Debates No Longer Matter

Anyone who watching the debate in South Carolina on Saturday night knows that it was a tough night for The Donald. He was booed by the audience multiple times, got steamrolled by Jeb(!), Rubio, and (debatable) Cruz.

But debates no longer matter in the race for the presidential nomination in the Republican Party.

If we voted for people by debate performance, Marco Rubio would be on top, most likely followed by Ted Cruz, and (arguably) New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. If debates actually influenced voters at all, Trump would be the one that dropped out, and Fiorina, Christie, Paul, and Graham might still be in the race.

Instead, the debates have turned into a poop-slinging contest between the candidates like howler monkeys.

Ouch.

There's no longer any point to hosting the debates. It just gives the Democrats (who have had wonderful and engaging debates) more and more traction with voters, who see Republicans as the bully that steals your lunch money on the playground.

Granted, this isn't all Republicans. Ohio Governor John Kasich has prided himself on staying above the insults (which he has mostly done), and no one is more famous for his calm demeanor than retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson.

The Republican candidates have turned their (mostly) hawkish foreign policy ideas into a hawkish debate strategy, and it will end up hurting their bids for the Presidency far more than any of them can imagine.

If the WWE Smackdown between the candidates doesn't stop soon, I feel almost as if we will have a Democratic President for 2016.

Bummer.

Why Ted Cruz is Wrong About Bombing ISIS Until "Sand Glows in the Dark"

Of all the Republican candidates for president, Senator Ted Cruz has taken one of the most hard-line stances against ISIS on the stage. When speaking on his plan to eradicate ISIS (which is also known as ISIL, or Daesh), Senator Cruz commented that: "We will carpet-bomb them into oblivion. I don't know if sand can glow in the dark, but we're going to find out!"

Texas Senator Ted Cruz

The problem with this line of thought is that ISIS frequently hides among the civilian population, and by "making the sand glow", we risk killing far more civilians than Islamic militants. 

Back in June of 2015, this phenomenon was documented by CNN when ISIS caliphate leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reportedly hiding among civilians before his death by Iraqi bombing run (which still has yet to be confirmed.)

Current President Barack Obama has taken to using unmanned drones to kill ISIS operatives and destroy their caliphate. The issue with this is that these drone runs kill civilians 90% of the time. 

Imagine if a presidential candidate of a strong, foreign nation (think China, Russia, etc.) had a presidential candidate planning on bombing us until our perfectly-manicured grass turned purple, we would be scared too. 

Senator Cruz, if you are advocating the death of thousands, or maybe millions of Middle Easterners, you sincerely need to rethink your priorities.