Let's talk about the debate...

I watched the debate earlier. Let me start by saying Diane Sawyer gets on my last nerve. Holy crap, spit out the damn question already. Dude, the debate is only an hour long and it takes her 10 minutes to get the question out!

Anyway, now that I have that out of my system. It seemed as if they wanted the candidates to spend most of the time arguing amongst themselves. For the most part, it worked. Newt tried a couple of times to get things back on track.

I thought Rick Perry did a great job. He stayed on message and answered the questions in an intelligent and respectful manner. He scorched Ron Paul on an earmark issue. Ron Paul has a habit of loading up a bill with earmarks for his district and then voting against the bill. He knows the bill will pass and he gets what he wants out of it without being on record as voting for it. Rick Perry called him on the hypocrisy. When the candidates were asked about the situation in Iraq, Perry said that he would send troops back in to re-stabilize the area. I kind of have to agree. We spent a lot of money and blood in that country and it began to destabilize within hours of our pullout. Putting troops back in the country may not solve the internal problems but it would keep iran from getting a foothold there.

Newt didn't get as much attention as he has in the recent past. What time he did get he spent wisely. He gave good answers to the questions he was asked. He also beat up on Ron Paul a little. Ron Paul recently called Newt a chicken hawk because he never served in the military. He also accused Newt of getting multiple deferments during Vietnam. Newt said it was false and also pointed out that he is in a position to understand military personnel and their families because his father was a career military man and Newt was an Army brat.

Rick Santorum also did a pretty good job. I would have figured him to have an equal share of the spotlight with Romney, he didn't. I do like his view of the importance of family. The degradation of our society is in direct proportion to decline of the American family. There have been lots of stories lately about Santorum's relationship with Arlen Spectre. Those things do concern me and I would like to hear more about those issues. None of that was brought up tonight.

Mitt Romney did about the same as always. He is a decent debater. His message has been the same since day one. I don't think he has a bold plan for either fixing our economy or creating a business friendly environment in our Country. He seems to want to try to work within our current system and make small changes and fixes. That's not going to work. He is very safe though for the republican establishment.

Ron Paul spent half the time defending himself and the other half beating people up. He didn't want to talk much about the newsletter issue. I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to talk about it either. He says it is a waste of time to bring up things from 20 years ago. Great, then why does he bring up things from the distant past of Santorum and Gingrich? I guess it's ok to do that, but people bringing up things from his past isn't? Ron Paul made lots of money off of that newsletter. I find it very difficult to believe that he wasn't aware of what was being published in hi name. 

Jon Huntsman... OMG, this guy REALLY bugs me. It's getting to the point where the very sight of him angers me. I don't believe a damn thing he says. He spends the entire time telling us that he was the ambassador to China and that he lived in a foreign country 4 different times. Ok, great. We know that, tell us something new. Start out by actually answering one of the questions you are asked. This guy refuses to answer even the easiest of questions. He tries to use misdirection and redirection to avoid what he doesn't want to talk about. I see right through it. I hope everyone else is bright enough to do the same.

There you have it. I think Perry did a very good job and will probably see a bump in his numbers because of it. Romney, Newt and Santorum all did a decent job and shouldn't lose anything because of tonight. Ron Paul came out looking a little desperate and kind of petty. He will probably see a little decline. Huntsman, who really cares, he's in the toilet anyway.

Republican debate tonight at 8:00pm CST...

I'm watching the playoff games, but have the debate set to record. If I get a chance to watch it tonight I'll try to chime in on it later. If not, it will be tomorrow.

Be sure to watch if you have a chance.

jay carney has the worst job in the world...

Last night, as I watched the debate, I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for jay carney. I just kept thinking that he would have to come up for some spin or lie to combat all of the things the Republican candidates were saying about obama. And each of the items they were bringing up are all true. We do have a shitty economy and that is obama's fault. He has screwed over our allies and tried to buddy up with people who hate us. He really is an arrogant prick.

But then I came to my senses. A person would have to have absolutely no personal integrity to stick with a job that requires you to lie all day every day. I have no sympathy...

Republican Debate Last Night...

Did you get a chance to watch the debate last night? It was a good one.

Newt Gingrich has to have a pair of sore nuts this morning because Michele Bachmann was kicking them all night long. I thought that Newt weathered the storm pretty well though. He came off as a bit arrogant at times but overall he did a good job. I thought he answered all the questions very directly and with intelligent and well thought out responses. One problem that I have had with Newt in the past is that it seemed as though there were no filter between his brain and his mouth. If it came to mind he said it, no matter how crazy or outrageous it sounded. He seems to have addressed that to a greater degree. His plan to call judges before congress over rulings that disregard the Constitution might be a little over the top. There have been time that all of us would like to throw judges out on their ass, especially those on the 9th circuit court of appeals, but I think issuing subpoenas would open Republicans up to retaliatory strikes should a democrat majority come about. It would have to be a bi-partisan effort and that almost never happens.

Jon Huntsman, holy crap, this guy can rattle on and on and not even start to answer the question. I bet he can sell the hell out of a used car though. I have no idea what kind of job he did for the State of Utah, but he would be an absolute disaster as president. He's not a conservative no matter what he would like us to believe. He wants to coddle china while they continue to play currency games and prepare for another cold war type situation.

Mitt Romney didn't look bad last night. He answered most of the question in a fairly direct manner. He still isn't a conservative, but he's still trying hard to make us think he is. I thought Newt's attack on his time at Bain Capital was unfair. Mitt made some good points about it. No matter how hard you try, not all businesses are going to succeed. And when businesses fail, people lose their jobs. I am willing to bet though, that through it's investments, Bain Capital put far more people to work than it laid off. On the other hand, Mitt's attack on Newt for the money he made from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are more fair. Newt was paid with TAX DOLLARS. His role, whether it was as a lobbyist or consultant isn't as important as the fact that he was paid with tax dollars by a government entity.

