Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate was given a brutal review by Vox writer Andrew Prokop, who summed up the whole ordeal by declaring that there were "0 winners and 5 losers."
In his takedown of the debate, Prokop argued that the most interesting thing about the debate was that each candidate failed in unique ways that helped viewers get a firm grasp of their shortcomings.
Vivek Ramaswamy, notes Prokop, came across as particularly unlikeable to viewers, particular when he attacked rival Nikki Haley's daughter for using the social media app TikTok, which prompted Haley to label him as "scum."
Speaking of Haley, Prokop said that she failed to do enough to make the case that she should be the lone non-Trump alternative in the race, which means that it's more likely that there will still be a divided field next year that will benefit the former president.
"None of this should make Trump lose any sleep at night. Marginal increases of support aren’t enough — Haley needs to try to knock her other rivals out of the race, to get that one-on-one shot against Trump," he wrote. "But those rivals don’t seem to be in a hurry to wind down their campaigns, and Haley didn’t perform well enough Wednesday to force them to do so anytime soon."
As for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Prokop argued that he is still pulling his punches against Trump despite the fact that Trump is thrashing him in most polls by 30 or so points.
"The clock is ticking — the Iowa caucuses are just over two months away," Prokop concluded. "If there’s any hope for disproving the now nearly-universal belief that 2024 GOP primaries will just be a coronation for Trump, it has to happen soon."
