Chad’s Morning Brief: Another Republican Presidential Debate

Tonight is the third Republican Presidential Debate. The Chad Hasty Show airs 8:30-11am on 790AM KFYO.

Debate Night!

Tonight is the third Republican Party Presidential debate and I think it is a big one. Donald Trump is still leading nationally in most polls, but Ben Carson has taken the lead in Iowa and has taken the lead nationally in at least two different polls. Marco Rubio is on the rise and so is Ted Cruz. Meanwhile, Jeb Bush seems to be in a free fall. FOX News has their 5 things to look out for tonight.

Money Talks.

As this is CNBC’s show, the evening will lack both Megyn Kelly’s prosecutorial intensity and Jake Tapper’s determination to irritate Trump.

A topic mostly overlooked in the first two debates, but taking center stage in round three: tax reform. For the 10 candidates, this is a soup-to-nuts menu: Jeb Bush’s plan to lower the top personal rate from 39.6 percent to 28 percent Marco Rubio weighs in at 35 percent, while eliminating estate and capital-gains taxes); Ben Carson’s 10 percent flat tax Rand Paul has it at 14.5 percent; Ted Cruz wanting to abolish the Internal Revenue Service; Trump (no Jolly Old Saint Nick, he) as the “Santa Claus” of the bunch.

You might want to divert your children’s attention. Nine other Republicans will be taking swings at Santa all night long on taxes, free trade, eminent domain and any other economy-related topic that might paint Trump as conservative-in-name-only.

Low (J)ebb.

George Costanza learned to always leave a room on a high note. By contrast, this debate offers a candidate entering the Coors Event Center at a decidedly low (J)ebb.

In the last week alone, Jeb Bush slashed his campaign’s payroll, hunkered down with his family to assess the health of his candidacy and got off track at a Nevada event promoting Hispanic upward mobility by commenting on the relative hotnessof television’s “Supergirl.”

There’s a school of thought among some campaign observers that too much money has clouded Bush’s judgment: It gave him a false sense of security and it kept him from pressing grassroots activists with more urgency. A weak debate performance in Colorado, more trail gaffes and a further downward spiraling in the polls will have one benefit for Bush: There’ll be fewer donors to worry about offending.

Gentle Ben.

Carson emerged Tuesday as the new front-runner nationally in the CBS News/New York Times poll thus undercutting Trump’s message (which would be words to this effect: “I lead in the polls because I’m great; I’m great because I lead in the polls”).

Trump wasted no time trying to reclaim the spotlight. In one tweet alone, last week he managed to insult Carson, the good people of Iowa and genetically modified corn. And he made mischief with Carson’s Seventh-day Adventist faith.

Let’s assume Trump takes another swing at Carson – and Bush and Rubio and Cruz and any other bystander. Will CNBC’s moderators give Carson the “front-runner treatment” and put him through a wringer of tough questions? In the previous two debates, Carson benefited from a large field and Trump’s oversized persona. It allowed him to say precious little – which, ironically, plays into his nonconformist brand. On Wednesday night, that might change.

Be sure to join KFYO tonight at Premier Cinemas for the KFYO/Lubbock County Republican Party Presidential Debate Watch Party. It's a free event and doors open at 6:30pm. Rep. John Frullo will be buying a small popcorn for the first 100 people.

Come on out and say hello.