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You are here: Home / 2024 Campaign / Did the Republican Debates Matter?

Did the Republican Debates Matter?

December 7, 2023 at 6:37 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “Score them how you want. But this much seems indisputable: Nothing happened last night that changes the fundamentals of the race and the fact that Donald Trump is on a glide path to the GOP nomination.”

“With the scheduled primary debates now all behind us, it’s clear that Trump lost nothing from not participating. He’s remained the main character even in absentia, while avoiding the potential pitfalls that come with actually having to subject himself to cross-examination or giving oxygen to a would-be opponent.”

“As a thought experiment, consider how differently it might’ve gone had Trump shown up last night. Just 24 hours removed from a Fox News appearance in which he merrily said he would be a “dictator” on Day One if reelected, he would’ve almost certainly been taking it from all sides. At the very least, he would’ve had to defend himself.”

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Filed Under: 2024 Campaign

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About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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