Well, a significant amount time was wasted by panelists talking over one another.

Burgum was straightforward in pointing out that some things aren’t the business of the federal government. Christie talked about how to use federal assets within constitutional limits, but even he suggested the need for at least one federal law to address a non-federal problem.

The South Carolinians did not come off well. Tim Scott’s lack of executive experience showed in his answers. Nikki Haley stuck me as abrasive.

Mike Pence is past his sell-by date.

Ramaswamy seems to have a lot of good ideas that aren’t well integrated politically. As Bismarck noted, politics is the art of the possible. Some of the things Ramaswamy wants to do aren’t doable, at least in the short run.

I don’t think DeSantis hurt himself, but I also don’t think he helped himself either.

So who won? Burgum seemed to be the adult in the room. Christie talked a game that would be good if he can get the voters to trust him. DeSantis didn’t move the needle one way or the other.

Given that the debate was in California, maybe the winner was Gavin Newsom.

Some of the candidates for the 2024 Republican nomination for President are getting together at the Reagan Library for a panel discussion masquerading as a debate. I plan to watch it, but rather than soberblogging* as it goes, I’ll present a postmortem afterwards.

Stay tuned.

* Vodkapundit does plan to engage in drunkblogging. His running commentary is often more interesting than the event itself.

I fired up Rumble and watched the panel discuss masquerading as a debate.

Here’s my hot take.

Hutchinson came in dead last from my point of view, but he was only slightly behind Burgum. Neither of the candidates from South Caroline (Scott and Haley) nor Pence convinced me they understood that nature of the fundamental changes that must be imposed to reign in the bureaucracy. Christie surprised me by doing as well as he did, but there’s something about him I don’t trust. Ramaswamy seems to be trying to understand the core nature and causes of the nation’s problems, but while he’s identified problems to be solved, I’m not sure he’s headed toward practical, realizable solutions.

That leaves DeSantis. I like what DeSantis has actually achieved in Florida, but I I’m not sure he has the skills to sell his campaign to enough purple state voters to beat the margin of fraud in 2024.

I suppose I’d like to see someone with DeSantis’ record and Reagan’s campaign skills.

Is it 2025 yet?

UPDATE—I voted against Hillary Clinton in 2016 and against Joe Biden in 2020. I had to vote for Donald Trump in order to do so. Trump has never been my candidate of choice in any primary or general election.