Drunkblogging the Republican Primary Debate
4:36PM What an auspicious beginning to tonight’s debate — CNN is talking to totally disinterested David Axelrod to give his opinions of the GOP candidates. I suppose CNN’s rationale is that Axelrod no longer works in the White House, having gone back to Chicago to run Obama’s reelection campaign.
I need a drink. Oh, wait — lookie here.
4:40PM And now, a riddle.
Q: How do you tell the difference between CNN and MSNBC?
A: One makes you wish it made you laugh.
4:42PM Tonight’s drunkblog is brought to you by A Big Bucket of Scotch.
(No, I don’t always drink vodka. Did the Galloping Gourmet always gallop?)
4:44PM Overheard: “Newt needs to prove he has a campaign.” Heh. On PJTV a few minutes ago, I announced my candidacy for the GOP nomination. And then I announced my withdrawal from consideration. And in so doing, I had as much impact on the race as Newt.
4:51PM So Mittens is the frontrunner, which should make him a target. But he’s a weak frontrunner, not much beloved by anyone — and the Tea Party remains deeply suspicious. And with good reason.
But — if the other contenders spend too much time attacking Mittens (I’m thinking here of T-Paw) they risk making him appear even more of a frontrunner.
4:51PM Here come the introductions…
4:52PM Lilly white podiums. What is the set dresser trying to tell us?
4:52PM Waiting to hear how many Ronulans are stacked in the audience.
4:53PM Solid applause throughout all seven intros. Can’t pick a crowd favorite yet.
4:54PM My lovely bride just ordered pizza and offered to bring it downstairs to the studio for me. Drunkblogging is a team effort, folks — don’t do it alone.
4:59PM It’s fun watching David Gergen discuss conservative politics with Wolf Blitzer and Gloria Borger (?). It’s like watching three eunuchs talk about sex.
5:00PM OK, here we go.
5:01PM CNN has hired a large tree to conduct the debate. I think it’s called John King. Is that deciduous?
5:02PM Michele Bachmann’s goal tonight is to avoid gaffes. Newt Gingrich’s goal is to sell some books or something.
5:03PM Give Mitt the credit he deserves: During his little intro he sounded 13% less robotlike.
5:04PM Everybody is talking about their tons of kids. I half expected Tim Pawlenty to pull out his wallet and show photos, since he only has the two.
5:04PM “It’s about those grandkids.” -Herman Cain. I’m sensing a theme. #ForTheChildren
5:05PM “No bell, no whistles, no charisma.” That’s John King’s promise to you.
5:06PM Questions from the audience? What am I doing here in my basement? Anyway, first question from man with cool accent: What would Cain do to create jobs?
5:06PM “The administration has been putting all this money in the caboose.” I wish Cain had said “Up the yin-yang.”
5:07PM Santorum always looks to me like he’s speaking with a bit in his mouth. It’s distracting, even though he’s solid on economic stuff.
5:08PM T-Paw: “This president is a declinist… we’re not Greece, we’re not Portugal.”
5:10PM Romney: “Tim has the right instincts… ” Ah! Mitt is baiting T-Paw into dropping the Obamneycare stuff, at least for the night. I hope he’ll take the bait, too. Obama is now the pincushion — as he should be.
5:11PM First question for Newt: So, tell us about the book. And: Let’s roll the clip.
5:11PM Bachmann is handling her first question with… an announcement that she’s a candidate. That’s a little odd.
5:13PM Paul: “There’s nothing wrong with setting a goal [for big growth] if you have a free market economy.”
I love this man. And I will until the end of time. Or until he starts squawking like a chicken in a range only dogs can hear. Whichever comes first.
5:14PM 50 Helens Want to Know… er, Silvia Smith has a question on defunding and repealing Obamacare.
5:15PM Bachmann: “I will not rest until I repeal Obamacare.” It’s a great line, but the question remains: Does she need to be president to do that? She’s great in the House, but has yet to make the argument for the big promotion.
5:15PM Dear GOP: Every time you attack Obamacare by defending Medicare, you lose the overall debate. And you kill a little bit of my soul.
5:16PM Mitt: “I will grant a waiver to all 50 states for Obamacare.” Even before he signs the repeal. And then he defends Romneycare with the same-old-same-old. He’s opening himself back up to attack.
5:17PM Nice. T-Paw turned the Obamneycare question around and deflected it back to Obama.
5:18PM T-Paw is getting cornered by John Tree on the Obamney care remark. Deftly handled, but the fireworks-seeking press will keep making an issue of it.
5:19PM Mitt to Obama: “You should have given me a call” to find out what worked and didn’t on Romneycare.
Well done, Mittens.
5:20PM Newt: My latest book is available at Borders, and in electronic format on Amazon’s Kindle store.
5:21PM Audience guy: “I’m not libertarian, I’m not tea party, I’m just a run of the mill Republican.” Win my vote, he asks. That’s the question of the whole night, really.
5:22PM Santorum: Remember when I used to get stuff almost done?
5:23PM Bachmann: Working on selling the Tea Party to our Mainstream GOP guy. Is THAT her reason for seeking the White House? It’s not a bad one, and I’m glad I’ve heard it now.
