Vocabulary from the Eleventh Republican Debate March 3, 2016

The Eleventh Republican debate took place in Detroit, Michigan on March 3, 2016. As in the last debate, there was a great deal of yelling and name calling between the candidates, with one calling another "little guy" and one instructing another to "count to ten and breathe" when he was angry and interrupting the man who was answering a question.

To add to the freewheeling excitement, moderators used visual aides, like graphics and video clips, to help the audience decide whether something a candidate said on one occasion contradicted what they said on another, or whether the candidate's proposed budget cuts would really do what a candidate is claiming they will.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. scam
    a fraudulent business scheme
    They signed up. They paid $15,000 for this course. They were asked for additional money for this course. If they really wanted the real secrets of success, they had to pay even more money, and so they did.
    And you know what they got in these courses? Stuff you can pull off of Zillow. When they finally realized what a scam it was, they asked for their money back.
    And you refused to give them their money back.
    - Senator Marco Rubio
    Senator Rubio is referring here to Trump University, a business started by Donald Trump that is now the subject of a civil lawsuit.
  2. flexibility
    the quality of being adaptable or variable
    And, you know, when I watch Ted stand on the Senate floor, I had great respect for what he did. He stood there for a day-and-a- half or something. In the meantime, what came of it? Nothing. You have to be able to have some flexibility, some negotiation.
    Now, sometimes you ask for more than you want and you negotiate down to the point.
    - Donald Trump
    Donald Trump references here Senator Cruz's filibusters on the floor of the Senate where a speaker can hold the floor and prevent a vote from taking place if they keep talking.
  3. specificity
    the quality of being particular rather than general
    In between all of the insults, let me point out the specificity that was lacking. It's very easy to say, "Let's cut waste, fraud, and abuse." I've rolled out a detailed plan to cut $500 billion in federal spending, specifying exactly what I would cut.
    - Senator Ted Cruz
  4. disavow
    refuse to acknowledge
    I totally disavow the Klu Klux Klan. I totally disavow David Duke. I've been doing it now for two weeks, this is your -- you're probably about the 18th person that's asked me the question. It was very clear, that question was also talked about in the form of groups. Groups, I want to know which groups are you talking about? You have to tell me which groups? Ultimately, he got to the Klu Klux Klan, which obviously I'm going to disavow.
    - Donald Trump
  5. depleted
    no longer sufficient
    We are in a very dangerous place. We have a depleted military. Totally depleted. But we're going to build up our military, and we're going to get the equipment we want, not the equipment that's sold to us by somebody that gave him [indicates Rubio] and him [indicates Cruz] and not the governor campaign contributions. OK? We're going to get the equipment that the generals and the soldiers want.
    - Donald Trump
  6. callus
    a skin area that is thick or hard from continual pressure
    This is the truck drivers and the steel workers and the mechanics with calluses on their hands who have seen their wages not grow year after year after year while the cost of living goes up.
    -Sen. Cruz
  7. motivating
    impelling to action
    And I want to go back and do it again, and I'm going to keep talking about my message of bringing people together and motivating people in the neighborhoods that realize they don't need somebody from Washington galloping in.
    - Governor John Kasich
  8. impacted
    wedged or packed in together
    And there is a proper role for the government to play at the federal level, in helping local communities to respond to a catastrophe of this kind, not just to deal with the people that have been impacted by it, but to ensure that something like this never happens again.
    - Sen. Rubio
    "impacted" here means affected by something.
  9. defraud
    deprive of by deceit
    He has defrauding people out of things, and not just -- and not just, by the way, on the issue of University. He had another development in Mexico that he had nothing to do with except his name on the building. People put money into that building...They lost their money. ...you told them you owned the building. So they gave him his money. They lost their money.
    - Sen. Rubio
  10. con
    (offensive) a swindle that cheats someone out of money
