The GOP debate was less than productive Wednesday night.

Candidates complained about the legitimacy of the questions posed by moderators but opted to voice their opinion on the legitimacy of the questions rather than answer questions about tax plans, etc.

While moderators posed tough questions to the candidates, what they accomplished was pointing out flaws each of the candidates possess that ultimately would affect their ability to pose as president and allowed them to defend those flaws. Both Trump and Rubio’s financial backgrounds were challenged, as was Carson’s stance on gay marriage.

Mike Huckabee said he wants to “declare war” on health costs, saying America’s poor health is the reason healthcare costs so much. How combating America’s poor health without making healthcare better is unclear.

Ohio Governor John Kasich spoke about higher education and showed he is uninformed about its purpose and how it works, claiming universities spend too much money on non-academic programs like dormitories. Kasich said people should be able to pay off student loans with “legitimate public service.” It is unclear what he means by this. Furthermore, if graduates are scrambling to pay off their loans with the jobs they hopefully got with their degrees, when are they supposed to have time to do this public service?

What was missing from the debate was any talk of women’s issues, K-12 education and the nation’s drug problem (though marijuana was mentioned, which couldn’t be avoided as the debate was in Colorado). No one mentioned climate change, thus perpetuating the idea the majority of candidates don’t believe in climate science.

Questions arose about the seriousness of the whole evening. The debate felt like one giant publicity stunt, instead of a time where candidates can really get their platforms out to the American people. How do Republican candidates expect to be taken seriously when their debates are commonly related to children arguing?