Another Republican debate shows divided leaders in a dividing nation

Logo of Republican Party

Republican party 2016 US presidential candidates had another official debate on television last night.

Here is a report about it.

November 11, 2015

Republican presidential candidates expressed support for strengthening U.S. borders as they debated Tuesday night on immigration, the economy and the country’s place in the world, but had different opinions about what to do with the millions of illegal immigrants already living in the country.

Billionaire Donald Trump, who was virtually tied with neurosurgeon Ben Carson in a new poll released before the debate, said the U.S. has no choice but to deport them.

“We are a country of laws,” Trump said. “We need borders. We will have a wall. The wall will be built. The wall will be successful, and if you think walls don’t work, ask Israel.”

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said it is possible for the U.S. to embrace legal immigration while also enforcing the rule of law, and that “every sovereign nation secures its borders.”

But others in the field disagreed, led by Ohio Governor John Kasich, who said any plan to deport the 11 million illegal immigrants currently in the U.S. is “silly.” He advocated a system in which those who are law abiding can pay a penalty to stay.

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush said deporting illegal immigrants would “tear families apart,” advocated allowing people to earn legal status over time.

‘World’s police’

Trump expressed support for Russia’s military actions in Syria while questioning the aid being sent to moderate rebels. He said the U.S. cannot be the world’s policeman.

Bush, who along with Kasich and businesswoman Carly Fiorina called for a no-fly zone in Syria, said America needs to be a leader and that it is “tragic” Iraq and others are talking to Russia.

“We are not going to be the world’s police, but we sure as heck better be the world’s leader,” Bush said.

Fiorina called for rebuilding missile defense systems in Poland, carrying out military exercises in the Baltic, and adding thousands more troops in Germany to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. stands with its allies.

Kasich endorsed providing arms for people in Ukraine to “fight for themselves.”

On China, Kasich said he would respond to cyberattacks by destroying the mechanisms used to break into computer systems. He also praised President Barack Obama for sending a U.S. ship to sail in the waters near the Spratly islands in the South China Sea, an area he said China does not own.

David Canon, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin, said Kasich’s answer on foreign policy was the best among the candidates.

“As someone with extensive experience in Washington, Kasich I think distinguished himself as quite knowledgeable on foreign policy, something he had not really talked about that much in previous debates,” Canon said.

Spending plans

One of the most heated exchanges in the debate came as Kentucky Senator Rand Paul questioned Florida Senator Marco Rubio on the defense budget, saying it is not possible to be a conservative while being liberal on military spending.

“I know the world is a safer and better place when America is the strongest military power in the world,” Rubio shot back.

Canon said the debate featured more “ganging up” on Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton than in prior events, but that the discussion between Rubio and Paul pointed out the differences among the Republicans as the field begins to thin.

“That was the most pointed exchange of the night that gets to [the] point that someone has to stand out now as who the Republican is we’re supposed to back here, not just ‘we have to beat Hillary Clinton,’ ” he said.

Trump said the U.S. needs to make its military “bigger, better and stronger” than ever before. He also supported all of the Republican tax plans over what he called “the mess” in place now.

A new McClatchy/Marist poll, released just before the debates, showed Carson leading with 24 percent and Trump just behind at 23 percent. Rubio was a distant third with 12 percent, while Cruz and Bush were tied for fourth at 8 percent.

But Canon said the front-runners Trump and Carson were the flattest performers who hurt themselves the most Tuesday night.

“Trump said virtually nothing in his closing statement at all and Ben Carson talking about drug addicts dying and abortions, you don’t want a downer message like that for your closing statement,” he said. “You want to have something more uplifting and looking to the future, more like Rubio’s statement or Ted Cruz or Carly Fiorina.”

‘Undercard’ debate

Two other candidates — New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee — were demoted after the first three debates to the so-called “undercard debate” held earlier in the evening.

It also featured former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

All four took the opportunity early in their session to promote plans they claim will make the U.S. tax code fairer. Huckabee proposed getting rid of the Internal Revenue Service, which is responsible for tax collection and tax law enforcement.

Christie and Santorum shared their distaste for the Federal Reserve — the nation’s central bank. The two claimed that the Fed has kept interest rates artificially low to support President Obama.

Trump made similar claims recently.

At the time, White House spokesman Josh Earnest insisted the Fed acts independently, saying the administration “goes to great lengths” to ensure that the Fed can make decisions solely on the economy’s interests and to prevent those decisions from being influenced by politics.

Christie, trying to have a breakout night after being taken off the main stage following the first three debates, focused much of his attention during the evening on Democratic front-runner Clinton, whom he called “the real enemy. [She’s] coming for your wallet, everybody. Don’t worry about Huckabee or Jindal, worry about her.”

Christie’s jab at Clinton followed a back-and-forth argument between Jindal and Huckabee over their records as governors.

Looking straight into the camera, Christie said, “If you think Mike Huckabee won’t be the kind of president who will cut back spending, or Chris Christie, or John Kasich, wait till you see what Hillary Clinton will do to this country. She will drown us in debt. She is the real adversary tonight.” http://www.voanews.com/content/republican-candidates-spar-on-immigration-us-international-role/3052888.html

There is no question in my mind that if Hillary Clinton is elected that debt will rise as many of her proposals are expected to increase debt (though some of her onerous wealth confiscation proposals could temporarily affect that). But I should add that if past history is any indication, debt is almost certain to rise if a Republican becomes the next President of the United States–despite what many of the Republican candidates have indicated. Spoken intentions and promises during campaigns often are not fulfilled, by candidates of both parties.

