Caught in the Torrent of Presidential Rhetoric

null Nov. 19, 2023 10:36 am ETCandidates arrive for the third Republican presidential primary debate in Miami, Nov. 9. Photo: Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Zuma PressWhatever good might have come from the most recent Republican presidential debate (“Haley Stands Out on Foreign Policy,” Review & Outlook, Nov. 10), it suffered the same frustrating character that most of these events do, though with the queasy distraction of NBC’s constantly moving stage background. The candidates tend to press too hard too often. They fire out as many poll-tested talking points as possible in their brief allotted time. It’s a fire hose of rhetoric. Their answers too frequently sound canned and hurried, loaded with as many words as they can cram in. Caught in the torrent, the listener has difficulty sorting out what’s truly important. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8Continue reading your article witha WSJ subscriptionSubscribe NowAlready a subscriber

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Opinion Nov 20, 2023 Add to Reading List

Caught in the Torrent of Presidential Rhetoric

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Nov. 19, 2023 10:36 am ET

Candidates arrive for the third Republican presidential primary debate in Miami, Nov. 9. Photo: Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Zuma Press

Whatever good might have come from the most recent Republican presidential debate (“Haley Stands Out on Foreign Policy,” Review & Outlook, Nov. 10), it suffered the same frustrating character that most of these events do, though with the queasy distraction of NBC’s constantly moving stage background. The candidates tend to press too hard too often. They fire out as many poll-tested talking points as possible in their brief allotted time. It’s a fire hose of rhetoric.

Their answers too frequently sound canned and hurried, loaded with as many words as they can cram in. Caught in the torrent, the listener has difficulty sorting out what’s truly important.