Blogging the Republican debate

Crap, I thought it started at 8pm! dang!

This is going too fast, and I missed most of it.

But seeing a show of hands of who doesn't believe in evolution,

well, that's just grand.

And Sam Brownback saying that he has a compassionate and aggressive foreign policy.

Mike Huckabee says that if Republicans let big business move jobs overseas, dump pensions and then take multimillion dollar bonuses, then the Republicans don't deserve to win the White House.

So not all Republicans are in the pocket of Wall Street. Cool.

Ron Paul, meet Mike Gravel, Mike meet Ron.

Terry Schiavo... McCain is not impressing me. Of course, I'm not the target audience. Too wishy washy.

Now it's time for Clinton-bashing... yadda yadda

Damn, this is why I hate Republicans (I hate Democrats, too, sometimes). The laughing at trashing people. Just a little too much like the way folks laugh about the blacks/gays/immigrants/etc. Very clubby. Waaaaaaay too clubby. A lack of seriousness.

McCain I'll give credit here. At least he's not being insulting. I do sympathize with the Republicans who are turned off by Bush-bashing. This is the same thing in reverse.

Is it just me or does every question start with Romney?

They are having to raise their hands to get to speak. Matthews isn't doing as well as Williams, but I think it is more the willingness of the candidates to go over.

Sam Brownback supports the Biden approach to Iraq.

Thompson fumbles his words too much. Stage left, Governor.

Giuliani and Romney come off best, though Huckabee and Gilmore are good.

That's it, at least they are rebroadcasting this one at 10pm CDT.


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Recap from the top.


Brownback. Scary scary. Seems almost orgasmic when he says confrontation and aggressive. Like the kid who sketches guns and skulls on his notebook cover.

Huckabee. I like him. Don't know his politics exactly, but seems to be thoughtful and not afraid to speak hard truths. Said we needed 300k troops and didn't listen to the generals, but doesn't pile on. He's positive.

Ron Paul. Non-interventionist.

McCain on Iran. (Earlier he talked about winners and losers... comes across as more interested in "winning" than in soldiers... like someone who wouldn't stop arguing until he 'won'... a little scary). Dances around. Basically says war with Iran if they get a nuke and .... and.... if intelligence indicates they ... well...

Who's this guy? He stutters. He says a threat to the existence of Israel is a threat to the existence of the United States.

Giuliani. Much more polished. Invoked Reagan... again

Gilmore on bin Laden. Seems thoughtful as well. Understands diplomacy (or at least talks the talk) .. invokes moral high ground... he's actually very good on this... needing to win hearts and minds. He doesn't scare me.

Romney says bin Laden will pay, will die. Eh. Seems like a pressed suit. Too rehearsed, get no sense of his thought process. Like an actor.

McCain is funny on whether to put Tancredo (Mr. Anti-immigration) head of immigration.. "In a word 'No'"

Huckabee Yes on immigrants for president after his 8 years. Everyone else is No. McCain and Giuliani both dodge the question. Kudos to Romney for the guts to at least answer the question.

Romney asked what he dislikes about America, and ... he loves it, the mountains, god-loving people, now Reagan, ... (ugh) you could make a pull-string doll with that recording.

Huckabee on climate change... boy scout... leave the campsite in better shape... says science is for scientists. Wow, another really attractive answer. I'm ... impressed.

Mr Stutter on curing diseases, stem cells, cloning people...

Duncan Hunter on compassionate conservative. Says Yes, then immediate pivots to threatening Iran. Isn't compassion touching? Doesn't want to wait until Iran has the bomb, implies he wants to bomb now.

Ron Paul on the IRS... wants to eliminate it. Says we shouldn't police the world and take care cradle to grave, can do without IRS if change role of government.

Roe v Wade... everyone says great except Giuliani.. he says he'll take it either way, that precedent counts for something.

Subtlety. Gilmore says exceptions for abortion okay, touts his credentials. Thompson says leave it to the states, though pro-life.

