Josh Barro: A Republican Presidential Debate Detached From Reality
Sep 29, 2023
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The podcast discusses the second GOP primary debate, the candidates' positions on key issues, and their response to Donald Trump's absence. It explores topics such as Ron DeSantis' proposal to send troops to Mexico, the feud over TikTok, military aid to Ukraine, and the 2024 election. Other interesting discussions include education reform, concerns over TikTok, government waste, fact-checking, and the communication styles of Joe Biden and Gavin Newsom.
The GOP primary debate revealed divisions among the candidates on foreign policy but a consensus on closing the southern border.
The debate felt detached from reality, lacking a focus on making a case for nominating one of the candidates over Trump.
Bringing a venture capitalist mindset into government can drive innovation and progress by strategically investing in projects.
Deep dives
Need for GOP Candidates to Address Trump's Absence
The GOP primary debate revealed divides among the candidates on issues like foreign policy, agreement on closing the southern border, and increased willingness to take shots at Donald Trump.
Debate's Detachment from Reality
The debate felt detached from reality with no mention of running against Trump and instead treated as though running against each other. It lacked a meaningful focus on making the case for why nominate one of them instead of Trump.
Importance of Reaching Young Voters
Vivek Ramaswami emphasized the importance of reaching young voters, even if it meant joining TikTok after a dinner with Jake Paul, as winning elections requires connecting with the next generation.
Governor Doug Burgum's Approach to Shrinking Government
Doug Burgum shared his experience as the governor of North Dakota, where the state budget was reduced by 27% without disrupting operations. He emphasized eliminating mind-numbing work, freeing up resources, boosting job creation, and generating taxes.
The Need for Venture Capital Mindset in Government
One key point discussed in the podcast is the importance of bringing a venture capitalist mindset into government. The speaker suggests that politicians like Doug Burghum, who have executive experience in the software venture capital space, can bring valuable skills to government by investing in various projects and leveraging spending to drive innovation. The idea is not to expect all projects to succeed, but rather to prioritize a mindset that focuses on strategic investments and potential moonshot projects to spur development and progress.
The Concerns about Rising National Debt
Another significant topic addressed in the podcast is the growing national debt and the potential consequences it may have. The speaker conveys the rising concern about the national debt and the lack of substantial solutions being offered by politicians. The podcast highlights the need for serious deficit reduction efforts and suggests that a significant economic crisis or period of pain will likely be required before there is a significant push for reducing the deficit. Additionally, the difficulties in achieving bipartisan agreement on revenue-raising measures or significant spending cuts are emphasized, making it challenging to develop a comprehensive budget plan to address the deficit.
This is an audio version of The Reason Livestream, which takes place every Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern on Reason's YouTube channel.
The second GOP primary debate of the season took place this Wednesday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, absent frontrunner Donald Trump. The debate revealed real divides among the candidates on issues like foreign policy, broad agreement on topics like closing the southern border, and some candidates' increased willingness to take direct shots at Trump.
To help sift through the debate, Reason's Liz Wolfe and Zach Weissmuller are joined by Josh Barro, a journalist and political commentator who publishes the newsletter Very Serious and co-hosts the Serious Trouble podcast with attorney Ken White. Barro is a former Republican voter who turned Democrat after Trump's nomination in 2016.
We discuss Ron DeSantis' proposal to send U.S. troops to Mexico to fight the drug cartels, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy's feud over TikTok, the candidates' scuffle over whether to continue sending military aid to Ukraine, and more. We wrap up with a broader conversation about the 2024 election and what the best-case scenario might look like for libertarians and political independents.
