Friday, September 18, 2015

Quotable: The “battle of ideas” in the September 16 Republican Debate


publicdiplomacycouncil.org

Thursday, September 17th 2015

One contender for the Republican Party’s presidential nomination mentioned the “battle of ideas” during the debate on September 16, 2015.  Moderator Jake Tapper asked Governor Scott Walker and Senator Rand Paul about sending U.S. troops to the Middle East.  Governor John Kasich then joined the discussion.  From the transcript:

KASICH: Can I just -- can I -- Jake, can I just make one point on this whole military discussion?

TAPPER: Sure....

KASICH: I called for boots on the ground many months ago in a coalition with our friends who share our interest. You know, you win a battle with the military, and when we go somewhere, we need to be mobile, and lethal. We need to take care of business, and we need to come home.

But, we face, also, a bigger war -- and you win the bigger war with the battle of ideas. You wonder why young people, and educated people, rich people, schooled people, have tried to join ISIS.

Western civilization, all of us, need to wake up to the fact that those murderers and rapists need to be called out, and in Western civilization we need to make it clear that our faith in the Jewish and Christian principles force us to live a life bigger than ourselves...

TAPPER: ...Thank you, Governor...

KASICH: ...to make (ph) centers (ph) of justice so that we can battle the radicals, call them out for what they are, and make sure that all of our people feel fulfilled in living in Western civilization...

TAPPER: ...Thank you, Governor. Dana Bash...

KASICH: ...This is a giant battle in the world today...


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