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.

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 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.

Trumps debate is turning out to be a dud...

It looks like Trump's debate is going to be Newt and Trump. What the hell? I thought it was going to be an opportunity to see the candidates in a little different setting, maybe lighten things up a bit.

It looks like Perry is out, Bachmann is out, Santorum is out, Paul is out, Romney is out...

I'm truly disappointed.

I was also disappointed that Romney declined the invitation to debate Newt in a Lincoln/Douglas style forum. Romney may be a rino but he is no idiot. He knows that under those circumstances, Newt would wipe the floor with him. Who wants to sign up for that?

Newt is rising...

It seems Newt is on the rise. Seriously, it had to happen. During all of the debates he is the smartest guy on the stage. He has a world of actual experience. You can't name a government situation that he hasn't lived through.

During the debate last Saturday night, his foreign policy experience overwhelmed all of the other candidates, except maybe Michele Bachmann on an issue or two.

I'm not saying that Newt is my guy, but he is looking better and better. I'm not sure if it's all due to him or if part of it is the lack of a better candidate.

I'm starting to get a little disillusioned with our options.

The media has already picked Romney. If I was sure that Romney would be better than obama I wouldn't be near as skeptical, I'm not that sure. The guy is to eager to make a compromise. That's what got us in the shape we are in now. That and a socialist in the white house.

I still like Perry. I wish the guy was better in the debates so others would see what I see.

Republican Debate - 11-12-2011

I watched the first half of the debate on TV earlier. Since then I have been trying to watch the second part online. Since I have the some of the crappiest internet service on the planet, it has been impossible. I'll have to wait for the Youtube version.

My take on the first part...

Rick Perry looked good. He gave solid answers. His foreign aid plan is outstanding. Starting every one out at ZERO is perfect. It's pretty damn dumb on the part of our government to give foreign aid to countries that hate us. If a country isn't our ally and isn't willing to cooperate with us they shouldn't get a DIME of tax payer money. Pakistan is NOT our ally. Those assclowns hid osama bin laden from us for YEARS. There is no way in HELL that bin laden was in that city, for that long, without pakistan knowing about it. Anyone who believes differently is an idiot.

Newt also looked awesome. His answers were typical Newt. He knew what he was talking about. He doesn't sugar coat it. He tells the hard truth. He came up a little more in my view.

Mitt Romney looked pretty good too. He is getting better at covering the fact that he is a rino. I don't trust the guy. He is trying to make us believe he s something that he is not.

Michele Bachmann seemed to be getting kicked to the curb. The moderators wouldn't let her speak. Her foreign policy knowledge is good. I don't agree with some of her opinions, but she knows her stuff.

Ron Paul didn't get any time. This poor guy. I know he has a cult following and those people would like to hear what he has to say.

Herman Cain was a little out of his element in this debate. His lack of experience hurt him here. He is right though, a president has to surround themselves with the best and the brightest in order to make sound decisions. But it helps to have a base of knowledge to pull from.

Jon Huntsman didn't really say anything different. It seems that every debate brings up the issue of China and trade. Huntsman would continue to allow China to walk all over us. In this area I fully agree with Mitt Romney. China doesn't want a trade war with us. They sell billions of dollars worth of goods in this Country every year. It would be in China's best interests to have a discussion with us about our concerns. Huntsman would continue the same passive approach that has led to the issues we face now.

Rick Santorum must have read the reviews from the last debate. He appeared much less arrogant than he has in the past. His answers to the questions were about what you would expect from him. Nothing exciting.

There was a question about torture. Most of the candidates expressed an interest in returning to the policies of the past, policies allowing our Military and CIA to use enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding. Ron Paul made some comments I found to be a little disturbing. He said that waterboarding isn't proven to result in reliable intelligence. He said something about waterboarding a hundred people hoping to get actionable intelligence from a few. Ok, waterboarding DOES create accurate and dependable intelligence. Our Military and CIA waterboarded THREE people, not hundreds. Those waterboarding of those THREE people resulted in intelligence that saved American lives. That intelligence led to the capture and/or killing of many more terrorists.

It's very misleading when a person of Ron Paul's standing makes it sound as if hundreds of people were tortured and waterboarded and no intelligence was gained. It's not fair and it's not true...

Did you see the Republican debate last night?

First, it was good to see the candidates being civil with each other instead of the bickering back and forth.

I think Newt Gingrich came out of last night as the clear winner. I'm still not a huge Newt fan, but in every debate he is courteous to the other candidates, critical of the press, straight forward in his answers and knows what he is talking about.

Huntsman should just pull out now. He isn't a conservative and trying to act like one isn't working.

Ron Paul was Ron Paul. He makes a lot of sense, he says a lot of things I fully agree with. He is just out there on some things and enough of them to make him troubling in my mind.

Bachmann was good last night. She knew her facts and figures. She looked confident. But she has no chance.

Herman Cain looked good, as always. He is such a likeable guy. His troubles over the past couple of weeks didn't seem to affect him. I have to admit though, I'm getting a bit tired of his pimpage of 999 at every single opportunity.

Romney was Romney. A democrat in Republican clothes. He is trying hard to convince us that he is something different than what he really is.

Rick Santorum always polls in the bottom 2 or 3 candidates. But his arrogance during the debate would lead one to believe he is way out in front. I don't get him. He always seems as if the debates and being on stage with the other candidates is somehow beneath him. He is another one that has zero chance and should pull out now. And if he is planning to run for anything in the future, he might check the attitude at the door.

Rick Perry, OMG, Dude. I still like Perry, but holy crap, can you even imagine a worse time for a total brain fart? I really felt for the guy last night. I mean, seriously, we have all had those moments. I just hope that my next one isn't so public or important. I think he may have done himself in last night. Up until that one moment, Perry was having his best debate so far. He was relaxed and confident. It's funny though, the Rick Perry you see on the debate stage is not the real Rick Perry. Off of that stage he is a force to be reckoned with. He is very intelligent, confident and able and has a world of practical experience for the job of President.