A Few Questions for the Candidates in Tonight's Republican Debate

By Robert Reich, Robert Reich's Facebook Page

14 January 16

ere are a few of the questions I hope are asked at tonight’s Republican debate:

1. Ted Cruz: You’ve spoken in recent days about Donald Trump’s “New York values.” What exactly are “New York values?” Do they include Goldman Sachs – whose loan for your Senate campaign you failed to disclose, according to today's New York Times?


2. Jeb Bush: You have a new ad going after Donald Trump for being a “jerk.” What exactly does a “jerk” mean? Another of your new ads questions Marco Rubio’s masculinity. How do these ads fulfill your stated goal of running a “high-minded, substantive” campaign?


3. Marco Rubio: You won’t admit Syrian refugees because of your fear that some might be connected to Isis. Would you admit refugees from a country that becomes communist, out of fear that some of them might be communist spies? If not, would your parents have been admitted to America under the Cuban refugee program?


4. Donald Trump: Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina – where this debate is being hosted, and someone frequently mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate -- said Tuesday in her State of the Union response that “during anxious times, it can be tempting to follow the siren call of the angriest voices,” and she later said she was referencing you. Why has your campaign been the most hateful and deceitful of any presidential candidate in living memory? If you’re nominated, would you consider Haley for vice president?


5. Ben Carson: Why are you still in this race?

What would you like asked tonight?