The North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center in North Charleston, South Carolina was rocking Thursday night with anti-Democrat fire.

Hosted by Fox Business Network, the sixth Republican primary main debate stage was trimmed to seven candidates including Donald Trump, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich. However, not all of them shined just over two weeks out from the Iowa Caucus.

Here are the three most memorable moments from the debate:

Rubio set the bar high for foreign policy

In his opening statement, Rubio advocated for using the United States’ powerful military and intelligence community to defeat radical Islamic State group terrorists. His plan of action received some of the loudest applause of the night, most likely due to the way it strengthened what many Republican voters have seen as the country’s weak foreign policy.

Said Rubio: “The most powerful military in the world is going to destroy [the Islamic State group]. And if we capture any of them alive, they are getting a one-way ticket to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and we are going to find out everything they know.”

The introduction of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley

Haley, who was in the audience, received a big round of applause for airing her response after Obama’s State of the Union Address Tuesday night. The crowd seemed to be in favor of her message of how to keep conservative morals intact, especially during these increasingly divisive times.

Haley, whose name has been thrown around as one of the potential vice presidential candidates,  stressed the importance of not always listening to the loudest and angriest voices.

Said Haley on Tuesday: “Often, the best thing we can do is turn down the volume. When the sound is quieter, you can actually hear what someone else is saying. And that can make a world of difference.”

Christie claimed he is not against Obama, but instead his policies

The audience liked Christie’s strong tone against the Democrat’s Second Amendment rhetoric, which was a nice touch for a Republican side that has been trying to gain footing on the gun control issue as of late.

Said Christie, in a funny little jab at Obama that went over well with the crowd: “The American people have rejected your agenda and now you’re trying to go around it. That’s not right. It’s not constitutional. And we are going to kick your rear-end out of the White House come this fall.”

Honorable mentions:

• Cruz and Trump fought over the legal eligibility of Cruz’s presidential run: the issue lies in the validity of Cruz’s U.S. citizenship. Their unusual altercation got mixed reviews from the crowd.
• Carson made a statement on hateful Internet comments and how they do not reflect Judeo-Christian values. It was a refreshing take on how more people should respect one another.
• Bush laid down the law on why Democrats should pay more attention to mental health issues instead of gun control. This was a point that was seldom brought up by other candidates, but was immensely needed.

Dishonorable mention:

Cruz backed up a negative comment he made on “The Kelly File” on Tuesday about New York values. During the debate, the Texas senator doubled down and said, “Not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan.” The comment appeared to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of audience members and only received a half-hearted reception from the crowd.

Trump then attacked Cruz for his insult and referred to what the people of New York were capable of in the 9/11 cleanup.

Said Trump: “When the World Trade Center came down, I saw something that no place on Earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York.”

Conclusion:

The first presidential debate of 2016 left voters with several takeaways. Rubio deserves to be polling in at least the top two spots for the GOP. While Cruz did throw some punches, Trump did enough to keep first place nationally. Christie is more of a realistic candidate than Carson and lastly, Kasich was pretty much a nonfactor.

With primary voting looming overhead, it will be interesting to watch as more shots are taken in such a revolutionary time for the Republican Party.

Kyle O’Connor is a sophomore sport management and political science dual major. His column appears weekly. He can be reached at kdoconno@syr.edu.

Published on January 15, 2016 at 1:45 am