A quick take on last night's debate

I'll keep this brief, for a number of reasons: the cringe-worthy nature of the event, the tiresome, mind-numbing task of parsing the minutiae of the moment, the obviousness of much of what's going on. Still, a few basic things need to be said:

It's time for Carson and Kasich to drop out.

Jeb's running out of chances to prove any sort of viability.

Rubio had an impressive comeback from his unfortunate performance at the New Hampshire debate. That said, he really ought to leave the accusations of lying to the one who lobs them most effectively.

Ted was his usual forceful, principled self - both when playing offense and defense.

And Squirrel-Hair, unsurprisingly, took the occasion to once again prove himself as horrifying a possibility for the presidency as Sanders or Hillionaire. From his it-would-be-okay-for-Planned-Parenthood-to-receive-government-funding-if-it-would-stop-performing-abortions stance (as if PP is going to abandon its organizational raison d'être) to his Code Pink-worthy lie about the W administration knowing for certain Iraq had no WMDs when it invaded (a complete ignoring of the assessments of intelligence agencies around the world, as well as the pronouncements of several prominent Democrats going back to the late 1990s) to his quintessentially sloppy, generalizing-in-the-extreme closing "politicians-are-all-talk-and-no-action"" statement (a stark contrast, coming as it did after our having heard several well-articulated summations of what a dire moment this is for America), he was abysmal.

And what was with the rowdiness of the audience? Is that a South Carolina thing, or were various factions coached and exhorted beforehand?

Jeb Bush is poison for America

This steaming chunk of dog vomit really expects us to regard him as the Pub standard-bearer?  Don't make me laugh.

Bush is often criticized by grassroots conservative groups for his participation in creating the Common Core education standards that have affected so many public school curriculums across the country. Bush addressed the complaints head-on and said he's "lost patience" on the issue: 

He reiterated his support for higher academic standards—whether they are the Common Core national standards or other equally rigorous benchmarks—and for testing to measure whether students are meeting them. “If you don’t measure, you really don’t care,” he said.

“I’ve lost my patience on this,” Mr. Bush said, referring to what he described as an unwillingness among special interests to improve public education.

Bush also sought a moderate middle-ground with newly-elected Republicans who might seek a showdown with the White House over funding for programs like Obamacare and the President's Executive Amnesty for illegal immigrants: 

Quit trying to “make a point,” Mr. Bush said, and forge compromises to pass legislation. Stop seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act, he suggested, and offer alternative health-care proposals.

“We don’t have to make a point any more as Republicans,” he said. “We have to actually show that we can, in an adult-like way, we can govern, lead.”

You're all done, pal.  No more of that Reasonable Gentleman s---.  Did that in 96, 08 and 12.   Shut up, go away, and let those who love freedom and understand American greatness wage war against the forces of tyranny and decline.

Why the Bush family has, on balance, been bad for conservatism, the Republican party, and America

Lauren Bush, the granddaughter of the president who waffled on his "read my lips" pledge, sending his budget director Richard Darman to Capitol Hill to work out a deal with the Freedom-Haters in Congress, who, like the Palestinians and the North Koreans, had and never have any intention of following through on their end of the bargain, accepts the Profiles in Courage award.

As with everything now, the layers of wrong to be peeled back are numerous.  You have this fresh-faced millennial, firmly convinced that she has a grasp on what statesmanship and mature governance are all about. Also honored this year was a former mayor of Uvalda, Georgia for his coddling of illegal aliens. You have the 1992 presidential-race loss which is attributable in large part to the peldge waffle.  You have the whole history of Bush family muddle-headedness, from the Clean Air Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the description-drug expansion of Medicaid, the Six-Way Talks about North Korea, and, most recently, Jeb's pronouncement that people illegally entering this country is an "act of love."

This is Reasonable Gentleman Syndrome at its most horrifying.  I hope this sweet young lady has a nice life, but she has so, so many learning experiences ahead of her.