September 5, 2007

Race 4 2008 NH GOP Debate Open Forum

Now should FDT supporters be banned from participation?

KiddingKiddingI kid because I love folks!

As always, let us vigorously but civilly debate tonight’s event -and as always, leave for the night as friends.

We had nearly 700 comments for the last debate. Of course, the big sites like Redstate had almost…oooooh, I won’t go there.

by @ 6:58 pm. Filed under Presidential Debates
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684 Responses to “Race 4 2008 NH GOP Debate Open Forum”

  1. WiseGuy Says:

    Prediction: Huckabee will dominate (he always does).

  2. cwpete Says:

    Prediction,

    Ron Paul will win the debate.

    Paul’s e-guerrillas will make sure that every poll is spammed to his advantage till he has an insurmountable lead.

    So there you have it..

  3. Brian Says:

    I suppose if the FDT supporters can keep stay level-headed in this conversation (think Fred’s ad), they can contribute to the conversation.

    Bobblehead Fred = Dean Scream?

  4. Awakened Says:

    Oh yeah, another debate. Yet more rehashed talking points. Man, am I excited. I’ll read about anything new int he NEWspapers.

  5. cwpete Says:

    I’ll really get excited when the debates narrow down to 4 or 5 candidates. Too many candidates, too little time. This entire event is primed for canned 30-second responses.

    Either way, there is not enough time to really get to know most the candidates. Perhaps that will change when the others drop out.

  6. mikey b Says:

    Can you watch the debate on the internet? If so, where?

  7. WiseGuy Says:

    You can watch on foxnews.com

  8. Brian Says:

    when are you guys going to post the Brownback St. Anselm pick? That’s a defining moment for him…

  9. JS Says:

    Brian:

    No.

    Bobblehead Fred = Wesley Clark 2004.

  10. Brian Says:

    pick = pic

  11. JS Says:

    Wow. Watching Greta Van Susteren’s pre debate show is thrilling. She’s just…sitting there looking down. Talking to someone off camera. No sound. Ooh! She played with a Sharpie! Top notch.

  12. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    How many people here believe that tonight’s debate could alter the race significantly barring some Lloyd Bentsen/Dan Quayle epic exchange?

  13. JS Says:

    To Kavon or whoever can control this:

    Can you keep the Debate Open Thread at the top of the blog? Maybe change the post time so that it stays above all these other new posts?

  14. JS Says:

    I doubt much will change because of this debate. I think there’s a very very good chance there will be a Bentsen/Quayle esque exchange though. My guess is Romney goes after Rudy and McCain gets nastier.

  15. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    JS #16,

    Nope… I was hoping that other posters would refrain from posting until the end of the debate.

  16. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Oops, sorry Kavon. Actually, I was in the process of posting before this was up.

  17. Tommy Oliver Says:

    … and didn’t notice it until I was done.

    Speaking of which, the comments section on both of those posts are closed

  18. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Do you want me to remove them until after the debate?

  19. JS Says:

    Would Tommy be able to move the timestamps of his posts back under the Open Thread?

  20. Tommy Oliver Says:

    I’ll take them down and repost them later after the debate.

  21. JayPe Says:

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295883,00.html

    Smart work in the preview by Giuliani. Avoids discussing differences with his GOP rivals and instead bashes the Dems. Correctly points out their lack of executive experience (don’t think Brownback would be too happy with that - isn’t foreign policy meant to be what matters? ;))

  22. JS Says:

    Looks like Brownback is edging towards going after Huckabee on economic issues… now that will be interesting…

  23. JayPe Says:

    Nice one Tommy

  24. JS Says:

    Wasn’t Brownback the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture or something? Lol

  25. JayPe Says:

    Also from the preview, the GOP NH chairman was obviously very unhappy iwht FDT, and predicted his absence would not be forgotten by NH voters. What do people think about this? Is FDT likely to be punished for his deliberate post-debate entrance?

  26. Tommy Oliver Says:

    They have been removed, to be reposted after the debate.

    For those who missed the one that was somewhat newsworthy.

    “Senator Thad Cochran (R-MS) endorses Thompson”

  27. JS Says:

    Is Greta a Huckabee person? She’s very complimenting of him.

