Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz shine in GOP debate by attacking Democrats, liberal media
The third Republican presidential debate wrapped up after two hours on CNBC as GOP candidates took aim at the “mainstream media” and the Democratic Party. Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz led the way, shooting at the press, after dodging attacks from Jeb Bush and Donald Trump.
“The only reason why you’re doing it now is because we’re running for the same position, and someone has convinced you that attacking me is going to help you,” Rubio said to Bush, who questioned Rubio’s voting attendance record. “I’m not running against Governor Bush, I’m not running against anyone on this stage. I’m running for president.”
2015 Defending the American Dream Summitt Ohio photo Gage Skidmore
“The Democrats have the ultimate super PACs: they’re called the mainstream media,” Rubio said after Trump railed against the influence of those outside groups on the political process, linking the influence to Trump’s slide in the polls.
“The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” the Texas senator said as the audience roared with approval.
“This is not a cage match,” Cruz said. “And you look at the questions: ‘Donald Trump are you a comic book villain? Ben Carson can you do math? John Kasich will you insult two people over here? Marco Rubio why don’t you resign? Jeb Bush why have your numbers fallen?’ How about talking about the substantive issues people care about?”
Even when the moderator interjected, Cruz remained poised.
“The contrast with the Democratic debate where every fawning questions from the media was which of you was more handsome and wise,” he said. “Let me be clear, the men and women on this stage have more ideas, more experience, more common sense than every participant in the Democratic debate.”
In fact, CNBC’s attacks on “skeletons” from candidates’ closets landed them on CNN Losers list: “The moderators repeatedly looked to corner the candidates on unseemly skeletons from their past, but the candidates would have none of it — rallying together to slam the moderators’ questions and the mainstream media overall.”