Romney ... always for life or pro-choice. Personally pro-life, but protects the law which was pro-choice. Notes Reagan, Bush, Hyde were pro-choice once. Says he changed because of cloning etc was Brave New World and changed his mind.

Brownback says he could support pro-choice because big tent is important, 80% agreement is still good. Darn, both scary and smart.

Giuliani is caught trying to dodge abortion issue. Says he hates abortion but supported abortion funding in New York. Problem is he tried to dodge it 3 times before saying "Yes".

McCain... "good and evil" ... doing the "My friends"... presidential bit. Sounds okay. Talks about Powerful nation. Eh. Now everyone else is crowing about defense backgrounds and growing threats.

Huckabee again. He talks softly and optimistically. Culture of life... islmaic fascists .. eh. Clearly I'm not that target audience.

Ron Paul... back to the role of government... not policing the world. Overdoing military aggressiveness weakens us.

Private employer firing gay workers. Tommy Thompson would leave it up to business (hence okay).

Romney on Roman Catholic bishops denying communion. Clever answer, government shouldn't tell churches what they can do. Smart, well prepared.

Huckabee says his faith explains his decision process. Getting grilled about criticizing Romney, rather unfairly.

Romney getting a lot of airtime. Blather.

Brownback we're a nation of faith. Invokes Lieberman. We need to embrace it, not running it out of public square.

Hunter on border fence. Double fence. Reduced crime etc.

Gilmore. Knows Karl Rove, should keep him? Dodge first try. Dodge second time, more elegantly, talks about more important things.

Tancredo... that's the stutterer. Rove is out, especially because of immigration.

Giuliani on Christian Conservatism. Lots of anyone in the party is good. Says no party has monopoly on virtue. And he can get Democrats to

Thompson is conservative in a blue state, popular, and started welfare reform, will reform Washington. Reagan Reagan Reagan. Did we mention Reagan.

Brownback on corruption in Republican Party. Says they go to jail, but what about stronger families (huh?). Keeps talking about backing up, kids born out of wedlock. Kids hearing nappy headed hos. (What this has to do with corrupt politicians... ?)

Tancredo on corruption... failure of individuals. Centrist needed to win? No Reagan was not a centrist, he followed his belief. What matters is believing what you say.

McCain on special interests (passing a chance to shoot at Giuliani, bit classy and well handled). Spending is to blame for loss. Good line about drunken sailors, but fumbles it by saying he has more time.

/// now we're at start again///

McCain is weird when he acts tough then, ending his answer, suddenly does this awkward smile.

Romney takes an invited shot at Giuliani about taking actions to limit abortions.

Giuliani says he doesn't like abortion but ultimately respects a woman's right to make a different moral decision. Credit for the toughest answer of the night.

Thompson on racism, you can try to rally against it setting a good precedent.

Tancredo says if they talked straight about immigration, he would get the nomination.

McCain says enforcement plus dealing with 12 million people.

Inconvenient Truth? Didn't watch it, says Duncan Hunter, but no taxes on alternative energy, wants to invest in private industry for this.

Ron Paul on crisis decisions. He was a doctor I guess, can't think of a critical decision, urged to not go to war.

Gilmore, women in prison, nonviolent first time offenders. Must insist upon obedience to the law. Notes he was also prosecutor and governor during 9/11.

Stem cell. Romney has sick wife but will not farm embryos, will allow private funding. Brownback, adult stem cells will work. Everyone concurs, Thompson says you can't answer but then clearly says it isn't necessary. McCain says we need to support federal funding. Ron Paul says government should say out.

Romney on health care. Not ashamed of it, invokes Heritage Foundation, market market, private sector, joke about Ted Kennedy. Market.

McCain on tax cuts. He was being a budget hawk, good pivot to invoke anger at spending.

Everyone talks about tax cuts. No capital gains tax, alternative flat tax, AMT, flat tax, no IRS, consumption tax instead, manufacturing tax, line item veto, tax credits for health care. Ron Paul no income tax and reduce government spending. Death tax, marginal rates.