Vivek Ramaswamy Tried to Go Nice, But GOP Debate Rivals Wouldn’t Let Him

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth, and Vivek Ramaswamy’s plan for the second Republican presidential primary debate was to pivot from being a jerk to being Mr. Nice Guy. And yeah, that plan lasted about as long as most Mike Tyson fights.

“These are good people on this stage,” Ramaswamy said early on in the debate. It was a stark contrast to the first primary debate, when he declared, “I’m the only person on this stage who isn’t bought and paid for.”

This move took a lot of chutzpah. Vivek used the first debate to make a splash and gain notoriety in the attention economy—at his opponents’ expense. That strategy clearly worked, but polling and focus groups must have shown that he also came across as annoying. So—just like a politician who pivots to the center for the general election—the next step was to show a kinder, gentler Ramaswamy.

Read more at The Daily Beast.