  28. Tommy Oliver Says:

    JayPe,
    Possibly, I have no idea what it will happen, as Thompson’s position has not been tested in recent elections. It depends if he is planning on ceding NH and focusing specifically other early states.
    I was against him skipping the debate, but I’m not his campaign manager.

  29. Awakened Says:

    ‘Wasn’t Brownback the Kansas Secretary of Agriculture or something? Lol’

    I believe he was the Kansas head of the Institute for the Prevention of Sleeping Disorders. People who had trouble sleeping would invite Brownback over to give a speech, and everybody would sleep like a baby when his speech began.

  30. ACT Blog Says:

    I expect this debate will be much like the others, with Romney and Rudy leading the pack, and Huckabee following them in terms of performance.

    I think this is McCain’s last stand, if he can not pull off a big performance tonight, I predict he will be out within the month.

    Also, any speculation as to why Romney opted to skip the pre-debate walkthrough?

  31. cwpete Says:

    Kavon #16,

    I don’t think that there will be serious race defining event in tonights debate.

  32. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Awakened, that would be a successful program if people actually would bother to show up to see him speak.

    Anyone else mortified for him over that?

  33. The Real Sporer Says:

    Glad to be on board with you tonight over at Backroads.

    I really wish they would eliminate all rules but time limits and just have the mics lose power at 15 seconds past the answer.

    Really “Lincoln-Douglas” debate. Anyone who wants to be President should want the chance to kick some intellectuall ass.

  34. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    ACT, I saw on Fox that Romney just wanted to relax or something because he “already knew what he was going to say” and just needed to prepare himself further.

    Urhm. Whatever.

  35. cwpete Says:

    Awakened:

    Good one #33, funny. I’ve always maintained that Brownback sounds an awful lot like Al Gore.

  36. MetroRepublican Says:

    Anyone else having trouble getting Fox’s Live Stream to load?

  37. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Stepped away for a moment…

    Don’t worry about it Tommy. You don’t have to remove the posts. People will find this thread.

  38. MetroRepublican Says:

    Hmm… low speed will load for me, but high speed won’t.

  39. cwpete Says:

    “Also, any speculation as to why Romney opted to skip the pre-debate walkthrough?”

    I guess the best debaters are already prepared enough and should yield resources and time to the other candidates. You know, to help make it more fair.

    :-)

  40. cwpete Says:

    MetroRepublican:

    Their servers are probably getting slammed about now. Keep trying, but if it fails, get a TV nearby..

  41. MetroRepublican Says:

    And there we had the Fred commercial on Fox. They went ahead with the bad, head-bobbing version.

  42. cwpete Says:

    Whoa, Just saw the FDT Ad on Fox. Too bad he’s not in the debate..

  43. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Just saw the Thompson ad. It comes off a lot better on TV than on youtube.

  44. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Ooh, the Fred commercial.

    the

    FrEd cOmMeRcIaL. FredThompson

    Does formatting work here? We shall see.

  45. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Nope, formatting doesn’t work. I tried doing subscript and superscript with Fred Thompson’s name above, which would have been funny.

  46. JON Says:

    Just saw fred’s ad. still stinks. looked even worse on tv.

  47. Brian Says:

    Tommy- agreed. But it still draws attention to the fact he’s skipping the debate.

  48. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    My feed actually works great for once.

  49. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Yeah, yeah, yeah, Bill, pithy comments. Shut up so we can get to the good stuff…

  50. JON Says:

    would be sweet to have thompson in the debate. really too bad he’s not here.

  51. JS Says:

    Ouch FoxNews.com has a big article entitled “Fred’s Follies” under the video link. Punishment for blowing off their debate?

  52. ACT Blog Says:

    Saw the Fred ad, can’t remember a thing he said except “I’ll be talking about this on my website tomorrow”.

    not impressed, with the ad or the candidate

  53. Matt Says:

    I’m not expecting terribly much from this debate. I do expect someone will question Romney about his somewhat publicized “Iraq is a mess” comment earlier this week. Hopefully he’s prepared for it. Other then that, not too worried or excited. But, it’ll likely be fairly interesting.

