9:26 PM: Good Lord. No Dana, Social Security won’t “run out of money” in twenty years. Simply wrong. Terribly misleading. Totally irresponsible.
9:29 PM: There’s quite a lot of truth in what Trump is saying about federal contracting and bidding. But sort of terrifying to think of Trump bidding out military or social spending contracts.
9:30 PM: There’s our first tell: Trump just ignored Rubio’s attack.
9:30 PM: Cruz endorses Bush Social Security phase out plan. Awesome.
9:31 PM: Dana Bash basically trying to goad Trump into fights with Cruz and Rubio.
9:33 PM: This is becoming a taunt match. Like baiting a dog. Who can get Trump to pounce.
9:34 PM: “We’re all in this together.” … Trump is basically rubbing the civility into the faces of Rubio and Cruz at this point.
9:36 PM: My very early read here is that Trump and Cruz are doing well for themselves. Kasich and Rubio are dying. Trump is ahead. So he just needs to cruise and if possible start to soften his image. Cruz’s angle is not so much to attack Trump as to keep talking to the audience as a staunch conservative. There’s a big anti-Trump audience out there. He wants to get them. Kasich is doing fine but he doesn’t stand out as much against the backdrop of a calmer, more civil debate. Rubio can’t really be the calm guy or the attack dog. He’s done.