    Let me tell you the real con artist. Excuse me. Excuse me. The real con artist is Senator Marco Rubio who was elected in Florida and who has the worst voting record in the United States Senate. He doesn't go to vote. He's absent. He doesn't go. Now, the people of Florida can't stand him. He couldn't get elected dogcatcher.
    - Donald Trump
  11. systemic
    affecting an entire structure, network, or complex of parts
    It was systemic breakdown at every level of government, at both the federal and partially the -- both the state and partially at the federal level, as well.
    -Sen. Rubio
    Senator Rubio was answering a question about the situation in Flint, Michigan, where lead was found in the drinking water.
  12. rampant
    occurring or increasing in an unrestrained way
    Well, the abuse of the H1-B program has been rampant. On the face of that H1-B abuse, I have proposed, and promised as president that I will impose a 180 day moratorium on the H1B program to implement a comprehensive investigation and audit because you got U.S. companies that are firing American workers, bringing in foreign workers, and forcing them to train their replacements.
    - Sen. Cruz
    The program referred to is a special visa program that allows highly skilled workers from other countries into the United States.
  13. moratorium
    a legally authorized postponement
    Well, the abuse of the H1-B program has been rampant. On the face of that H1-B abuse, I have proposed, and promised as president that I will impose a 180 day moratorium on the H1B program to implement a comprehensive investigation and audit because you got U.S. companies that are firing American workers, bringing in foreign workers, and forcing them to train their replacements.
    - Sen. Cruz
  14. yearning
    prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
    there are a lot of people out there yearning for somebody who's going to bring America back, both at the leadership level and in the neighborhood, where we can begin to reignite the spirit of the United States of America. And let's stop fighting.
    - Gov. Kasich
  15. tenuous
    lacking substance or significance
    You know, Donald [Trump] has a tenuous relationship with the truth.
    - Sen. Cruz
    Donald Trump had claimed that "there was no stronger supporter of John Roberts" than Senator Ted Cruz when Roberts was a nominee for the Supreme Court. This quote is the beginning of Senator Cruz's response.
  16. concurrence
    the property of two things happening at the same time
    By the way, the Trans-Pacific, if you look at the TPP, a total disaster... it is a disaster for our country. It's trying to be approved by various people, including President Obama. And I'll tell you something. The biggest problem with that is: They don't take into concurrence the devaluation. They're devaluing their currency.
    -Donald Trump
    The TPP is the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. What Trump is saying here is that the agreement doesn't take into account the fact that the Pacific signers of the agreement will be devaluing, or officially lowering the value of their currency, at the same time the agreement will be in effect, so the rates agreed to won't actually be, in effect, the rates agreed to.
  17. ingenuity
    the power of creative imagination
    What that will do, Chris, is bring millions of manufacturing jobs back to this country, bring the steel industry back to this country, create an environment where when we compete on a fair and level playing field, American ingenuity can beat anyone. But right now, the federal government isn't giving us a level playing field.
    -Sen. Cruz
    Senator Cruz was explaining an outcome of that part of his tax plan that taxes the importing of goods into this country.
  18. humility
    a lack of arrogance or false pride
    I try to be a man of faith every day as best as I can, and I try to focus in my faith on the "do"s and I think the don'ts will take care of themselves once I get the "do"s right, which is humility, and loving my enemy, and caring for my neighbor.
    - Gov. Kasich
  19. rash
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
    we need a president who isn't rash, who doesn't just pop off at the -- at the hip, but waits to see what the facts are and then acts to defend this country.
    - Sen. Cruz
    Senator Cruz was defending his change of position on the issue of Edward Snowden, citing it as one of the times he waited for all the facts to be in before passing judgement.
  20. law-abiding
    adhering strictly to laws and rules and customs
    Gun laws are not effective. They simply do not provide for safety. But they do, however, ensure that law-abiding people don't have access to weapons to protect themselves and guns to protect themselves, but criminals always will be well armed. They don't care about the law; they don't follow the law.
    -Sen. Rubio
Created on Thu Mar 03 23:47:22 EST 2016 (updated Fri Mar 04 06:20:24 EST 2016)

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