I think this might have been Ron Paul’s best debate. No foreign policy. And now I’d really like to hear him lecture some Occupy Wall Street kids about responsibility.
These candidates aren’t half bad. Debate after debate may just be some good prep for the guy who gets to the finish line.
Over on Twitter, where I was tonight, for better or for worse, @BuddyRoemer was showing some personality. I might not mind him as a change from Governor Huntsman in one of these next ones.
It’s hard not to get the impression that Rick Perry may have been pushed into this whole running-for-president thing by people who wanted it more than he did and may very well now regret that he gave in. He’s been a successful governor. And now he’s distracted from a job he loves. And it shows, needless to say.
Makes me ever more grateful Chris Christie made the decision he did. Ditto Paul Ryan. If your heart is not truly in it, if you do not have the drive for it . . . that’s no way to jump in.
There were long stretches where one could forget Bachmann and Santorum and Cain and even Perry -– well, until then — were there. The Newt-alternative narrative builds. And Romney gets to keep making his case about why voters, of all stripes, might have confidence in him as president.
Between Penn State and Perry’s #3, Cain may get a media break tomorrow.
I do wish Santorum would have his moment. As people keep commenting, there’s a there there and it shows, consistently. And no one has voted yet, and he is putting in a lot of work into this run, tirelessly campaigning. We’ll see.
The winner of the night was the delightfully talented young Taylor Swift, though, who just won the Country Music Awards “Entertainer of the Year” award. Who scheduled country-music awards the same night as a Republican party debate? CNBC wins for ending the debate in time for the Glen Campbell tribute.
"These candidates aren’t half bad"
You are right they are almost 50% bad which is just not good enough for a potential presidential candidate.Its shocking that given everything that's happened- the massive unemployment, the shockingly, historically bad economy,Obama's actions in general, DESPITE all of this none of the republican candidates consistently (if at all) beat Obama in nation wide or battle ground state polling- this is an indicator of just how bad the current crop of republican candidates are.
I suspect its because 2 years ago everyone assumed Obama was a shoo in for a second term so the really good, smart potential repub, candidates decided to wait out this election- leaving only the left overs from 2008 and some no hoper fill ins..
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's Obama for you. He even fails strategically.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseExcept on election day.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse>"I do wish Santorum would have his moment. As people keep commenting, there’s a there there and it shows, consistently."
What people? Not the readers of NRO as comments on other posts about Santorum loudly assert, beginning with his opportunistic endorsement of Arlen Specter over Pat Toomey. Other than his "Save the babies!" cohort, who is genuinely interested in him? No one.
The nation and the world are teetering on the brink of oblivion and you don't have to be a truce wimp like Mitch Daniels to think that perhaps the strident single-issue scolds should pipe down rather than allow Obama to be re-elected because some militant moralists didn't like that so-and-so wasn't opposing gay marriage with enough vehemence for their tastes. Because limiting marriage to just one man and one Kardashian to protect the sanctity of the institution is more important than not defaulting like Greece. Right.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCompletely agree with this- the social conservatives need to take a back seat now which is why i think Romney might be the best of a bad lot as its clear he is not really interested in the whole gods, guns, gays and abortions side show and will focus on the economy .
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYeah, the killing of unborn babies is just a "side show." I'll sit this election out if the GOP nominee feels the same way.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou are precisely the my-way-or-else voter whom I was referring to. I got into it at Red State with streiff over the same militant pro-lifer attitudes as he was slamming Cain for being pro-abortion because he'd allow it in cases of rape and incest. He was so rigid about it that I thought I was going to get banned for suggesting that a platform of forcing women to bear children against their will might not be the best for attracting independents or anyone other than Muslim extremists.
Obama has a proven anti-life track record, refusing to support providing care for babies that survive an abortion attempt, sneaking Federal funding for abortions in despite his pinkie-swear promise to not do it in exchange for ObamaCare sellout votes. ANY of the Stupid Party candidates would be a gigantic improvement in the defense of life and traditional values, but it sounds like unless they run on a platform of outlawing abortion, putting women and doctors in prison, making sure Bob and Lee on Wisteria Lane don't get married and prevent flag burning, you're going to sit on your self-righteous duff and passively support Obama's re-election by not providing a vote against him.
Yeah, that's really mature and helpful. How pro-life is it to allow your nation to be laid waste to because its economy has collapsed and cities are in nuclear rubble because instead of helping toss the feckless fascist socialists in office out, you pouted over your pet issues not being made the top priority?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm ok with making social values lower priority than other domestic issues. But that doesn't mean Romney is the best candidate.
A good, domestic economic policy will reign in the size and scope of government while freeing the markets to do their thing.
Romney has a mixed, if not horrible, record in this regard. Romneycare, MA CO2 regulations, etc. He has criticized substantive tax reform, and his tax proposals are more of the complex, loophole ridden monstrosities that we have today.
If you think that Romney will be anything other than Bush 2.0- with a further bloated government at the end of his tenure- then you are deluding yourself or on his payroll.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI guess to KLO the NRO commenters aren't "people." If there's one thing that's as imaginary as Never-Neverland it's the looming Rick Santorum surge.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDirk, don't forget the "Congress must intervene to save Terry Schiavo" gang that did so much to make sure Santorum lost by 18% in is PA senate race.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRon Paul 2012
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere's some kind of symmetry to The Band Perry taking down three CMA awards while the number three is so much crueler to Governor Perry on this evening.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseKathryn, I don't understand why you keep dragging Taylor Swift into discussions about conservative politics. What does she have to do with the conservative movement or the Republican Party? She is a commercial music artist who sells records to teen and tween girls. I don't see any political connection - we are talking about apples and oranges here. For some reason you seem to have been brainwashed into believing that Taylor represents your side in a culture war, a belief for which there is no evidence. Your political commentaries raise many good points, but I think you are mistaken on this issue.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSantorum was OK but only talks about the "social issues" these days. So not only is he several years after peaking, he didn't make lasting contributions while he had the chance, or in the "debates" and for rest of year will be thought of as the Penn State guy, hated by teen actresses & male homosexual gossip writers, and so forth.
Ron Paul was quite good this round which shows that anybody can master the "debates" with practice. Well, maybe not Perry
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRomney / Gingrich
Wouldn't you love to see Gingrich debate Biden. Plus! Gingrich shows up to all events with plate mail and a mace.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSo Perry's heart is not in it and KJL bases this on the fact the guy can't debate. Santorum who NO ONE likes is a "tireless campaigner" based on what exactly? Welcome to the KJL spin room!
Perry is done after last night. Santorum was done eight years ago.
Kathryn, please drop your Justin Bieberesqe obsession with Santorum. It's pitiful.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseKJL,
No, the real question is,
Who scheduled a GOP Presidential Debate the same night as the CMAs???
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI agree with you on Santorum, Kathryn. Watched his Q&A with the Union Leader editorial board on C-Span the night before last and he was very impressive. His long experience and conservative depth was broadly apparent and there was none of the uptightness that we keep seeing in the debates.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseOops. Scratch "was" and replace with "were."
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI was struck by the "To big to fail" segment where the Republican field displayed their zeal to break up and cap the size of corporations - this from the party who likes to toss around words like socialist and anti-business to describe the current administration.
They sing 'free markets rule' out of one side of their mouths while pandering to populist bogeymen out of the other.
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