While there were plenty of heated exchanges, banter, and dramatic facades during Wednesday night’s debate, there was also a repeated message that Washington’s ways of operating are dysfunctional.
Seven Republican presidential candidates gathered for the second primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. As the evening commenced, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed D.C. elites for getting rich instead of protecting the American people, caving to foreign influences instead of holding firm to American principles.
“The people in Washington are shutting down the American dream with their reckless behavior,” DeSantis, who’s a Convention of States endorser, asserted. “They borrowed, they printed, they spent, and now you're paying more for everything. They are the reason for that. They have shut down our national sovereignty by allowing our border to be wide open.”
Holding a similar attitude as the second Convention of States endorser on stage, Vivek Ramaswamy argued our own government fails to follow its own laws as it pertains to illegal immigration. He argued we must restore the rule of law in America, something Chris Christie also reiterated.
“We've got to bring law and order back to this country, and not just in our cities, but we need law and order back everywhere. We need law and order back in our suburbs, people are threatened there. We need it in our rural areas, people feel threatened there, and we need it in Washington, D.C. also,” Christie said.
As the two-hour debate carried on, Nikki Haley and Tim Scott took aim at Washington’s fiscal dysfunction. Haley mentioned the looming government shutdown and said we must change the budget process, explaining that Congress has only delivered a budget on time four times in 40 years. Scott offered a different answer to the nation’s fiscal problems, which entails unleashing all of America’s rich resources like coal, gas, and oil to grow the economy.
He’s right about this, but I’ve been hearing Republicans promise to do this in primary debates for almost 40 years. Blah blah blah. The only way to fix this is through a constitutional amendment via a convention of states. @COSProject https://t.co/uHHQUtgXZn
— Tom Clark, OP (@thomasclark333) September 28, 2023
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Vice President Mike Pence discussed the role of the federal government and the states when it comes to education. The states and the people carry the power to protect children from today’s political agendas.
“We’ve got to empower parents at the state level with the ability to choose where their kids go to school,” Pence said. “You empower parents and our schools will straighten up and reflect our values and focus on the basics faster than you could possibly imagine.”
Despite the candidates' open criticisms against the federal bureaucracy, all seven contenders struggle to climb alongside Donald Trump’s unmatched support. Trump held a rally in Detroit, MI during the debate, opting out of the primetime spotlight.
An informal COS poll conducted on social media found 23% of respondents were planning to watch the debate Wednesday night while 77% said they were not. There is deep uninterest in the GOP charade, but more particularly, in the entire Washington political performance.
We’re drained of the continuous show. The people and a growing number of politicians understand the only way to bring serious resolutions to the chaos within Washington is to call an Article V convention. Candidates run with their messaging, but we need profound results now more than ever.
SEE ALSO: Gallup poll describes exactly how Americans feel about Washington (ENRAGED)
When we impose power restrictions, term limits, and fiscal restraints on the federal bureaucracy through Convention of States, then we can live freely with the proper safeguards against a tyrannical system. Sign the petition below to join millions of Americans behind the COS movement.