  54. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Yessss, Brit Hume! Go Brit.

  55. Brian Says:

    “First in the Fall” - that’s a pretty far reach to try to add relevance to this debate.

  56. cwpete Says:

    I sure do like Brit Hume. I don’t think that there is a better journalist.

  57. Tommy Oliver Says:

    I wish Fox would grow a set and actually let Novak do the questioning.

  58. JON Says:

    wow, what a jab.

  59. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    “Campaigns should be about more than thirty-second spots.”

    Uh…a dig at his own event?

  60. ACT Blog Says:

    was that statement by the NH GOP guy a swipe at Fred?

  61. JS Says:

    OUCH!!! Painful words from NH GOP chair.

  62. Matt in Boston Says:

    Mr. Collin: 1
    Fred Thompson: Zip

  63. JS Says:

    ACT, definitely.

  64. Matt Says:

    Also, I’d expect some awkward “what do you think about Michigan and Wyoming moving up?” questions. That could have potentially serious ramifications.

  65. Brian Says:

    Sam looks like he had a late night last night…

  66. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Tom Tancredo … Paul … Hunter … RUDY. Ru-dy! Ru-dy! Ru-dy! … Willard … McCain gets nice applause … Brownback gets applause from the six people who attended his speech last night … and The Man Who Built The Wall.

  67. JS Says:

    I like how Rudy, Romney, and McCain all raised their eyes and smirked, as if they were blown away by how much applause they got. Lol

  68. JON Says:

    already after thompson. brit looks mad at him.

  69. cwpete Says:

    yeah, the first question on FDT. That’s retribution baby!

  70. Brian Says:

    Brit hits a home run on the first pitch

  71. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Huckabee was scheduled for Leno? Was he? Really?

  72. MetroRepublican Says:

    Huck line wasn’t funny, surprisingly.

  73. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Huck rules…

  74. JS Says:

    Huckabee, always with the good jokes.

  75. WiseGuy Says:

    Huckabee scores!!!

  76. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Thompson is from Lawrenceburg, not Nashville.

  77. JS Says:

    TLG, Nah, just a joke.

  78. MetroRepublican Says:

    McCain’s line was much funnier!

  79. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Paul still seems so unpolished. In every debate, he’s become so spastic.

    McCain … ouch! Hahaha.

    They’re beating up on Bobblehead Fred, they are!

  80. JON Says:

    Huckabee looks like he is going to wet himself he is so happy to get that question.

  81. Matt Says:

    Well, that didn’t take long.

  82. Brian Says:

    Huckabee could have been sharper on Fred than that. It was a chance to squash Fred before the race starts.

  83. JS Says:

    Great joke, McCain! Did I miss something? Is this SNL?

  84. WiseGuy Says:

    McCain scores!!! “Past his bedtime”

  85. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    80 — What a lame joke, though!

  86. MetroRepublican Says:

    Romney reuses old joke.

  87. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Another thing about McCain — he downplayed his own age at the same time. So that was good.

    Romney: Elect me because I like to campaign!

  88. cwpete Says:

    Wow, for once I disagree with Romney, he says the FDT will bring “vigor” to the race.

  89. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Hahaha! Score one, Rudy! I like that.

  90. JS Says:

    Metro, I noticed the Romney rehash. McCain’s joke was excellent.

  91. JON Says:

    guliani’s delivery of his jab was lackluster. but good point.

  92. JS Says:

    Nice one for Rudy too. These guys are on the ball tonight!

  93. Michael Lawrence Says:

    Hey, can someone post the link to the streaming video feed on Foxnews.com (NOT the one with the “peoplemeter” - it won’t play on my computer for some reason).

  94. MetroRepublican Says:

    Rudy does a nice jab that’s funny, friendly, and highlights his own experience.

  95. ACT Blog Says:

    Romney should not be playing so nice with Thompson, about the last thing Thompson is going to bring into this race is vigor.

  96. JON Says:

    I think mccain’s jab was by far the best.

  97. Brian Says:

    Rudy was classy and strong.

  98. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Rudy’s my man.

