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5 Things You'll Hear Again At The Next GOP Debate

by Seth Millstein

There will be yet another Republican debate on Tuesday, so get ready for ... well, a lot of the same. Sure, each forum has had its fair share of surprises, but let’s not kid ourselves: Most of what’s said at any given Republican debates is repetition of what was said at the last Republican debate. Expect to hear some new zingers aimed at Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama; do not expect to hear any new policy proposals, campaign platforms, or ideas about how to make America better. There are plenty of Republican debate quotes that we’ve heard before, and will most likely hear again this time around.

Part of this is because in America, presidential “debates” aren’t really debates. The politicians on stage prepare what they’ll say ahead of time, one-on-one interactions between the candidates are limited, and many of the questions have more to do with politics than policy (“Is this a comic book version of a presidential campaign?,” Donald Trump was asked during one debate).

It’s a shame, because true political debate is a time-honored tradition in America and could do a lot to inform voters about their options. But given that we live in the world that is, not the world that should be, don’t expect any of that on Tuesday. Instead, expect to hear stuff like this.

I Really Want To Debate Hillary Clinton

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“I am Hillary Clinton's worst nightmare. And in your heart of hearts, you cannot wait to see a debate between Hillary Clinton and Carly Fiorina. I will tell you this, I will beat Hillary Clinton.” — Carly Fiorina, CNBC debate

I know who the pessimist is. It's Hillary Clinton. And you put me on that stage against her next September, she won't get within 10 miles of the White House. “ —Chris Christie, CNBC debate

“I can't wait to stand on that debate stage with Hillary Clinton and to make abundantly clear if you vote for Hillary, you are voting for the Ayatollah Khomeini to possess a nuclear weapon.” — Marco Rubio, CNN debate

Hillary Clinton doesn't want one minute on that stage with me next September when I'm debating her.” —Chris Christie, FBN debate

Radical Islam Is Coming For You

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“Whether you're the wedding cake baker or the gay couple or the Baptist preacher, radical Islam would kill you all if they could.” Lindsey Graham, CNN undercard debate

“Radical Islam is on the rise.” —Ted Cruz, Fox News debate

“The Obama administration [is] the world’s leading financier of radical Islamic terrorism.” —Ted Cruz, CNN debate

“Every time we have toppled a secular dictator, we have gotten chaos, the rise of radical Islam, and we’re more at risk.” —Rand Paul, CNN debate

[W]hat do you do if chemical weapons end up in the hands of radical Islamic terrorists, like al-Nusra, like al-Qaeda, like ISIS?” —Marco Rubio, CNN debate

Ronald Reagan Is Awesome

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“Folks, if you want to fix America, this is the formula. It worked for Reagan, and it works for our team in Ohio.” —John Kasich, CNBC debate

Growth is the answer, and as Reagan demonstrated, if we cut taxes, we can bring back growth.” —Ted Cruz, CNBC debate

“I’ve evolved on many issues over the years. And you know who else has is Ronald Reagan, evolved on many issues.” —Donald Trump, Fox News debate

“I’m a Reagan conservative.” —Rand Paul, Fox News debate

“I think I actually flew on this plane with Ronald Reagan when I was a congressman, and his goals, and mine, really much — are pretty much the same.” —John Kasich, CNN debate

Obamacare Is Horrible

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“Obamacare has to be repealed, because it’s failing.” —Carly Fiorina, FBN debate

“When millions of Americans rose up against Obamacare, I was proud to lead that fight.” —Ted Cruz, CNBC debate

“Why haven’t we repealed and replaced Obamacare?” —Chris Christie, CNN debate

“We build our military, we take care of our vets, we get rid of Obamacare, and we have a great life altogether.” —Donald Trump, CNN debate

You want to know what I’ll do as president? It is real simple. We’ll kill the terrorists, we’ll repeal Obamacare, and we will defend the Constitution.” —Ted Cruz, CNN debate

The Media Sucks

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“The questions that have been asked so far in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media.” —Ted Cruz, CNBC debate

“The Democrats have the ultimate super PAC. It’s called the mainstream media.” —Marco Rubio, CNBC debate

“This is another example of the double standard that exists in this country between the mainstream media and the conservative movement.” —Marco Rubio, CNBC debate

The politics of [immigration] will be very, very different if a bunch of lawyers or bankers were crossing the Rio Grande. Or if a bunch of people with journalism degrees were coming over and driving down the wages in the press.” —Ted Cruz, FBN debate