Tuesday, October 09, 2007
|
|
Live Blogging the Debate
|
|
Posted by:
Matt Lewis at
4:05 PM
|
5:59 - New line of the night:"... It was getting a little boring without me." - Fred Thompson
5:57 - "If we do Hillarycare ... Canadians will have nowhere to go to get their healthcare." - Rudy
5:56 - Huckabee refers to airlines leaving passengers sitting on planes as, "holding the passengers hostage."
5:55 - Fred Thompson knows who the Prime Minister of Canada is.
5:54 - Romney has the line of the night. He says this debate is like Law and Order because "It seems to go on forever, and Fred Thompson shows up at the end."
5:52 - Finally, some economic meat: Romney wants to take out section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley.
5:51 - Rudy stays optimistic. Makes the point that the reason we have an immigration problem is because everyone wants to come here.
5:50 - Will Duncan Hunter support the GOP nominee, no matter what? If we don't nominate a Pro-Life candidate, the "Party of Lincoln" will go away.
5:47 - Ron Paul probably won't support the Republican nominee for president. He mentions George W. Bush's initial promise for a "humble" foreign policy.
5:43 - SCHIP talk - Huckabee says Dems won the political battle, but that it was posturing. Good quote: "I don't trust the government, and I don't trust the insurance companies ... I trust me."
5:40 - Rudy's campaign sends along info linking Romneycare to Hillarycare.
5:39 - Yippie. Lightning round segments coming up!
5:38 - The question right now is about stopping online predators. Isn't this supposed to be about the economy? Rudy does make a good point that we don't need to set up new agencies for this problem, that we should use current agencies.
5:33 - The Giuliani campaign sends along a quote from former Solicitor General Ted Olson -- and other conservative legal scholars -- saying the Clinton Line-Item veto was, in fact, unconstitutional. Romney's campaign sends along their own Line-Item info, including a dissenting opinion from Justice Scalia.
5:31 - Rudy's grandmother was a union member.
5:30 - Chris Matthews cuts off Romney while he's trying to tell a story about his dad...
5:27 - Populist Mike Huckabee says unions will be more important in the future because the average CEO makes 500 times the amount of the average worker. "Unions are the natural result of workers saying, look, I can't go from a 75K a year job to a $15K a year job ..." He also bashes hedge-funds, again.
5:26 - Romney wants to apply "market dynamics" to healthcare. "My plan gets everybody in America insured ... and to do that we say, look, we're going to let states create their own plans ..." - Romney
5:22 - On Bush's trade policy, specifically CAFTA: "The worst vote I ever cast was to give the president fast track." - Tancredo
5:16 - Tancredo has the best answer on how to restore the trust of America: Quit pandering.
5:14 - As predicted, Romney and Rudy are both already going after Hillary.
5:11 - Matthews asks all the candidates how Republicans can win back the voters. Paul says we can't subsidize farmers or ethanol. Huckabee taps into fears that tomorrow may not be better than today. McCain says we've got to restore trust and confidence, but doesn't provide answers for how to do so. Romney, perhaps answering Huckabee and McCain, says we need to be confident and optimistic. Amen!
5:08 - Thompson and Huckabee are now talking about the Andy Griffth show... (I'm a fan, too!)
5:07 - Huckabee on energy: "We once had a president who said, 'let's go to the moon' ...
5:05 - "I wouldn't drill off the coast of Florida, unless the people of Florida wanted to." - McCain.
5:03 - Brownback says we can't be energy independent, but we can be energy secure. He also likes hybrid cars, tax credits and incentives ...
5:01 - Rudy says being energy independent is a matter of national security. We haven't built a nuclear plant in 30 years ... Says the President needs to treat this "like putting a man on the moon." Good stuff...
4:59 - Rudy disagrees with Paul. that America hasn't faced an immenent attack. Paul responds: "That was 19 thugs, it had nothing to do with a country."
4:57 - Fred Thompson says that if it's a close call, a president should go to Congress. That's because in a long war, you'll need the support of the American people. (Good point).
4:55 - "You're not allowed to go to war without a declaration of war" ... "this is just war propoganda" ... - Ron Paul (Who gets applause)
4:54 - Hunter makes a good point that, in this modern technological time, a President can't wait for Congressional approval if "the target is fleeting."
4:51 - Thompson's answer on WMDs is good. He is, at least, establishing competence. On this issue, he seems to be in the moment -- not just spouting generalities.