    Here comes a chance for Rudy to clarify the illegal immigration issue…hope he gets a question about it. Or that Mitt says something about him here so he can reply.

  99. JS Says:

    Rudy’s the frontrunner.

  100. WiseGuy Says:

    Giuliani gives the best Fred answer! Wow!

  101. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Rudy wins the Thompson question IMHO.

  102. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Rudy had better get to reply to this.

  103. Michael Lawrence Says:

    URL For the streaming feed PLZ!!

  104. MetroRepublican Says:

    Michael, see #24.

  105. ACT Blog Says:

    Score one for Romney.

    Rudy is dodging the question.

  106. Matt Says:

    I think Romney needs to cool his attacks on Rudy on immigration. His record is superior to be sure, but not terribly spectacular.

  107. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Rudy had that answer all ready. Very good. Wish he’d said something about appealing to the INS, though.

  108. MetroRepublican Says:

    Rudy didn’t get to all the points needs to make.

  109. Brian Says:

    McCain showing a pulse tonight.

  110. ilfigo Says:

    Romney gets hurt for ddging questions and now in trouble for answering the specific ?

  111. cwpete Says:

    Rudy got his chance to reply, he dodged the question. He did not explain why he welcomed and encouraged to come to NYC. He said that he wanted them in NYC.

    He needed more time to explain himself. He came off bad & a bit flustered. He should have saw this coming after Romney’s question.

  112. ilfigo Says:

    Romney leads in NH and 2 attacks on him!

  113. Tommy Oliver Says:

    “With these 11 million people [here illegally], let’s have them registered, know who they are….those that are here paying taxes and not taking government benefits should begin a process towards application for citizenship.”
    Lowell Sun, 3/30/06

    -Romney

  114. JON Says:

    chris wallace has it out for romney

  115. JS Says:

    Rudy made the strongest points, but I wish he would have had time to respond directly to his quote about “we want you in our city”

  116. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Micheal,

    Go into the politics section on Foxnews.com and you will see the link.

  117. DaveG Says:

    I’ve seen one too many debates between this field. I’d prefer to see one involving only Rudy, Romney, Fred, McCain, and Huckabee.

  118. JON Says:

    what a softball, ‘is the governor playing politics”

  119. MetroRepublican Says:

    Nice one, Tommy.

  120. cwpete Says:

    The Immigration issues as totally sunk McCain.

  121. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Boring candidate is boring.

    John McCain, that is.

  122. ilfigo Says:

    Tommy…key is begin process…not automatically gete amnesty!

  123. Matt Says:

    Kavon,

    Rudy’s answer was reasonable, but there was virtually no applause. Mitt got quite a bit of applause. Rudy answered the question deftly, but there’s simply no way to come out “ahead” in a Republican debate defending sanctuary cities.

  124. ACT Blog Says:

    Romney should have been allowed to defend his record from McCain - like Rudy had the opportunity to defend against Romney.

  125. JS Says:

    Man, our guys are drawing blood this time! Wasting no time.

  126. ACT Blog Says:

    Huckabee needs to get his own line.

  127. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    oh, and as for Rudy’s quote from 1994 — isn’t that the year that Romney supporters like to say is irrelevant..?

  128. JS Says:

    Huckabee’s answer is kind of rambling… he’s not on his top game tonight…

  129. MetroRepublican Says:

    Great answer by Huck.

  130. Matt Says:

    Huckabee stole Newt’s line. Not a terribly cohesive answer all in all though.

  131. Brian Says:

    I love Huck, but comparing packages (who have no will) to people (who do have a will) seems like an illustration that doesn’t work

  132. MetroRepublican Says:

    The end was great.

  133. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    I love Huck. Absolutely love him. However, he has perhaps made the biggest flip-flop of any candidate on the immigration issue. Let’s be honest.

  134. Scott Says:

    Huck borrowing from Newt.

  135. JS Says:

    Ok, so now Huckabee’s the fiscal liberal, weak on terror, weak on immigration social conservative candidate.

  136. cwpete Says:

    Tommy #116,

    Romney’s position is still that. I happen to agree with that position. Identify, locate, document, then begin the process at the end of the line - not the front.

  137. MellowFellow Says:

    mean spirit?