That being said, I will not endorse any candidate for the presidency of the USA. It is not that some policies of candidates are not necessarily better than others, but none are the solution to the real problems in the USA.

I should perhaps add that I did watch parts of the debate last night, and will state that most of the candidates had ‘moments’ (that were likely rehearsed) where they attempted to come across as bold and ‘presidential.’

There are many divisions in the USA. The secularists and those who claim more belief in the Bible are very divided. That is even the case within the Republican party (the few remaining Democratic candidates, in my view, are secularists). Jesus said:

25 “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. (Matthew 12:25)

Since the focus of the debate was financial, not too many issues of morality were raised last night (even though I do believe that massive debt is the result of certain sins). But last night, Ben Carson, who has been accused of misstating aspects of his personal history, called Hillary Clinton a liar:

It hasn’t been the easiest of weeks for retired neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. A political novice who’s vaulted into a virtual tie for the Republican presidential primary polling lead, he’s been dogged recently by some pretty worrying accusations — inconsistencies and apparent falsehoods in his otherwise rich personal biography. …

Here’s how Carson played off moderator Neil Cavuto’s question about the controversy, accusing Clinton of lying to the American public about the cause of the Benghazi attacks.

First of all, thanks for not asking me what I said in the tenth grade. … I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about, and then putting that out there as truth. I don’t even mind that so much if they do it with everybody, like people on the other side. But when I look at somebody like Hillary Clinton, who sits there and tells her daughter and a government official that this was a terrorist attack, and then tells everybody else that it was a video, where I come from I call that a lie. I think that’s very different from somebody misinterpreting when I said that I was offered a scholarship from West Point. … people who know me know I’m an honest person. http://www.bustle.com/articles/122984-ben-carson-calls-hillary-clinton-a-liar-over-benghazi-in-spite-of-his-own-rough-week

And yes, as my book about her points out (Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States), Hillary Clinton has integrity problems–but that has not stopped her from being the front-runner for the Democratic nominee for US President.

There is no question in my mind, that morally, the USA is going in the wrong direction. A direction that is leading to its destruction according to Bible prophecy (e,g, Habakkuk 2:6-8; Romans 1:22-32).

All that being said and reported, the biblical reality is that the USA needs national repentance, otherwise it is doomed. The USA needs the return of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God, which is not anything that any Republican nor Democratic candidate has clearly promoted as the solution.

It is not that some of the policies some candidates advocate cannot help, but without national repentance they will not be enough to stop the destruction that will come to the USA according to biblical prophecies (such as those found in Habakkuk 2:6-8, 2 Peter 2:6, and Daniel 11:39).

Several items of possibly related interest may include:

Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Can you see the ‘Handwriting on the Wall’? Thousands of years ago, King Belshazzar saw a hand appear at a big party he was hosting. The hand wrote Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin. Shortly after the Prophet Daniel explained it, his empire was taken over and King Belshazzar died. Is this applicable today? Are there signs right before our eyes that show that the end is coming to the United States and its Anglo-descended allies. Do abortions, sexual immorality, celebrity pornography, and increased debt mean anything? What does the Bible show?
Hillary Clinton in Prophecy Prophecy, Hillary Clinton? Are there prophecies that Hillary Clinton may fulfill? Are there any prophecies that she has already helped fulfill? Could Hillary Clinton be apocalyptic? Could Hillary Clinton be the final Antichrist? A video of related interest is titled Hillary Clinton and Bible Prophecy.
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president/prime minister? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand.
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
The Gospel of the Kingdom of God was the Emphasis of Jesus and the Early Church Did you know that? Do you even know what the gospel of the kingdom is all about? You can also see a YouTube video sermon The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Just What Do You Mean the Kingdom of God? A booklet that was written by Herbert Armstrong answers questions about the Kingdom.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Edition for Second Obama Term This is a 160 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Barack Obama and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled (which the book documents in detail) and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also has a chapter about a Republican choice. This book is available to order at www.barackobamaprophecy.com. The physical book can also be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Barack Obama Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Kenyan, and other America-Related Prophecies? What About Republican Leaders? Second Edition for Second Obama Term.
Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version is available for only US$2.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Barack Obama, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Second Term-Amazon Kindle edition.
nited States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also discusses Republicans. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Hillary Clinton Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Hopi, and other America-Related Prophecies? $11.99.
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States This is a 188 page book for people truly interested in prophecies related to Hillary Clinton and the United States, including learning about many that have already been fulfilled and those that will be fulfilled in the future. It also discusses Republicans. The physical book can be purchased at Amazon from the following link: Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States: Is Hillary Clinton Fulfilling Biblical, Islamic Catholic, Hopi, and other America-Related Prophecies? $11.99.
Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition. This electronic version of the 188 page print edition is available for only US$3.99. And you do not need an actual Kindle device to read it. Why? Amazon will allow you to download it to almost any device: Please click HERE to download one of Amazon s Free Reader Apps. After you go to for your free Kindle reader and then go to Hillary Clinton, Prophecy, and the Destruction of the United States-Amazon Kindle edition.