Trump stands out in a NH forum he chose not to attend

The real challenge for 14 Republican candidates for president in this evening’s Voters First Presidential Forum in Manchester was how to break from the crowd.

No one at the forum succeeded.

In fact, by virtue of the fact that Donald Trump refused to attend the forum did he manage to be the only one of the bunch to really stand apart from the crowd.

The Union Leader newspaper was the primary sponsor and driver behind the forum as a way to trump (sorry) Fox News, which on Thursday in Cleveland, Ohio, will hold a nationally televised forum of its own, but for only the top 10 candidates polling nationally.

The Union Leader and its co-sponsors  in Iowa and North Carolina wanted a broader exchange and formulated this forum that included 14 declared candidates -- except Trump.

On stage at St. Anselm College were former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, medical doctor Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, South Carolina U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, former New York Gov. George Pataki, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

By satellite from Washington, D.C., where they were part of a U.S. Senate vote today to defund Planned Parenthood were Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Trump, the billionaire real estate investor, refused an invite to the forum after the Union Leader in an editorial criticized him for his comments questioning whether U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona was a Vietnam War hero.

But his very public decision to skip the forum hasn’t hurt his popularity among voters. 

A new Granite State Poll by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center shows that Trump leads his closest rival by 9 percentage points.

Trump polled 24 percent of the vote. He was followed by Bush (12 percent), Walker (11 percent), Christie (7 percent), Paul (7 percent), Kasich (6 percent), Cruz (5 percent), Carson (5 percent), Rubio (3 percent), former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, (2 percent), Jindal (2 percent), Fiorina (1 percent), Graham (1 percent), and Santorum (1 percent).

The forum didn’t allow for an apples to apples comparison of candidates because each candidate was answered different questions, usually around the theme of the economy and immigration.

As Republicans, they share a common creed of conservative values. Each managed to insert some of their talking points that have become familiar to the Granite Staters who are attending town hall meetings and listening to TV ads.

They all want to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, for instance. They all agree that illegal immigration is a problem and they would toughen up border patrols. They all agree that the economy is growing too slowly and that more needs to be done to encourage manufacturing jobs with lower, flatter tax codes. They think the Iran nuclear deal is a bad one. They say entitlement reform is a must.

Their differences were more nuanced, as each has tried to convey during visits to this first-in-the-nation primary state.

Each of the governors said they produced balanced budgets, something they said they would do as president.

They all criticized the policies of the Democratic president, Barack Obama. Only a couple -- Graham and Fiorina -- went directly after Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Fiorina went so far as to call her a “liar” about the attack on the American embassy in Benghazi.

Cruz, even as a U.S. senator, portrayed himself as a Washington outsider, saying he would stand against what he called the “Washington cartel” that includes Democrats and Republicans alike.

Paul restated his well-publicized position that the National Security Administration should not be combing Americans’ cell phone records for hints of terrorist activity.

A question submitted by the Live Free or Die Alliance was asked of Pataki relative to what programs he would get rid of if he became president. He specifically mentioned the Affordable Care Act, Common Core and entitlement programs.

The real show, even with a limited selection of candidates, will come with the Thursday broadcast with Trump on stage, taking questions, defending himself.

Tonight’s forum was a valuable public service. It was televised nationally and it gave those who cared to tune in a taste of what the Republican side has to offer. But it didn’t include the frontrunner.

Trump may indeed fade over time - a la Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and Herman Cain before him.

But right now,except for Trump, for better or worse, there’s no distinction among the mass of GOP candidates. Thursday could change that.