  138. Brian Says:

    Tancredo very impressive, calling out Huck on immigration

  139. Matt Says:

    Wow, that’s the most animated I’ve ever seen Tancredo.

  140. MetroRepublican Says:

    Tancredo really getting his schtick across this time.

  141. ilfigo Says:

    I think Huck will first stop obesity, then put barcodes on the illegals so FedEX can keep track of them

  142. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Yes! Hunter built that border fence!

  143. JS Says:

    Tancredo’s doing better this time. Less stuttering, more concise speaking. His time on the campaign trail’s probably been helping him.

  144. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    This question is a softball to Hunter.

  145. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    I’m sick of that line about the “scraggly little fence on CNN.” Aye. It’s like McCain and the drunken sailor story.

  146. ilfigo Says:

    clever line for Hunter!!

  147. Tommy Oliver Says:

    “OK, then why would you turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants invading our country and coming in and basically breaking our laws?’ the caller asked.

    Huckabee said that he wasn’t, and that he believes illegal aliens who try to vote or try to apply for welfare benefits should be arrested.

    “If they’re caught as illegal aliens, I don’t have any problem with sending them back,” Huckabee said.

    But the governor did not back down on his positions in support of certain benefits for the children of illegal aliens, such as allowing prenatal care for pregnant immigrants and his proposal to offer scholarships to undocumented children who graduate from an Arkansas high school.

    He also criticized Senate Bill 206 by Sen. Jim Holt, R-Springdale, that would impose new restrictions on illegal immigrants in Arkansas. The governor’s comments were in response to a caller who expressed concern about the bill’s effect on plans for a Mexican consulate’s office in Little Rock.

    “I don’t think that bill is going to pass,” Huckabee said. “If it were to pass, it might have an impact but … the impact would be greater than even the Mexican consulate.”

    He said the bill could hurt the state’s ability to recruit industries based in countries outside the U.S., such as Toyota or Nestle, a Swiss company.

    http://www.arkansasnews.com 03-02-05

  148. JON Says:

    boring. hunter could be so great, but he is so uncharismatic.

  149. MellowFellow Says:

    Man, it sounds like you guys are ahead of me in the stream…

  150. Scott Says:

    TLG He said it again and it’s a huge fence!

  151. JS Says:

    I agree with Hunter, but Hunter’s not really addressing the claims that it’s impractical to maintain a fence in the middle of the desert.

  152. cwpete Says:

    Hunter is too low in the polls to go after. Besides, most like the guy - they just don’t support him.

  153. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    I should say that I love Hunter’s gusto on this issue.

  154. MetroRepublican Says:

    Mellow, Fox Cable is at least 15 sec ahead of the stream.

  155. cwpete Says:

    Matthew:

    “Want a GOP debate liveblog?”

    Just what do you think this? We have one already..

  156. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Rudy’s nice and polished tonight. Best of his debates so far.

  157. Brian Says:

    #153- how could it beat the commentary here?

  158. ACT Blog Says:

    That comes from the process of uploading the video to the server, then having it streamed to the computers of individuals.

  159. Brian Says:

    I love Carl Cameron, but this restaurant thing makes me want to see the YouTube snowman come back as the gimmick….

  160. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    I may repeat this each and every time McCain speaks: Boring candidate is boring.

  161. ilfigo Says:

    McCain nice use of webster!!

  162. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Brian #160,

    Thanks Man!

  163. ACT Blog Says:

    So Far:

    Romney
    Rudy
    Tancredo
    McCain
    Huckabee

  164. JS Says:

    TLG, Rudy’s very polished and on top of his game tonight, he just needs to hook the emotions and shoot the zingers so he can get headlines tomorrow morning. It’s sad that having a polished performance isn’t enough to “win” a debate, but that’s how it works. =\

  165. ilfigo Says:

    I agree ACT…way to go Romney against the Z Visa

  166. JS Says:

    Romney just attracted Hunter’s ire.

  167. Brian Says:

    Brownback is getting muted- I love this!

  168. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    McCain is a little off his game so far. He’ll pick it up.

  169. JS Says:

    The Craig question!

