GOP voters size up presidential candidates: #tellusatoday

We asked our followers what they thought about Tuesday’s Republican debate in Las Vegas. Comments from Twitter and Facebook are edited for clarity and grammar:

Rand Paul won the debate with his opening remarks alone, and I’d give the debate overall a D-.

— @No1TopHatFanboy

For the first time, I noticed Marco Rubio.

— @Gatorval

Paul made sense at one point, which surprised me. But I was especially stunned at how often Rubio was attacked.

— @jacob_marrocco

What about domestic issues? Student debt, shrinking middle class and backward policies.

— @TarynWrites89

Carly Fiorina would still ensure someone’s win by being the VP running mate! Preferably Chris Christie’s.

— @UVharvey

I think the moderators are worthless as they lost control early when questions were not answered.

— @tuffshedsucks

Rubio and Ted Cruz won. Jeb Bush had an OK night, and Trump was non-existent. Overall grade:C+.

— @mandaleese

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

Letters to the editor:

GOP candidates can say whatever they want now. But when one wins the nomination, and then maybe the presidency, he or she will get daily and intense briefings on what is actually going on in the world. It is much more complicated than it looks from the outside. They will find that the easy solutions they are advocating will not work. What then?

We have to elect someone who is a clear and reasonable thinker. For me, that leaves Marco Rubio, John Kasich and Rand Paul.

— Bob Rejefski Jr.

Sen. Ted Cruz was elected to do certain things, things that other Republicans ran on and then forgot once in office. Put Donald Trump at the head of a ticket with Cruz in the VP spot, groomed to be president after Trump, and we might just drain the swamp in Washington, D.C.

— Barry Levy

Letters to the editor:

It seems Ted Cruz has the same sentiment about government that Ronald Reagan had. Reagan famously stated, “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem” (“Ted Cruz’s divisive politics: Our view”).

As I was mulling over the apparent contradiction of working for an entity that you think is inherently problematic, I came across an interesting quote by the political scientist Alan Wolfe: “Conservatives cannot govern well for the same reason that vegetarians cannot prepare a world-class boeuf bourguignon: If you believe that what you are called upon to do is wrong, you are not likely to do it very well.”

Mark D. Haase; River Ridge, La.

As a moderate independent, I hope the Republicans do not choose Ted Cruz or Donald Trump as their nominee. However, if they do, I don’t think the Democratic Party will want Hillary Clinton accusing Cruz of having the same characteristics as the unpopular, current president. Lack of leadership experience, political divisiveness, pursuit of extremist agendas, and focusing on political rhetoric rather than meaningful actions didn’t keep President Obama from winning two terms.

Robert W. Gallant; Midland, Mich.

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.