The Republican debate's biggest loser

DeSantis and Ramaswamy stood out — for better and for worse. SPECIAL EDITION Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 This is the first edition of MSNBC's pop-up newsletter covering the 2024 election. [Click here]( to continue receiving this special offering of race updates and expert analysis.   [Bryan Tyler Cohen: A win, a loss, and a lie from the first Republican presidential debate]( [Bryan Tyler Cohen: A win, a loss, and a lie from the first Republican presidential debate]( A win: [Vivek Ramaswamy]( is the first true manifestation of the kind of MAGA Trumpism, besides Donald Trump himself, that has consumed the Republican Party. With quotes like “We live in a dark moment,” the entrepreneur evoked the “American carnage” rhetoric that Trump championed in 2016. [Ramaswamy elbowed his way into the debate spotlight]( by spewing climate denialism and firearm apologias and Trump groveling and anti-Ukraine isolationism — positions on hot button issues wherein the only through line is chaos. But at a moment when attention for the sake of attention is the goal, Ramaswamy found it — for better or for worse. A loss: [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’]( most potent attack of the night was in response to a high school student concerned about the impacts of climate change in the wake of unprecedented weather events. But his most consistent characteristic was impotence. He continually failed to seriously confront Trump, eventually prompting moderator Bret Baier to remind him, “Former President Trump is beating you by 30, 40 points in many polls.” It was a body blow felt around Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum. But honestly, it feels like capitulation is built [into DeSantis’ imploding campaign](. A lie: Ramaswamy “wins” this honor with a twofer, saying both “the climate change agenda is a hoax” and “these are politicized indictments.” Climate change (and the Democratic agenda that confronts it) is far from a hoax. Climate change is an existential threat to our national security, our economy and our planet. [Phoenix reached 110 degrees for 31 days]( in a row. [Maui’s severe drought]( helped set the stage for a devastating wildfire. A [tropical storm pummeled Southern California]( for the first time in almost a century. These facts may not be convenient for Republican primary candidates, but that doesn’t change objective reality. As for the notion that the indictments against Trump are “politicized,” remember: Joe Biden didn’t indict Donald Trump. He was [indicted in four separate jurisdictions]( by grand juries of his peers in response to the [(overwhelming) evidence presented to them](. The fact that Trump is a politician doesn’t mean his indictments are politicized. And this notion that any indictment of a politician is inherently politicized suggests, quite dangerously, that politicians shouldn’t be subject to laws. This, brought to you straight from the party of “law and order.” TOP DEBATE ANALYSIS [Alternate text] [A photo of Rachel Maddow]( [Rachel Maddow]( [Ron DeSantis is shockingly bad at playing politician]( [A photo of Alex Wagner ]( [Alex Wagner]( [Even in a Trump-less debate, the shroud of anger and grievance colors everything]( MORE FROM MEHDI HASAN [Alternate text] One line kept echoing in my head throughout [Wednesday night’s Republican presidential primary debate](. But it didn’t come from any of the eight candidates onstage. Nor did it come from the GOP front-runner, Donald Trump, who didn’t show up in Milwaukee and was busy [chatting online]( with a man who [hates him](. Nope, it was a line from a right-wing Republican billionaire and notorious presidential kingmaker. You may have heard of him: Logan Roy, the late media titan. According to the acclaimed documentary series “Succession,” Roy once [told]( his children, “I love you, but you are not serious people.” Well, I don’t love the Republican presidential candidates, yet I can’t help but agree with Roy. These. Are. Not. Serious. People. This is a preview of Mehdi Hasan's latest article. [Read the full column here.]( MORE ANALYSIS [Alternate text] [An illustration of the 8 candidates who debated ]( [MSNBC Live Blog]( [Highlights from the first Republican presidential debate on Fox News]( [A photo of Joy Reid]( [Joy Reid]( [By ignoring Maui, GOP candidates 'didn't even try to pretend to have any compassion']( [Matt Gertz]( [Trump's humiliation of Fox News is complete]( [A photo of Ari Melber]( [Ari Melber]( [The GOP candidates are not all running for president — they're here to be Trump's running mate](   This is the first edition of MSNBC's pop-up newsletter covering the 2024 election. [Click here]( to continue receiving this special offering of race updates and expert analysis. MORE ON MSNBC [Alternate text] Rachel Maddow and our primetime team lead special coverage of former President Trump’s anticipated surrender at the Fulton County jail following his indictment in the 2020 Georgia election probe. Watch special coverage of The Indictment of Donald Trump tonight at 7p.m. ET on MSNBC and streaming on Peacock.   You can now listen to the first two episodes of “Velshi Banned Book Club,” a new MSNBC podcast hosted by Ali Velshi. Each week, the author of a banned book will join Ali—including Margaret Atwood, Nikole Hannah-Jones and more. They’ll analyze the literature and discuss why their work is part of the book banning epidemic. [Listen now.]( [UNSUBSCRIBE](listvar=sub_midterms) | [PRIVACY]( | [CONTACT]( | [VIEW IN BROWSER]( [UNSUBSCRIBE](listvar=sub_maddow) | [PRIVACY]( | [CONTACT]( | [VIEW IN BROWSER](