  170. Brian Says:

    zzzzzzzzzz someone shake my cage in about 45 seconds when he is done

  171. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    What is with Brownback’s hair!?!?

  172. cwpete Says:

    Romney did get a few jabs in on Rudy there. I don’t think Rudy can run or defend his prior position there on immigration & sanctuary cities.

  173. JON Says:

    booooorrrrrinnnngggggg

  174. JS Says:

    TLG: Brownback is growing a fro?

  175. JS Says:

    He just needs a little hair pick in there.

  176. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Ugh…. Rudy should have been allowed to respond to Romney’s half truths and mischaracterizations.

  177. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Go Dunc! :)

  178. JON Says:

    nice dig hunter!

  179. ACT Blog Says:

    Brownback is right on Social Issues, but his position on Iraq is too much for me to tolerate.

  180. ilfigo Says:

    Thats 2 good lines for Hunter!

  181. cwpete Says:

    This is what I mean. I’m all for “families” as Brownback states. He just comes of like a loon.

    Conservatism needs someone who can articulate & defend their positions in such a way that they don’t come off like Brownback does.

  182. Tommy Oliver Says:

    ACT,
    Have you ever said Romney wasn’t in first?

  183. JS Says:

    Rudy makes good points about practical reasons for offering basic social services to illegals, but he needs to better explain the “We want you” quote.

  184. MellowFellow Says:

    Brownback is the world’s most uninspiring human.

  185. ilfigo Says:

    nice jab vs. Giuliani

  186. DaveG Says:

    Romney sounds like Bush 2000 on abortion.

  187. Brian Says:

    Is it the government’s job to build families, or parents and churches?

  188. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Rudy, on that quote, JS, should say that he’s come around on the issue, just like how Romney’s changed his views since his 1994 debate.

  189. MetroRepublican Says:

    Thank you, Brian.

  190. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Good answer by Romney. His delivery seemed rehearsed though.

  191. ilfigo Says:

    Excellent job by Romney..shows concern for woman as well

  192. JON Says:

    i don’t think romney did well with that question. he looked nervous and didn’t do well on that question.

  193. Matt Says:

    The first 45 seconds of Romney’s answer was excellent. The last 20 was fairly awful. The hearts and minds line recalls Bush. And he shouldn’t be using the “there’s two lives involved here” line until after the primaries.

  194. cwpete Says:

    Tommy,

    They are all rehearsed.

  195. ACT Blog Says:

    “Romney sounds like Bush 2000 on abortion.”

    Yes, he does - because he is right, and Bush was right, we have to work to change hearts and minds in order to ban abortion.

    “Is it the government’s job to build families, or parents and churches?”

    Its the Government’s job to help strengthen the nation - and a strong nation requires strong families.

    Nice of Huckabee to take the high road.

  196. Brian Says:

    Where has the Huckabee whole life pro-life argument been my whole adult life? It’s very compelling.

  197. Matt Says:

    Huckabee is definitely off tonight.

  198. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Ugh…. Romney once again shows why he’s the nominee for the 2000 version of the Republican Party.

  199. ilfigo Says:

    Was Romney the mayor of Boston….

  200. DaveG Says:

    Rudy does a good job of refuting anecdotes with facts.

  201. JS Says:

    Rudy jabs Romney. Even looks directly at him.

  202. cwpete Says:

    Woah,

    Rudy getting called out on his social liberalism some. He answered the gun control question much better than the sanctuary city question.

    By the way, I think the make-up guy did a poor job on Rudy.

  203. JON Says:

    i agree with matt

    and rudy’s jab was weak. romney wasn’t even elected in 2000

  204. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Another good, polished answer from Rudy.

  205. Brian Says:

    Huckabee’s biggest problem (besides current polling numbers) is that very little of what he says now is fresh. It sounds like stuff he thought up while he was governor, and that he’s used almost all of it up.

  206. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Brian,
    Huckabee doesn’t support prosecuting mothers. I happen to agree with him, but those are his words.

  207. MetroRepublican Says:

    I didn’t think it was a jab. I just think he looked at him because of the association.

  208. JS Says:

    Good answer by Rudy.

