Too many in the Debate

[red-beard]

More info later

[legion]

I really wish Fred Thompson would throw his hat into the ring...

[red-beard]

1/2 of the guys shouldn't be there.

[legion]

Yep. I don't even know who many of them are.

Does Guiliani ever turn down a chance to mention 9/11?

[Moneyguy1]

Does he have anything else to mention? Fear sells.

Watched part of it and the old idea of cluster**** came to mind.

[red-beard]

Here are my notes. Pretty raw, since I need to go upstairs and run.


McCain - I will Stay in Iraq. Funny. Good answer on budget. Immigration: Secure border first, then temp worker program, then fix the 12 Million that are here. McCain - strong response to Romney (You are a flip flopper). Good answer on Confederate flag. Admitted he was wrong. Torture is wrong. Enhanced interrogation techniques are torture. (Torture is bad - Mr. Makey)

(Tommy) Thompson - Bad answer on Iraq. MR. Veto. No answers. Stem Cell messy answer. LOts of good quotes, don't know his position.

Romney - Iraq needs to be Stable. Spender. Abortion. Flip Flop. No new taxes, balance the budget. Washington is broken. Reorg the government. Make washington more effcient. 2nd amendment rights, but supports assualt weapon ban. (Waffle and flip flopper). Not a conservative. Amnesty - No special path for illegals. Employment verification system. Need to "prevent" the next 9/11. More intelligence and counter-terrorism. Enhanced interrogation techniques OK. For testing and no child left behind.

Brownbeck - Too political and internally focused. Bio-fuels. Drill more. Increase the supply of fuel. Make cars more efficient. No immigration answer. Is this guy a liberal? Flat Taxer. Way too pro-life. A pro-life liberal? US lives most important. No need to seek UN approval.

Guliani - too News focused. Too scripted. I like what he says, but he's a politician. Not answering the question. Good answer on abortion. His idea is to keep the govt out of our business. Fence, #1 who is here? Tamper proof id's. Create big database. Great response to Ron Paul on 9/11. (I don't like his response). No torture - but every interrogation method.

Tom Tancredo - not focused - you know, still not focused. Immigration, others are conversions, amnesty is a disaster. I am for reduction of reducing petroleum. Still not focused. All over the place.

Ron Paul - Quagmire, Eliminate, DHS, DOE, D of Ed. Cut spending, big time. Cut departments. Iraq - get out. (What is he doing stroking his pen? Nervous?) Listen to the people who. Lower Taxes. Changing subject - Torture. Torture is bad.

Duncan Hunter - Nice Iraq plan laid out, Zero manufacturing taxes. Pushed the big border fence in San Diego and made the bill for the fence for 800 miles. Fence - Border patrol - Create a "legal" system. Get the information. Do what is necessary. Dollars held by China. China building up military. China cheating on trade.

Mike Huckabee - Too scripted, still too scripted on taxes. Prolife. Scripted on 9/11. Protect borders. Need Americans to sacrifice.

Jim Gilmore - sanctions for Iran, concerned about nuclear proliferation. Scriped on taxes. Wants to be be the most conservative. Would go to UN, explain why we're doing it, but not ask permission. Homeland securtiy. Expand info sharing (new Big Brother). no answer on race/color in party.

Can't remember who did it, but I do not like personal attacks on John Edwards or anyone. (Edit - It was Huckerbee)

Edited for form, not content

[red-beard]

Winners: Duncan Hunter and John McCain

Did OK: Guliani - He isn't for me.

Losers: Romney is Done. The rest are just losers who didn't belong there.

[on2wheels52]

Thanks for the update r-b, who needs tv when you have Al's invention?
Jim

[red-beard]

I am sure it will be on You-tube shortly.

[nostatic]

Originally posted by legion
Yep. I don't even know who many of them are.

Does Guiliani ever turn down a chance to mention 9/11?

[kach22i]

Yep, that's the message.

Unfortunately someone could paste together one on the Dems too, although it would be a shorter tape for sure.

[MRM]

For all of the people pining for Thompson to join, throw your support to McCain. They are almost identical on the issues, they vote together and are within a percentage point or two of each other on the "vote with us" scales published by conservative groups and business groups, and they happen to be best friends. Word is that if Thompson decides not to run it is out for deference to and respect for his friend John McCain. In the interests of full disclosure, I have long supported McCain and preferred him over Bush in 2000. But I think that as people look at him closer and the rest of the Republican field wears on people, he will start looking better and better to a lot of people.

One final thought. As a former Wisconsinite who lived through several of Tommy T's interminable terms as governor, all I can say is it is a strange disease that strikes men who look in the mirror and think they see presidential material.

[holtjv]

Isn't it funny how much the nominees say they'll do once they're in office? With a democratic congress? You can pretty much count on nothing of substance happening for at least the first 2 years of a republican president's administration, unless he is more fiscally centrist. I don't think it matters how socially centrist the candidate is wrt wars and pocketbooks, ultimately the 2 factors which affect me the most.

[MRM]

Oops. Double post. I need more coffee.

[Moneyguy1]

MRM...Those of us out here in McCain's home state view things a bit differently. Consistency on a single issue and meandering on others is not a sign of a great leader. Border security, cozying up to GWB after the savaging John took in 2000, and the turnaround toward the "far religious right" are all concerns for many Arizonans.

I have a suggestion....Conduct the debates like playoffs. Have say three at a time, varying the makeup so each has the opportunity to take on all of the others. Then there would be more time for meaningful answers to the questions. Have the people vote on who the "winner" is each time, match up the "winners" and finally there would be a clear candidate or two from which to choose the finalist.

[nostatic]

two words: cage match

[Moneyguy1]

To the death......

[Rick Lee]

I will never ever forgive John McCain for his campaign finance "reform" bill. It was then and has since been nothing but a farce. McCain is not dumb enough to believe he could actually change the money game, so his touting that bill was a huge lie. Each election more money is spent than in the last one. Campaigns don't get any cheaper to run with time. And McCain's law was an attempt to do exactly what the 1st Amendment forbids. Outrageous! Bush is #2 for my ire, since he signed the bill into law. But he did so, believing the SCOTUS would toss it, which is not what I'd call a profile in leadership.

[Tobra]

Too many guys, 10, and at least 5 had no business being there. I thought Rudy aquitted himself well, as did Senator McCain. I particularly liked it when he kicked Mitt Romney's teeth in after he made the mistake of attacking him, however warranted those attacks may have been.

This debate was 10 times better than the last one. The guys doing the questioning did not inject their own politics and opinions into the debate, which was very annoying during the last one.

[red-beard]

I lived in Massachusetts when Romney ran for Senator. I didn't care for him then, and I care even less now. His 2nd amendment and Assault weapon statement shows he wants to be on both sides of an issue.

I agree with Guliani on Abortion: Keep the government out. That is actually a conservative idea. However, the rest of his views are not conservative (National IDs, etc).