'Softer' GOP Debate Tonight? So Says Trump, Maybe
WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Republican Party says he wants Thursday's Republican presidential debate to be "more of a G-rated" event than recent showdowns.
And who doesn't — given the bullying, sexual innuendo and unintelligible yelling that has made 11 previous Republican face-offs something less than family-friendly?
Even the man responsible for what was perhaps the low point — a not-so-classy assurance about his virility — suggests that it might be time to de-escalate.
Here's a look at what to watch for on the CNN-hosted debate, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Miami:
RUBIO'S REGRET
Taking the stage in the state he has represented in government for 16 years, Marco Rubio is facing the prospect of losing the Florida primary to Donald Trump and possibly Ted Cruz in Tuesday's winner-take-all contest. It's a painful predicament for the U.S. senator and lawyer who has nursed presidential ambitions for years, rounded up prominent endorsements from establishment Republicans and even stooped to Trump's schoolyard-taunting style. All that has produced only two primary wins — in Minnesota and Puerto Rico. Even some of Rubio's Senate colleagues who had endorsed him on Wednesday displayed a bit of a hangover after Rubio won zero contests the night before.
By Wednesday, Rubio himself said publicly on MSNBC that he's "not entirely proud" of slinging personal insults about Trump's tan, his hair and the size of his hands — which set off Trump's racy comment about his anatomy. Rubio said his own children were "embarrassed" by his actions.
In a town hall with MSNBC, Rubio says he knows the attacks are "not what we want from our next president."
TRUMP, SOFTER?
Trump has spoken in recent days of softness, party unity and potentially presidential behavior. But he's qualifying it, too, by adding that he can't just stand there and let Rubio, Kasich and Cruz insult him or tell him to, "breathe." So watch whether he lets them push his buttons, yells back — or shows the discipline to stay commanding but above the often juvenile tone that Trump himself has set.
Remember: Trump revealed last week that his wife, Melania, does not like when he uses bad language and had urged him to, "be presidential." But that was before he took the stage in Detroit and bragged about the size of his genitalia.
CRUZ
In the last debate, Cruz and Rubio ganged up on Trump and produced a shout-fest unlike any other. Still, Trump cruised to three primary victories Tuesday night and is leading in delegate-rich contests Tuesday in Ohio and Florida. Now, Cruz holds the slim potential of emerging from Tuesday's contests as the establishment's best hope to beat Trump as Rubio and Kasich struggle.
Watch for whether Cruz tries to knock out Rubio and end his candidacy on his home turf, or continues to go after Trump.
KASICH TALKS TO RUST BELT VOTERS
The Ohio governor is very clear about hanging his presidential hopes on Tuesday's races on his turf — in Ohio and Illinois, where trade and economic anxiety are high. Expect him to talk, too, about civilizing American politics.
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