  209. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    But yes, Jon is right — trying to use Boston as a counterexample as a jab at Romney struck me as weird for that reason.

  210. Tom Says:

    199 - It was Brownback’s argument. As much as you might not like him, at least give him the credit for bringing “pro-life whole-life” to the main stage. The county is better off because of it.

  211. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Paul: “I has a pen! See? See? See!?”

  212. Patrick Says:

    I didn’t like Guiliani’s gun answer.

  213. ACT Blog Says:

    “Ugh…. Romney once again shows why he’s the nominee for the 2000 version of the Republican Party.”

    Which is…? A party that wants to protect life? Sorry Kavon, but 60%+ of the GOP opposes abortion, and those who support it likely rank it low on the priority list.

  214. Tommy Oliver Says:

    (Enter Twilight Zone theme)

  215. cwpete Says:

    I guess that Paul is for deregulation of Airline security.

  216. JON Says:

    good point ron paul. i agree

  217. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    People who haul around money in armored trucks?

    Who the — ? How odd.

    Probably a Paul supporter.

  218. JS Says:

    Doesn’t discharing a firearm in an airplane depressurize the cabin…? I never understood that quote by Ron Paul.

  219. cwpete Says:

    What bugs me about Paul is that he sounds like a liberal - what I mean that is when he gets going, he whines. His voice raises and he talks fast. He whines..

  220. JON Says:

    hate this cutting to the cafe idea.

  221. Matt Says:

    Good answer by Paul.

  222. MetroRepublican Says:

    Yay– applause!

  223. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    “Which is…? A party that wants to protect life? Sorry Kavon, but 60%+ of the GOP opposes abortion, and those who support it likely rank it low on the priority list.”

    Thankfully, Rudy doesn’t need sixty percent of the vote to win, and not all of that sixty percent will refuse to support Rudy for it.

  224. Brian Says:

    Sad response from UNH crowd, booing Brownback. You can dislike the guy for his boringness, but don’t be so rude.

  225. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    The marriage rates have plummeted — GOOD. We need more SERIOUS marriages, not as many marriages as possible, Senator Brownfro.

    Was glad to hear some support for gay marriage in the room.

  226. JON Says:

    brownback is right but boring and ANNOYING.

    whiny, whiny. one candidate issue. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

  227. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    A commercial break!? What is this, a cable network?

  228. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Agree with Brian. On the other side though, he sure does like BIG government.

  229. Brian Says:

    I’m gonna hit the can brb

  230. ACT Blog Says:

    “Yay– applause!”

    ..for both positions.

    I myself, even as a supporter of traditional marriage, would rather not see us have to resort to a Constitutional amendment, but, when you have people like the MASS supreme court going forcing Gay marriage on the population, what choice do you have?

  231. Matt Says:

    Brownback always sounds like the essence of a Theocrat. Romney can pull almost pull off those treacly family values cliches. As can Huckabee. Brownback doesn’t even come close.

  232. cwpete Says:

    These are good commercials. Supporting of the war etc..

  233. cwpete Says:

    “I’m gonna hit the can brb”

    Thanks for sharing that one.

  234. ACT Blog Says:

    TLG - I think his point was more about the children being born out of wedlock than the marriage point.

  235. JON Says:

    ’senator brownfro” HILARIOUS!

  236. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    ACT Blog, ironically, a solid majority of Massachusetts citizens now support it. So it isn’t really force.

  237. Tom Says:

    229 - Brownback is keeping the pro-life and pro-marriage message of the party in the party’s platform. You might not like his personality, but try to at least appreciate what he has done in this race: working to ensure that the party stays pro-life.

  238. Matt Says:

    So far:

    1. Rudy
    2. Romney
    3. Hunter
    4. McCain
    5-8. meh

  239. MetroRepublican Says:

    What choice do you have? The first Constitutional Amendment DISenfranchising Americans, rather than extending rights?

    I don’t think so. Too many Republican families have gay members, and they encourage them to find a life partner, i.e., to be married.

  240. Tommy Oliver Says:

    Hannity: “You can vote on who won tonight”

    Announcement (PeeWee’s Big Adventure style): Paging Dr. Paul. Paging Dr. Paul

  241. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Matt #241,

    Really? Why Rudy over Romney at this point?