Rick Santorum looked good too. He was far less arrogant and dismissive than in some of the previous debates.  He answered all the questions he was given in a very direct manner. I'm still surprised that he hasn't done better in the polls. I think his lack of any type of executive experience is hurting him. I very much respect his stance on family values and the role of family in putting our Country back on the right track.

Rick Perry had his best debate to date last night. He isn't always the smoothest speaker and may stumble over a word or two, but he has ACTUAL executive experience. And not just experience, successful experience. He has led a HUGE State that has had a great deal of success in attracting new business and creating jobs. He has had to deal with the border issue. It's too bad that we put so much attention on a persons ability to speak well in a debate and not so much in their real life accomplishments. Rick Perry is qualified for the job of President but he won't be the nominee because he doesn't speak well in a debate format.

Michele Bachmann was all over everyone last night. She beat the hell out of Newt. And she gave Ron Paul a few shots to the junk also. I think she is trying to show a more aggressive side of herself. While that is well and good, it's not going to help at this point. I have to say that I agree 100% with her criticism of Ron Paul on the Iran issue. She made some good points and those were reinforced by Rick Santorum. Iran's mission is to spread their radical form of islam across the globe. You can't talk them out of that. And it's not going to go away if you ignore it.

Ron Paul, you know, some of my readers are Ron Paul supporters and I can respect that. He also has a cult following, like Night of the Living Dead or The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But I have to say, it must be a sunny, rose filled world he lives in. If he thinks we can deal with Iran by simply allowing them to do whatever the hell they want to do, he is dead wrong. And a policy like that would be the death of Israel. I understand that he doesn't care about Israel, so their destruction wouldn't be any reason to deter Iran from actively seeking a nuclear weapon. I do care about Israel. They have been a friend and an ally for a long time. I care about all of our Allies. I think they deserve better treatment from our Country than they have received from obama and what the would get from Ron Paul. We can't just retreat inside our borders and expect the rest of the world to do the same. There truly are bad people in this world that want to do us harm.

Overall the debate was a good one. I think Newt and Romney came out on top. Michele Bachmann was probably tied with Rick Santorum for third, then Rick Perry and Ron Paul. With Huntsman dragging up the rear with his inability to answer even the most simple of questions...

Republican Debate Tonight...

Don't forget about the Republican debate tonight FoxNews Channel at 8:00 central.

This is the last debate in Iowa.

Not that my opinion matters to anyone but me, but tomorrow morning I'll give my usual recap.

Debate tonight...

The debate just ended. It was interesting. Diane Sawyer really shouldn't be moderating debates. She seemed a little out of it. She may be like that all the time, I don't watch her ever so I don't know for sure.

Rick Perry looked good. He made some good points. I'm still a fan, I just wish there was some consistency to the guy. He has made some serious mistakes, but I think at the end of the day, he would make an excellent president. His back and forth with Romney was more of the same old stuff though.

Mitt Romney may have missed his calling. He should have been an actor. The entire Country is longing for a leader with conservative values, Romney knows this and is trying to say and do all the right things to appear to be that leader. He isn't a conservative. Never was. I'm afraid if he is elected, we will find out very soon that he is barely even a rino. His attempt to make a bet with Rick Perry seemed extremely arrogant and showed him to be the elitist that he is. His ability to make a $10,000 wager without batting an eye was telling.

Rick Santorum said all the right things. He has done away with the arrogance that he demonstrated in the earlier debates. He does have a conservative record. I'm wondering why he hasn't gained any traction in the polls. His support and advocacy for family and family values is unique among the candidates. I applaud him for it. It is something this Country has been lacking for far too long.

Newt Gingrich looked good tonight. He was attacked from all sides and still managed to make some very good points. He stands head and shoulders above the rest in knowledge of the history of our Country and what has and hasn't worked in the past.. His comment about Mitt Romney not being a career politician because he was defeated by ted kennedy was great. It's also very true. Newt has a lot of baggage and a history of taking multiple sides on issues. I would like to think that he has changed positions on issues because he has grown and matured. But then maybe he is telling us what he thinks we want to hear. I can't get 100% comfortable with him.

Michele Bachmann is a true conservative. I don't know how seriously she is taken in Washington though. Something about her still bugs me. Her attack this evening on Romney and Gingrich was a little over the top. I think she could have used her time better explaining her views instead of beating those guys up.

Ron Paul always makes good points. I don't agree with some of what he says. I think the world needs a rational voice to help when things go bad. We are that voice. We have been that voice for many, many years. It has helped define this Nation. We don't always need to be the world's police force, but we have an obligation to protect those who can't protect themselves. Paul's knowledge of the federal reserve is second to none. He is right about everything concerning that organization. He is extreme on some other areas that I will never be able to agree with.

It bothers me more than a little that the candidates have begun to attack each other. Some of the attacks have been pretty nasty. I think that these guys should be contrasting themselves with obama and letting the voters pick from there. As the candidates are narrowed down to a nominee, they will take plenty of abuse from obama and his gang of thugs. There is no need to give them extra firepower from the Republicans.

If you want to comment on the debate or how I saw it, feel free...

Republican Debate Tonight...

Don't forget about the Republican Debate tonight. It will be on ABC at 9:00 E.T. It will also be streamed live on the Des Moines Register website.

Be sure to check it out. Afterwards, I'll post a little about my thoughts on the players. You are welcome to comment about your opinions of the candidates too.