Let’s revisit another segment of this week’s Republican Presidential debate.
The moderators did a good job raising several issues on the minds of Americans.
One where we saw significant differences among the candidates came on the topic of whether the United States should continue to increase funding to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.
RON DESANTIS: “I will have Europe pull their weight. Right now they’re not doing that. And, I think we need to do and I think our support should be contingent on them doing it. And, I would have support in China to be able to take, to be able to take China and do what we need to do with China.”
VIVEK RAMASWAMY: “I would not. And, I think that this is disastrous that we are protecting against an invasion across somebody else’s border when we should use those same military resources to prevent across the invasion of our own southern border here in the United States of America.”
CHRIS CHRISTIE: “This is the Vladimir Putin who Donald Trump called brilliant and a genius. If we don’t stand up against this type of autocratic killing in the world, we will be next.”
MIKE PENCE: “Anybody that thinks that we can’t solve the problems here in the United States and be the leader of the free world has a pretty small view of the greatest nation on earth. We can do both Vivek! We’ve done both. We’ve been a leader of the free world in the arsenal of democracy for years. The Reagan Doctrine years ago made it clear. We said if you’re willing to fight the communists on your soil, we’ll give you the means to fight them there so our troops don’t have to fight them.”
NIKKI HALEY: “What’s really important is go back to when China and Russia held hands, shook hands before the Olympics and named themselves unlimited partners. A win for Russia is a win for China. We have to know that. Ukraine is the first line of defense for us and the problem that Vivek doesn’t understand is he wants to hand Ukraine to Russia. He wants to let China eat Taiwan. He wants to go and stop funding Israel. You don’t do that to friends.”
There’s clear division among this group trending higher in the polls outside of Donald Trump.
Nikki Haley and Mike Pence both clearly favor continued support for Ukraine, arguing the United States can focus its resources in several ways.
DeSantis and Ramaswamy put the security of the southern border over everything else.
Host Jim Niedelman returns with panelists former Iowa Republican Party Chair Steve Grubbs and Scott County Democratic Party Chair Kay Pence.
“I think Vice President Pence and Nikki Haley did very good on that question,” said Kay Pence. “They’re not cr4ossing our southern border with tanks and killing our people and taking our territory.”
Steve Grubbs referred to Ramaswamy. “On that particular question, he pretty seriously hurt himself,” Grubbs said. “Nikki Haley potentially won the entire night on this one exchange between the two of them.”
To hear what else our panelists have to say, click on the video.
That brings us to our question of the week. Who do you think won the debate among the Republican Presidential candidates, and why? Share your thoughts at 4therecord@whbf.com
Local 4 News, your local election headquarters, is proud to present 4 The Record, a weekly news and public affairs program focused on the issues important to you. It’s a program unlike any other here in the Quad Cities. Tune in each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. as Jim Niedelman brings you up to speed on what’s happening in the political arena, from Springfield, Des Moines, Washington, D.C. and right here at home
