--- title: Republican Debate: Your Drinking Game for Watching CNN description: Here's your drinking game for watching the CNN Republican presidential debate. canonical: https://time.com/4036881/republican-debate-cnn-drinking-game/ author: Michael Scherer article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-16T17:50:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:57:47.678Z article:section: Politics og:title: The CNN Republican Debate Drinking Game og:description: Warning: Do not play this at home. Or anywhere. og:url: https://time.com/4036881/republican-debate-cnn-drinking-game/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f912a5aa52be546/698863c32dce0107469e5858/ben-carson-38.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2100 og:image:height: 1181 og:image:alt: Ben Carson - Life in Pictures og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The CNN Republican Debate Drinking Game twitter:description: Warning: Do not play this at home. Or anywhere. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0f912a5aa52be546/698863c32dce0107469e5858/ben-carson-38.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The CNN Republican Debate Drinking Game > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: 2016 Republican Presidential Debate in Under 3 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): 2016 Republican Presidential Debate in Under 3 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/AWg12u3O.m3u8) (2:31)  _Published 2015-08-07. 2016 Republican Presidential Debate in Under 3 Minutes_ by [Michael Scherer](https://time.com/author/michael-scherer/) ## Michael Scherer Sep 16, 2015 5:50 PM UTC  Republican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. Republican presidential candidates from left, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Mike Huckabee, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and John Kasich take the stage for the first Republican presidential debate on Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. Andrew Harnik—AP by [Michael Scherer](https://time.com/author/michael-scherer/) ## Michael Scherer Sep 16, 2015 5:50 PM UTC So you thought it was bad last time, when Fox News tried to put you under the table with two consecutive GOP debates lasting four full hours. Well, CNN is here to test your resolve. Two debates. 16 candidates. FIVE hours. At least there are commercial breaks for much needed relief. Before we get going, the usual disclaimers: Don’t actually play this drinking game. You will drink too much, and that is bad. Also don’t drink if you are underage. And never drink and drive. With all that said, here is TIME’s guide to drink watching the second set of Republican GOP debates on CNN, starting at 6 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, 3 p.m. Pacific. • Pound a Miller High Life when Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker pledges to wreak havoc on D.C. • Throw the High Life against a wall if Walker refuses to answer a question because it is “hypothetical.” • Drink a tin bottle of Bud Light if Florida Sen. Marco Rubio mentions football. • Drink two tinnies if New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie mentions the Dallas Cowboys. • Headstand a Sam Adams if someone says Tom Brady did not cheat. • Hydrate with water and/or salt tablets each time Donald Trump mentions his terrific crowds, his terrific polls, how smart he is, or any other tremendous personal success. • Sip expensive champagne if Trump tangles with moderator Hugh Hewitt over the name of a Hamas, Hezbollah, Syrian or Iraqi military leader. **MORE:** [_Read the Full Text of the First Republican Debate_](http://time.com/3988276/republican-debate-primetime-transcript-full-text/) • Put your thumb over the top of the bottle and shake if Trump speaks cogently about who that person is. • Drink non-alcoholic punch if Kentucky clerk Kim Davis is called a hero. • Polish off the Listerine if a candidate offers to go to jail in her place. • Read aloud from Deuteronomy if CNN moderator Jake Tapper asks Trump his favorite Bible verse. • Throw popcorn at the screen if Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and Christie start arguing again. • Purchase and finish a cup of coffee if Trump calls former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush low-energy. • Rub AXIRON, the prescription-only testosterone gel, under your arm if Bush gets into an Alpha contest with Trump and wins, and you happen to be man. (Beware AXIRON can transfer from your body to others, so don’t rub against young children or women after application.) Take a sip for each of the following: • Carson closes his eyes before answering a question • Any candidate mentions an endorsement • Someone other than Trump says “YOOOOGE” • Any candidate mentions their father (Two sips if Bush) • Rubio talks about the American dream • Any candidate says “shutdown” • Any candidate mentions online donations • Anyone praises the pope • Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina says the word “face” • South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham calls himself Lindsey Grahamnesty or Lindsey Gomez • Alguna persona habla en español • Christie calls something stupid • Paul mentions a founding father • Paul talks out of turn • Any candidate praises former Texas Gov. Rick Perry • Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says “Obama” • Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum calls out the Supreme Court • Any candidate talks about monetary policy • Ohio Gov. John Kasich cuts against the grain ## Transcript I don't want my marriage or my guns registered in Washington. Why don't I talk about race that often I said it's because I'm a neurosurgeon. To the families of those who died in that war who say they liberated a country and deposed a ruthless dictator, how do you look at them now and say your brother's war was a mistake? Knowing what we know now, it was a mistake. How is Hilary Clinton gonna lecture me about living paycheck to paycheck? I was raised paycheck to paycheck. [ APPLAUSE ] [ MUSIC ] We need to build a wall, and it has to be built quickly. And I don't mind having a big beautiful door in that wall so that people can come into this country legally. We need to keep illegals out. I also believe we need a fence. The problem is if El Chapo builds a tunnel under the fence we have to be able to deal with that too. Mr. Trump is touching a nerve because people want the wall to be built. People want an end to illegal immigration and they want to see it end and we all do. A 4 % growth strategy means you fix a convoluted tax code. The first thing we need to do is we need to even out the tax code for small businesses so that we lower their tax rate to 25 % just as we need to lower it for all businesses. You get in and you change every aspect of regulations that are job killers. We can get rid of the internal revenue service if we would pass the fair tax which is a tax on consumption rather than attacks on people's income. We need to repeal and replace Obamacare. Iran is not a place we should be doing business with. To me we terminate the deal on day one, you reinstate the sanctions authorized by Congress. I think President Obama gave away too much, too early. I would have never released the sanctions before there was consistent evidence of compliance. The world has a burgeoning nuclear power, but the Iranians have said is we will wipe Israel off the face of the map and we will bring death to America. As governor of the state of Florida, I defunded Planned Parenthood. I created a culture of life in our state. I was in business, they asked me a question as to pro life or choice. And I said if you let it run that I hate the concept of abortion. I hate the concept of abortion. What I have advocated is that we pass a law in this country that says that all human life At every stage of its development is worthy of protection. In fact, I think that law all ready exists, it's called the Constitution of the United States. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4036881/republican-debate-cnn-drinking-game/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4036881/republican-debate-cnn-drinking-game/"},"headline":"The CNN Republican Debate Drinking Game","datePublished":"2015-09-16T17:50:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:57:47.678Z","description":"Here's your drinking game for watching the CNN Republican presidential debate.","url":"https://time.com/4036881/republican-debate-cnn-drinking-game/","keywords":["Debates","Chris Christie","Bobby Jindal","Sen. 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