4:49 - Brownback says he voted for war to stop terrorism and WMDs. He gets applause for saying the military has done an excellent job. He also plugs is plan (with Joe Biden) for 3 separate states.
4:47 - Ron Paul says we wouldn't have gone to war if we weren't so dependent on oil, though he says that argument is "mercantilistic." He adds: "We're going broke, we have this huge deficit, we're spending a trillion dollars maintaining our empire over seas ..."
4:44 - On Break: The most important exchange, so far, has been the Line Item veto dispute between Rudy and Romney. It's a bit inside baseball, but I think that most conservatives would side with Romney on this one.
4:39 - Message to Fred Thompson -- using the 20s as an example of why we should cut taxes may not be wise. (I know what you're saying, but it's not a smart political argument)...
4:37 - Brownback says he's the only one who as worked in the trade field.
4:36 - "I think Fred's officially left out"- Amanda Carpenter.
4:35 - Rudy's campaign reminds us via email that Cato Institute rated Romney "C" in 2000 for his tax policy.
4:34 - Lighten up, Maria!
4:31 - Good quote: "For me, Michigan is personal. I'm going to go to work for Michigan." - Romney.
4:30 - So far, I think the fact that there are so many candidates has hurt Fred. He would do better if he got to talk more. At this point, I think Romney is winning.
4:26 - McCain proves he gets it: "I think we are in the midst of a revolution that we haven't seen since the Industrial Revolution." He's right. We're not going to get back to the days where you make $20 an hour building cars with a high school education, and can provide for a family. I'm not saying this is the way I want it -- I'm saying this is the world we live in ...
4:25 - The Romney/Giuliani fight is interesting. Like watching the Red Sox play the Yankees. Fred Thompson's questions, by contrast, seem perfunctory. Not bad, but boring. Sort of like watching the Devil Rays ...
4:24 - Rudy points out that in taking the line item veto all the way to the Supreme Court, Rudy has already beat Bill Clinton at something ...
4:22 - Rudy responds: "The line item veto was unconstitutional ... what the heck can you do about that if you're a strict Constitutionalist?"
4:21 - Romney makes a good point about the line item veto. He used it 844 times, he says. Romney also points out that Rudy fought against it all the way to the Supreme Court. This is what he sees as a clear contrast... (I strongly agree with Romney about this).
4:20 - Rudy rests on his record as NY Mayor. "I cut, I think, as many taxes as you possibly could ..."
4:18 - This debate would be better without Tancredo, Brownback and Hunter. (Ron Paul has earned his keep).
4:16 - Who is this moderator/chick Maria Bartiromo. She needs to grow a sense of humor. She is raining on my parade...
4:15 - Fred Thompson responds to Hunter: "Free and fair trade has been good for America."
4:13 - Duncan Hunter makes a good point about outsourcing to China. This is especially concerning when it comes to producing military equipment (such as tanks which used to be made in Michigan). Hunter attacks his opponents who voted for most favored trade status for China. "I would connect up the middle class of America with the Republican Party one more time."
4:11 - Chris Matthews asks Huckabee if a fair tax will hurt the economy by causing people to buy less. This is a typical Keynesian argument, and shows a lack of knowledge on fiscal issues. Sadly, Huckabee goes straight to his populist message that is essentially class warfare.
4:09 - The question is loaded. "Rich people are getting richer, blah, blah, blah, blah." Sadly, McCain answers it. Rudy would have rejected the premise. He's right about social security and medicare going broke. Go with the Straight Talk!
4:07 - Ron Paul is doing a good job of playing the populist card. I think this will work to a certain degree in Michigan, and other places, where the economy is struggling. His populist line: "Everybody doesn't suffere equally."
4:06 - Rudy makes me laugh (but nobody else, it seems), by poking fun of his NY Yankees. In response to a Chris Matthews question: "Joe Torre is the best manager in the history of the Yankees ... and he's my friend."
4:05 - Fred stumbles a bit. Romney gets the first laugh with his Jennifer Granholm joke. Let's face it, if it comes to Michigan-specific questions, he wins.
|
|
So I guess Ann's now back to being a Constitutionalist since Fred brought back memories of feckless Republicans during the impeachment hearings. And rightfully so. If perjury (a felony) doesn't qualify as a high crime, then what does?
