Readers React: So many Republican candidates on one stage -- the Gipper would be pleased

To the editor: The thing Republican primary voters have to ask themselves about Wednesday’s presidential debates is this: Did they learn anything new? If so, are they still happy with their favorite candidate, or if not, will they switch to another one? (“Rivals target Trump in bid to gain traction in second Republican presidential debate,” Sept. 16)

Every time there is a debate from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, candidates invoke the Gipper. I lost track of how many times the former president was mentioned, which was more than I could count.

Since Ronald Reagan’s victories, GOP candidates have lost the popular vote in five of seven presidential elections. That said, I wonder if primary candidate Reagan of 1980 could win the Republican nomination today.

Presidential politics is not for the faint of heart. The race for the White House is often a grueling slog. Some days are better than others, just as some debate performances are better than others.

Pundits will spend the next several days analyzing who won Wednesday’s presidential debates and who lost. As far as I’m concerned, the primary voters won. That’s because they got to watch the GOP candidates in real time. I think the Gipper would have liked that a lot.

Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach

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To the editor: Carly Fiorina thinks she’s a great businesswoman. Here’s what I know about that:

Early in her tenure as chief executive of Hewlett-Packard Co., she proposed a merger with Compaq Computer Corp. As an HP shareholder who happened to own a Compaq laptop, I wrote her to say I thought the merger was a terrible idea, based on the fact that my laptop was terrible.

Fiorina never answered my letter — the first sign of a bad CEO — and she went ahead with the merger. Later I learned that she pocketed more than $20 million in severance; conversely, HP shareholders lost nearly 50% of their investments and 30,000 employees lost their jobs.

If this is the hallmark of a great businesswoman, then pink elephants really do live among us.

Rhys Thomas, Valley Glen

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To the editor: As I watched the debate Wednesday night, I was proud to be a Republican. I would want to have any one of those on the dais as president, although I feel that governors have the best experience and skills for the job.

Two things became apparent watching the debate: Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton is in for a major defeat, and there will probably be a Republican in the White House soon.

David R. Gillespie, Bonita, Calif.

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To the editor: Of all the doozies in Wednesday’s debate, what really struck me was how Jeb Bush seemed to have gotten away with the biggest lie of the night: that his brother, George W. Bush, “kept us safe.”

Has everyone forgotten that the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, happened under his watch? Is no one going to point this out?

Mike Greene, Tustin

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