For the Record week in review: Debates and perspective
Welcome to the weekend, For the Record crew. When we woke up yesterday, we were Americans (or maybe non-American enthusiasts of American politics ... if so, what is WRONG with you?) This morning, we all woke up French. If you want to help, click here to donate to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. In today’s Week in Review, we have the candidates’ reactions to the Paris attacks, a preview of Saturday night’s Democratic debate, and more. Let’s get to it:
#prayersforparis
The nation that declared “We are all Americans now” after the 9/11 attacks was itself under attack yesterday, and the field of presidential candidates offered their support and solidarity in the way we do things now: on Twitter. Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Ben Carson offered prayers; Carson also spoke with reporters after a speech at the Sunshine Summit in Florida saying that the U.S. should work harder to eliminate “global jihadists.” Read the candidates’ reactions on Twitter, courtesy of Paste BN OnPolitics’ Cooper Allen.
New-look GOP debate
Tuesday’s slimmed-down Republican debate reduced the number of candidates from 10 to eight (please tell us we can’t go back to an 11-person debate) and featured more verbal tangles than we’ve seen in the past: Marco vs. Rand on military spending, Kasich vs. everyone else on philosophy vs. pragmatism. Front-runners Donald Trump and Ben Carson, for their part, waited until they were off the playground to mix it up a bit. Was this Fox Business debate the best of the Republican campaign so far, or was it just that much better than the CNBC debate that preceded it? Check out the post-debate take by Paste BN’s Heidi Przybyla.
What would Cato say?
Philosophy as a discipline took a beating during Tuesday night’s GOP debate. Marco Rubio spoke out in support of vocational and trade schools, noting that “we need more welders and less philosophers” (and ugh, our Editor-sense is tingling. It’s “FEWER” philosophers, not “less.”) Then came John Kasich’s rebuke of the anti-bailout crowd, saying that “Philosophy doesn’t work when you run something.” Will Saturday night’s Democratic debate have a pro-philosophy moment? We want to know what Martin O’Malley’s favorite Kahlil Gibran quote is. Paste BN OnPolitics’ David Jackson has more.
Sanders’ secret recipe: Pull Hillary to the left
Bernie Sanders continues to draw support for his lefty ideals, and Hillary Clinton continues to follow his lead – first on opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline, then on opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and now this week on college affordability. Clinton’s plan doesn’t go quite as far as Bernie’s “free college for everyone” plan, but does promise affordable college for any student attending an in-state four-year program. Next up: Hillary moves to New England and stops ironing her clothes. Watch Clinton’s new ad touting her college affordability plan at Paste BN OnPolitics.
What to expect when you're expecting a debate
Will Hillary own the stage again? Will Martin O’Malley make voters aware of his existence? And what effect will the Paris attacks have on Clinton’s national security chops and Bernie Sanders’ non-interventionist slant? It’s Round Two for the Democrats tonight on CBS at 9 p.m. EST from Des Moines. Susan Page shares six things to watch.
Allons enfants de la Patrie
An inspirational video of Parisian soccer fans leaving last night’s match, singing La Marsellaise. We wanna be French today.
We’ll see you Monday morning in your inboxes,