ADEYEMI OSHUNRINADE
February 26, 2016
Perhaps you saw the 2012 movie “8 Mile” with Eminem as a lead actor. In the movie, one group hurls rap insult at the other, the second group responds with a bigger rap insult, it continues back and forth, while the crowd behind them cheers in agreement. If you watched the last GOP debate on Thursday, you would agree it was a night of hostility.
Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz left no stone unturned, as both mercilessly attacked the GOP frontrunner Donald Trump. It is now game on. The Republican establishment has finally realized it is time to turn the table against Trump, or watch him become the party’s nominee an outcome many believe would devastate a GOP chance at the White House in 2017.
Rubio began the attack by reminding the audience that, allowing Trump, a businessman with no conservative credentials to carry the GOP banner would spell doom for Republican ideologies and make it difficult for the party to win in November. Rubio did not allow Trump to stop him as he taunted and slammed Trump, talking over him without letting the real estate mogul dominate the debate.
Rubio questioned Trump on the lawsuits he faced over hiring undocumented Polish immigrants that he failed to pay back wages. He reminded the audience that Mr. Trump was fined $1,000,000 by the government and questioned how someone who claims to fix U.S. immigration problems is the one fined for exploiting immigrants. The comment was followed by raucous applause from the audience while Trump could only respond by saying the allegations came up many years ago.
On his plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Trump stated that the crux of his health care plan would allow insurance purchases across state line but when he failed to explain exactly how he intends to make it work, Rubio pressed for specifics, saying that “now he’s repeating himself” a comment intended to mock Trump as a robotic for repeating talking points at debate speeches.
“I don’t repeat myself,” Trump said. “He repeats himself everyday, Rubio answered, stating that Trump speeches are all familiar: “Everybody is dumb, we’re going to make America great again, we’re going to win, win, win…” On Israel, he questioned Trump’s loyalty to the Jewish State and attacked him for saying he did not believe there was any reason to label Israel and Palestine as the “good guy and the “bad guy.”
Rubio called Trump’s position “anti-Israel” and when Trump said he was simply a “negotiator,” Rubio responded: “The Palestinians are not a real estate deal, Donald.”
Cruz on the other hand, wasted no time attacking Trump’s credentials as a true conservative. He criticized Trump for giving money to Democrats and liberal agendas. His best line of defense came when he questioned Trump’s whereabouts during his struggle against an amnesty bill: “In 2013 when I was leading the fight against the “Gang of Eight’ amnesty bill, where was Donald Trump? He was firing Dennis Rodman on ‘Celebrity Apprentice,” Cruz said to a big cheer from the audience.
Unfortunately for Ben Carson and John Kasich, both were sidelined for the night and became afterthoughts. “Can somebody attack me please?” said Carson to a big cheer from the audience in an attempt to get questions from the moderators. Though, both candidates had their short moments during the debate, Rubio, Cruz and Trump outshined them.
Rubio continued his attack on Friday at a campaign event in Dallas Texas. He went after Donald Trump again mocking him that his pants were “wet” after Thursday’s debate. He read Trump’s misspelled tweets to his followers and claimed Trump had a “meltdown” backstage at the debate during a commercial break.
With the debate on Thursday, it is clear the GOP campaign has become nastier. No doubt Trump got a lot of heat from Cruz and Rubio. The Republican establishment is beginning to agree it is time to pull mask off Donald Trump but so far, the candidates are failing to present a clear plan to move America forward.
Trump wants to repeal ObamaCare but provides no viable alternative. Cruz and Rubio want to end DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) but, you wonder where they intend to deport the beneficiaries most of whom were brought to the U.S. as children without no fault of their own. It is a long road ahead and with Chris Christie’ endorsement of Trump on Friday, it is unclear if Rubio’ new attack would slow down Trump’s momentum. However, if Trump becomes the nominee, it would be a miracle for him to win the Presidency without the minority votes.
Adeyemi Oshunrinade [E. JD] is an expert in general law, foreign relations and the United Nations. He is the author of ‘Wills Law and Contests,’ ‘Constitutional Law-First Amendment,’ ‘Criminal Law-Homicide’ and ‘SAVING LOVE’ available on Amazon. Follow on Twitter @san0670.
Categories: Current Affair, Politics
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