So here is my summary of the now just completed GOP debate in Cleveland which aired this evening on Fox News.

John Kasich – Hometown favorite. I’m not sure if his defense of Medicaid expansion will go over well outside Ohio. He could have also done without kissing up to Trump. But good answer on the gay marriage question.

Rand Paul – He went after both Trump and Christie and paid the price for it. Although I agree with him that neither guns nor marriages should be registered in DC. 

Ted Cruz – Didn’t get called on much but put in a solid, competent performance. Praised Egyptian President al-Sisi for his courage and said we should move our embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Mike Huckabee – Got some laughs from the audience especially the zinger about Hillary which everyone thought would be about Trump. But otherwise he didn’t make much of a contribution to the debate.

Jeb Bush – Handled himself well on stage. Answered tough questions on illegal immigration, Common Core and abortion as well as his brief interaction with Donald Trump with ease. 

Donald Trump – He made two big mistakes – a) not commiting to support the Republican nominee if he doesn’t win and b) insulting Megyn Kelly. As to his various left-wing positions on abortion and health care he said that he’s evolved just like Ronald Reagan. Someone should have told him he’s no Ronald Reagan.

Scott Walker – Handled tough questions on abortion, illegal immigration, job creation in Wisconsin and foreign policy very well. His humorous quip about the Russians and Chinese knowing more about Hillary’s e-mail than Congress didn’t hurt either. He’s in this race for the long haul.

Ben Carson – At one point, he wasn’t asked a question for over an hour. But he definitely made the most of what time he was given.

Marco Rubio – He is the most eloquent speaker of the bunch and this quality will take him deep in the primary. This was especially true when he asked how Hillary was going to lecture him about living paycheck to paycheck.

Chris Christie – When he said that things were worse off in NJ before he got there he reminded me of Groucho Marx as Rufus T. Firefly in Duck Soup when he said, “If you think things are bad now wait ’til I get through with it.” But he got the better of Rand Paul and made some interesting proposals on raising the age for Social Security. 

The next GOP Debate takes place at the Reagan Library on September 16th and it airs on CNN. September 16th also happens to be my birthday.