Twitter commentary about the CNN Republican debate.

Here’s What Twitter’s Smartest Liberals and Conservatives Are Saying About CNN’s Debate

Here’s What Twitter’s Smartest Liberals and Conservatives Are Saying About CNN’s Debate

Who's winning, who's losing, and why.
Dec. 15 2015 5:14 PM

What Twitter Pundits Have to Say About the Republican Debate

Check out the instant spin room.

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Photo illustration by Lisa Larson-Walker. Photo by Darren Hauck/Reuters.

Tuesday night, CNN will air the fifth—yes, fifth—televised Republican presidential debate. There’s no theme, but plenty to talk about: the attacks in Paris, multiple mass shootings at home, a landmark climate deal, and more. Mike Huckabee has been demoted to the undercard debate. Chris Christie is back with the big kids. As usual, Donald Trump will be at the center podium, karate-chopping the air and pretending to throw imaginary footballs. To his left, looking utterly continent, will be Ted Cruz, who’s emerged as Trump’s biggest rival in Iowa. To his right will be Ben Carson, who recently joined Trump in threatening a third-party run if the GOP fails to meet his expectations. Rounding out the pack are John Kasich, Carly Fiorina, Marco Rubio, and Rand Paul. And Jeb Bush is still around.

With whispers of a brokered GOP convention in the air, pundits and politicos from both sides of the aisle will be watching closely for signs of discord in the party. Below are their live tweets, drawn from a list of top accounts curated by Slate. Those who lean left are on the left; those who lean right are on the right. Enjoy the instant spin!


Andrew Kahn is Slate’s assistant interactives editor. Follow him on Twitter.

Jeremy Stahl is a Slate senior editor. You can follow him on Twitter.