Cindy Grosz: Biggest Winners and Losers of First GOP Debate

Congratulations to everyone like me who found one of the last hazy nights of summer to find an outdoor activity or a good escape in a book. We missed absolutely nothing by missing the first Fox GOP debate.

I’m a political junkie, a former congressional candidate and strategist for political candidates and agendas. If I didn’t care, imagine how a college student or a senior citizen who doesn't follow politics felt?

Every single person on this planet lost tonight. Because apathy and disgust in a presidential campaign means people won’t get out and vote in primaries and generate excitement to get out in a general election in any future November.

That means the world is watching Americans allow failing policies to win and America’s enemies looking to squeeze into the tiny space called “world superpower.”

So, the biggest losers are Americans.

Second, the biggest losers are Ronna McDaniel and the Republican National Committee. One common theme is clear in the 2023 local elections and the 2024 presidential and congressional races: the powers that be within the organization are out of touch with their voters.

Common sense voters are not interested in the establishment choices of how to run debates, elections, fundraising campaigns and pushing candidates that no longer represent the grassroots.

Your choice to disqualify Larry Elder and the way in which they did it was disgraceful. Elder had as much as a chance to be president as many of the other candidates you allowed on the stage.

Every single day, you should be pushing a winning agenda spotlighting issues and the democratic failures from education to crime to the economy to parental rights. Instead, you ignore the Trump base, you instigate Republican vs Republican and you ignore the volunteers and donors who disagree with your personal favorite politicians.

To the RNC committee members: your egotistical needs rather than your altruistic agenda is killing the party during a time where you shouldn’t have to even work so hard! Instead of growing your party, you’re encouraging that third party discussion. Even if Democrats don’t agree, their party’s support is still more intact publicly and it gains among the independents we do desperately need.

Winners

My whole life is about winning. I don’t lose often. I almost never lose. – Donald Trump

Enough said!

Let’s talk about the real second and third place winners.

Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk are a marriage made in heaven! The last time I checked there were over 255 million views.

Not only did they gain the audience, they figured out that intelligent and entertaining content wins! While the sound bites and commentary from the debate proved strategists practiced repeatedly with the candidates words that sound like robots, Trump and Tucker seemed comfortable and engaged.

Trump, older than his competitors, had more energy than most on that stage.

Their brilliance on timing of the interview proved network and cable television have a new competition, much like streaming movies changed the entertainment industry.

Educated voters will never rely solely on their television channels again.

The other big winner was Newsmax television. My two favorite hosts, Rob Schmitt and Greg Kelly led a night of commentary and insights successfully. It didn’t hurt to have Rudy Giuliani, fresh off of having his mugshot taken in connection with Trump's Georgia indictment, live on TV just hours after his return from Georgia.

Democrats and independents are concerned about lawyers getting arrested for representing their clients. Imagine your lawyer getting arrested for defending you in a divorce or a parking ticket. If it happens to anyone associated with Donald Trump, it can happen to anyone, especially someone without the financial means and media contacts to get help.

The other biggest winners of the night were the people who are legal American citizens who honestly believe in America First, way before and way after Donald Trump.

Even progressive followers of AOC, struggling in her district in Queens, New York, can not relate to her words and celebrity.

Shame on the RNC for not debating that fact.