  242. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Boring candidate is still boring.

  243. ACT Blog Says:

    Just listening to McCain, I think his tone is more appropriate for a funeral eulegy than a Presidential debate.

  244. JS Says:

    McCain is REALLY uncomfortable attacking Rudy..

  245. JON Says:

    Yeah, we know mccain. alright. next.

  246. Brian Says:

    I don’t see anyone running away with this thing yet.

  247. cwpete Says:

    Yes, ACT - McCain sounding very somber there..

  248. JON Says:

    actually a good point by mccain. if i were him i would continue to pound on that.

  249. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Rudy: “I want McCain’s support after he drops out!”

  250. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    McCain really didn’t touch Rudy’s creds though you’ll notice.

  251. Matt Says:

    Nice McCain answer.

    Kavon,

    Romney hasn’t had any terribly impressive answers. Solid, but nothing spectacular. Rudy has been really pretty clear and cogent all night. He seems more comfortable.

  252. JON Says:

    guliani, 9 on othe 0 to 10 sunlass tanning lotion scale.

  253. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    Uhh, that isn’t what George Will said. But, oh well. Just speaking too quickly, I guess.

  254. JS Says:

    NICE answer, Rudy. NICE.

  255. econ grad stud Says:

    Giuliani fibbed. He’s only running because of 911. Take 911 away and there’s no way a pro-abortion, pro gay unions candidate is considered for the Republican nomination.

  256. Emtee Says:

    Hey, I’m a Romney supporter too, but there’s some people on here that give us all a bad name when they just throw frivolous attacks out at every other non-Romney candidate.

  257. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    Yeah… I think Hizzoner discovered self-tanner.

  258. Tommy Oliver Says:

    TLG,
    George Will is the same guy who told Reagan that Springsteen would support him.

  259. JON Says:

    good answer by romney

  260. ACT Blog Says:

    This is likely to be another debate where Rudy and Romney come away smiling, which is how it should be, the two strongest candidates (though I disagree with Rudy on social issues, I don’t deny that he is a strong candidate) sharing a win. Keep in mind, any time Romney does as well as those polling above him - its a win for Romney.

  261. JS Says:

    TLG, “most successful episode of conservative governance” is what he meant, not “most conservative episode of governance,” but I think people get the point: He’s a damn good conservative leader.

  262. cwpete Says:

    How can anyone not like Romney’s answer on the surge?

  263. MetroRepublican Says:

    Rudy was just on a weeklong vacation.

    Moderator slams Romney, saying Hillary is to his right on Iraq!

  264. Psycheout Says:

    The PeopleMeter on the Fox News stream is pretty interesting.

  265. Matt Says:

    Excellent answer by Romney. His first strong answer of the night.

  266. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    There’s some fiery words from McCain! “No, not ‘apparently.’” I like.

  267. JON Says:

    mccain got romney on that one.

  268. MetroRepublican Says:

    cwpete, because there is no gravitas to the answer.

  269. JS Says:

    econ #258: No, Rudy’s NOT running on 9/11. Look at his campaign message. It’s not about 9/11. It’s about national security and fiscal discipline. True, 9/11 thrust Rudy into the spotlight and he might not have gotten as much attention if not for 9/11, but Rudy is NOT running on 9/11.

  270. ACT Blog Says:

    McCain comes accross as too edgy and jumpy - too quick to take offense at statements that say the same thing he does.

  271. Tommy Oliver Says:

    I agree with McCain on this answer. He’s right. There’s no ‘apparent’ about it. We cannot let the nuts takeover and let Iraq be worse off.

  272. ThatLibertarianGuy Says:

    What a great answer from McCain! Finally, something good from him.

  273. Kavon W. Nikrad Says:

    FINALLY McCain comes to life defending The Surge!

  274. Matt Says:

    Better answer by McCain. I’d tend to agree that Romney is too mealy-mouthed on Iraq. The surge is clearly succeeding militarily. There’s no particular reason Romney should continue to stick by his “apparently” modifier.

  275. JS Says:

    Romney got hurt by that one.

  276. Tommy Oliver Says: