The obvious take-away: three hours + 11 candidates + evening time slot = ugh. By hour 2.5 it was time to wrap up. Here are my observations from the marathon debate: 1. Jeb is simply not good at debates: The former GOP Governor needed a strong showing last night to dispel the notion that he's not up to the challenge of taking down Trump and emerging as the "establishment" alternative. He did not deliver. He had more "energy" than he did at the last debate, but he lacked the focused passion, crisp answers and understanding of purpose that others, like Carly Fiorina and Marco Rubio, displayed. He did get better as the night went on, but honestly, it's hard to know how many people were still watching the debate after a grueling 2.5 hours. 2. Carly Fiorina is for real: The biggest things holding Fiorina back from the top tier are a lack of money and lack of media attention. Given her strong performance last night, she should be able to improve on both those fronts. As one GOP operative
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