What Went Down In The Second GOP Debate

If you feel like you haven’t seen Huckabee or Walker in a while, that’s because they’re the two candidates to get only one question directed at them so far.

Based on tonight’s debate, we’re likely to hear a lot about whether the ability to speak English should be required to become an American citizen. According to a June 2015 Public Religion Research Institute survey, the vast majority (89 percent) of Americans believe that speaking English is an important part of being an American. That’s a far greater percentage than said the same about believing in God (69 percent), being born in America (58 percent) or being Christian (53 percent).

I wrote earlier about the challenge of sustaining momentum when you’re only getting to speak once every 20 minutes or so. Some of the candidates seem to be overcompensating by resorting to stunts or gimmicks, like a motivational speaker who’s trying to keep the interest of a bored audience. Christie’s had a little bit of that, for instance — it seemed overly theatrical when, in his opening statement, he asked the camera to turn to the audience. Huckabee and Cruz can both be a little gimmicky. One thing that helps Fiorina, by contrast, is that she’s using her time wisely, being forceful and direct without resorting to stunts.