Analysis: Third Republican debate disappointed

The Republican debates in Denver on Wednesday were discouraging because they were a shouting match and zingers.

The so-called 'undercard” debate in the late afternoon definitively sealed the fate of the four 'tail enders” Bobby Jindal, George Pataki, Lindsey Graham and Rick Santorum. Most smart people I know in the GOP think those four candidates need to drop out this weekend.

Debates are not a venue for remedial work. Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who is also a candidate for the Republican nomination, did not qualify for either debate. No one getting poor poll numbers merits debate time. Sometime, somewhere the GOP needs to winnow the field. In the after-debate discussions and analysis these candidates were nowhere to be seen or heard. They are ghosts.

In the main debate, Florida Senator Marco Rubio was aggressive, humorous, young and energetic. He scored the message of his 'brand” that he's a new generation contender. He also again made the most of his family's humble beginnings and when attacked over mismanaging his personal finances he deftly maneuvered around that by implying that most Americans face such issues. Bashing the mainstream media and calling them a 'super PAC for Democrats” works for the base of the GOP. I agree with other analysts that he won the debate.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush's most 'sparky” moment was the heated crossfire between him and Rubio. He went on the attack over Rubio's missing so many Senate votes, echoing what's been in the news. It seemed like a direct and mortal hit until Rubio slammed back, saying, 'You never attacked John McCain for missing votes,” He turned it all around. Bush visibly retreated and it showed him to be unprepared for this contact sport.

Bush was the biggest loser Wednesday. He was nowhere to be seen during the after-debate spin. He will need to consider dropping out because he does not seem to have what it takes. His campaign staff reductions are a kiss of death.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz gained ground by trashing the media. His line, 'This is not a cage match” connected with viewers. He ridiculed CNBC the organizers of the debate - a surefire way to get applause in the GOP, as it did on debate night. His debating skills shone through.

One of the biggest losers was CNBC. The moderators seemed incompetent and not in control of the evening. They seemed unprepared and totally out of their league, as several analysts have noted. Many of their questions - such as the question about fantasy football - were just plain stupid. The evening actually raised serious questions about how debates are organized and who should run these important events.

I thought that Chris Christie emerged from this debate as his old self. He was once the loudest and most in your face candidate who told it like it is. Trump took that away months ago but in this debate Christie was strong and his attack on the media and the moderators was brilliant.

Carly Fiorina did OK, but as I analyzed all the post-campaign spin her name rarely came up even though she 'stole” the most airtime. Not much new came out of her in this debate. Her claims of job losses under Obama were incorrect, which the media noted. Her after-debate 'gardening” - watering the seeds she planted in the debate, if you will - was weak.

Mike Huckabee was at the end of the line in so many ways. He seemed old generation and a bit strange. All my GOP contacts agree that he needs to withdraw. His base has found a new champion in Ben Carson.

Rand Paul has faded into the background and did not recover in this debate. I don't recall his name even coming up the next day and I almost forgot to mention him here!

Donald Trump and Ben Carson used risk management to their advantage. They are front-runners by wide margins and don't need to do much except avoid 'oops” moments, which they both did. Trump and Carson have a chunk of the GOP caucus and primary participants and debates won't add or subtract from that, which makes them formidable problems for the other contestants.

Ohio Governor John Kasich started very strong with comments about all the undoable and extreme things his opponents have been talking about, but I think he faded quickly and did not get traction at the end.

The takeaway? A chaotic evening with some interesting exchanges but too many contenders and little time to go deep.

' Steffen Schmidt is University Professor of Political Science at Iowa State University and CEO of SEAS LLC Consulting. Comments: Steffenschmidt2005@gmail.com