Republican presidential candidates propose unrealistic policies in third debate

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

Desperate to narrow the gigantic lead former President Donald Trump maintains over them in polls, the five Republicans participating in Wednesday night’s presidential debate proposed a series of unrealistic policies and ignored some of the major issues facing America.

The candidates also largely ignored Trump out of apparent fear of angering his base, even though they need to erode his support to have any chance of defeating him.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina (the only Black candidate still in the race) participated in the debate held in Miami.

The candidates failed to address key issues, most notably protecting our democracy from Trump’s threats to weaponize federal agencies and the courts to create an authoritarian regime that could rob us of some of our most cherished freedoms.

Candidates also failed to address important issues including fighting systemic racism and discrimination against the LGBT community; reducing poverty; reducing gun violence; improving our schools; protecting our voting rights; ending brutality and unjustified killings by police; lowering prescription drug costs; requiring the rich to pay their fair share of taxes; and combatting destructive climate change. 

All the candidates expressed anti-abortion views, although such…