bush (no change): Debating is really not Jeb Bush's strong suit, and unfortunately for him, it appears as though he forgot what he strong suit was. Sadly, he appears to be one of the more reasonable GOP candidates left, and judging by his dwindling poll numbers, it may only be a matter of time before he decides to do something else with his time. That whole "Jeb can fix it!" claim should have been backed up at the debate last night, and it wasn't, not by a long shot.

3) Rand Paul (down 1 spot): To Paul's credit, he let it be known last night that he is truly conservative when it comes to spending. However, he also let it be known that conserving the environment is less important than the Kentucky basketball team making it to the Final Four.

2) George Pataki (up 1 spot): No, he didn't debate last night, but that may have been the main reason he moved up in my rankings - I didn't hear anything crazy uttered by the guy. So, congratulations on that!

1) John Kasich (no change): I was a little disappointed with Kasich's jabs at President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He was one of the few candidates who had strayed away from such rhetoric in the early debates. Perhaps he felt it was desperation time and that it was the only way he could attract more in the GOP base. Regardless, he still appears to me to be the most reasonable GOP candidate in the race.

My hopeful 2016 presidential election: Democrat Bernie Sanders vs. Republican John Kasich (same as before)

My predicted 2016 presidential election: Democrat Hillary Clinton vs. Republican Marco Rubio (same as before)