Fox News beats up on 'kids' table' candidates in first GOP debate

Republican debate — (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Bill Hemmer and Martha MacCallum, the moderators of Fox News' so-called "kids' table" debate for the second tier of Republican presidential candidates, lost no time reminding said candidates that they failed to make the top 10, with opening questions that openly challenged their qualifications and relevance.

But if Perry got it bad, MacCallum really went after Jindal, noting that Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton was polling better than him in his own state.

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The second round of questions wasn't much kinder, with the moderators noting that Donald Trump had been killing the candidates in the polls.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.