Funny thing is that she wrote nary a word about a candidate saying he'd have to consult with his attorneys about a clear, unambiguous clause in the Constitution. That should give everyone who fancies him/herself a conservative pause... especially if said "conservative" beats the Constitution and rule of law drum.
What's particularly interesting to me is how polished Mitt's sound bites are... until you ask him a specific question about the Supreme Law of the Land. Then he gets flustered and needs legal consultation. What a capable leader!
We'll have to see if Ann ends up supporting Mitt. I guess the question is how will she negotiate her re-found love of the Constitution/rule of law vs. supporting a candidate who takes a hard line against those "camel jockeys" (her words).
Ok, back to our regularly scheduled annoying liberals. I have a bumper stick which reads "Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun." |
|
question correct.
The others all said, "Yes" with only a few minor comments about security clearance.
Only Duncan Hunter paid attention to the grisly facts that the Sleazy Middle East Sheikdom (SMES) that bought part of one of our stock exchanges helped smuggle nuclear bomb trigger parts toward that Pakistani renegade nuke scientist.
The others stood with gaping mouths and deer-in-the-headlight shock as Hunter alone stood on principle on that stock exchange question.
We have a good GOP field, far superior to the socialist/democrats.
However, only Duncan Hunter has paid attention to the issue that only a President can deal with - national security in this most dangerous age.
Matt, good job - except - the debate is much better because Duncan Hunter is in it.
Just watch the Iowa volunteer GOP grassroots. They'll turn out for Hunter.
It is a long time until those primaries. Hunter has plenty of endurance. Our camp is optimistic.
It is enduring principle over early polls. |
|
|
It was pure comedy to watch the Corporate Globalist answer questions in the tradition of "Bought and Paid For Politicians", and then Hunter, Tancredo, or Paul would respond with a common sense statement revealing themselves to be closer to the "Citizen Statesman Roll". I/e "Your mother was already a government beaurocrat postal worker that needed no union!"(Tancredo/Brownback exchange)....."Stop pandering to special intrest groups!"(Tancredo)....."It's a security issue to have manufacturing in China!"(Hunter)...I give the debate to Hunter/Tancredo/Paul for openly admitting that "ENDORSING A GLOBALIST CORPORATE GOP CANDIDATE WILL NOT HAPPEN!" The voters easily identify the difference between Politicians and Statesmen! |
|
|
As a moderator, Matthews sucked. I wouldn't allow him to moderate a high school debate team. He was as bad as the "moderators" that Fox used last time. |
|
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hr110-697
H. Res. 697: Commending Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre for establishing a National...
Commending Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre for establishing a National Football League record for most career touchdown passes, and for other purposes.
-I thought the Democratic Congress was trying to get the US out of Iraq. Instead, they're arse-kissing Brett Farve. I wonder if anyone will care.
|
|
Romney clearly established himself as the better candidate in this debate.
Romney is right on 404 Sarbanes Oxley. This provision is a gross over-reaction of congress to the Enron fiasco, and puts American businesses at a huge competitive disadvantage.
Romney is right on Line Item Veto...although this is interesting. I expected to find constructionalist justices dissenting and activist justices affirming. I found Scalia dissented, while Rehnquist & Thomas affirmed. The more liberal/activist justices were split on the decision as well. The vote was 6-3 on this issue, but that battle is certainly not over.
I still have to agree with Romney on this...no president can reign in congress' pork barrel spending without a line item veto.
Romney wins on healthcare...Rudy is grasping at straws and hoping to use the fear tactic in comparing Romneycare to Hillarycare. Romney has already distinguished this pretty well.
Romney wins on track record for tax cuts & spending...he knows the facts better than Guiliani, points out the source of Giuliani's information, and uses it against Giuliani. |
|
|
I dont think the common person knows what Sec 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley is. I only know because I work for a CPA firm, but I don't do any of those functions (luckily). |
|
It's obviously coming down to that. Fred failed to show that he has anything significant to add, and McCain seems incidental at this point.
I thought all our guys were great, excepting Paul who showed once again that he is a crank and might as well be a democrat, and Brownback who is like chalk on a blackboard. |
|
won hands down. He knew what he was taking about.
|
|
|
I heart him even more - signed, Hugh, Dean |
|
|
Thompson is holding his own against Mitt and Rudy and proving he is formidable! Nobody should underestimate Thompson. Nice job Fred! |
|
|
I thought this debate was on the Economy and Matthews starts talking about Iraq and Iran?? |
|
|
|