5:23PM Bachmann: “President Obama is a one term president!” My wife hates it when I watch hot videos on the computer.
5:24PM Cain: “As a businessman… ” That might be the most refreshing phrase you’ll hear this entire race.
5:25PM Audience Guy: How to return manufacturing jobs to the US?
5:26PM Paul: “You need a strong currency” to attract manufacturing jobs. Newt is nodding in the background. In politics, we call that “The kiss of death.”
5:27PM Oh, crap — T-Paw just used the phrase “fair trade.” Is he looking for union money?
5:29PM Bachmann: She wants to sign “The mother of all repeal bills,” starting with the EPA.
5:30PM Reporter to T-Paw: Would you support a federal right to work law? Short answer: Hell, YES!
I take back my thing about the union money.
5:31PM Similar question to Newt, who says: “Don’t miss the premiere of my latest film, screening now all over New England.”
5:32PM Commercial break, and my cocktail is empty. Coincidence?
5:34PM Santorum would take Leno over Conan?
I knew I hated him for a perfectly silly reason.
5:37PM Bachmann — Johnny Cash or Elvis? Both! I heart her.
5:38PM Question to Paul: What gov’t assistance to private enterprise?
Paul: None!
5:38PM Paul is surrounded on both sides by Romney and Santorum. Now he knows how I feel in the center square on Trifecta between Scott Ott and Bill Whittle.
5:39PM Cain: I was for TARP before I was against it.
Did I hear that right?
5:40PM Was the bailout a success? Romney: No. Wasted money.
The real problem is deeper. Bailout money HURT Chrysler and GM. They’d be leaner and meaner today without government money and that mock-Chapter 11 proceeding.
5:42PM Mitt is hitting it out of the park on the auto bailouts. Here’s my question: Does anyone care?
5:43PM A candidate needs to fill a slot to have a chance. They need to occupy a niche. Santorum’s seems to be “Mitt Lite.” The problem with that is, nobody really likes Miller Lite — much less Miller Lite Lite.
5:44PM Newt: NASA is a case study in some things I wrote about in another of my books, which you can find on remainder shelves all across the nation.
5:45PM T-Paw: Is unfocused on the space program.
Here’s T-Paw’s problem. He’s not charismatic, so he has to be the guy with the specifics. Can you name one of his tonight?
5:47PM T-Paw: “Get the economy moving… [Obama's] way failed.” There hasn’t been nearly enough anti-Obama stuff tonight, real red meat for the audience.
Where’s the beef?
5:48PM Paul: “Corrections are good.” He’s right, of course — which is why he’ll be made to pay for saying it.
5:51PM Oh, boy — decent answer from Mitt on Federalism and disaster relief. And, like Paul, he’ll get crucified by the liberal media for it. “You want babies and old people and dogs to die in global warming tornado floods!”
5:53PM Paul: Blackberry over iPhone.
Philistine.
5:55PM NH Family Doctor Guy: As a selfish, grabby Baby Boomer, I want to know where’s my money for my thirty-years-of-constant-weekends-retirement you promised me? [STOMPS FOOT]
5:55PM Paul: “Why can’t we opt out of the whole system and take care of ourselves?”
5:56PM Because, Dr. Paul, they have the guns. #kthnxbai
5:57PM T-Paw: “I’ll lead on this issue.” But I can’t remember what it was.
5:58PM Newt: I didn’t throw Paul Ryan under the bus, and don’t let the tire track on his back tell you any different. Also, my latest book is on sale, for one day only, at B&N and other fine booksellers.
5:59PM New Hampshire appears to be full of white people. Racists.
6:00PM Cain: “You’re not going to get most of the money you put into Medicare.”
More like that, please.
6:02PM Be specific about Social Security, because we’re not done scaring old people.
Cain: “I support a personal retirement account option.” Like they have in Chil-LAY, he says. What do they have in PAH-e-stahn?
6:03PM Mitt: “We want to see a President [do a whole bunch of stuff.]” You should have put the period after the word “President.”
6:05PM Bachmann: “I’ve already voted no on raising the debt ceiling.” And then back on the attack Obama — but her answer is awkward. I don’t think the scotch is the only reason she sounds so haphazard.
6:06PM Question: What’s your definition of the separation of church and state?
6:07PM T-Paw: Generic “creator” language, perfect for not offending happy agnostics like myself.
6:07PM Santorum: Cribbed a line from Arthur C Clarke, but I doubt he knows it.
6:08PM Paul: “I think faith has something to do with… character.” It’s a fine Philosophy 101 answer. Which is most of his answers. Which is why he won’t be President.
6:09PM Cain: I don’t like people who want to kill me.
Me, neither.
6:13PM Newt: “If you’re not prepared to be loyal to the US, you’re not prepared to serve in my administration.”
Great line. Newt has tons of those. What he doesn’t have is a gummi bear’s chance in a garbage disposal of becoming president.
6:17PM Mitt: Spicy wings over mild. Also: Bruins up 4-0.
Is Mitt coming across as… human?
6:18PM Question: Why do you hate the gays?
6:18PM Bachmann: “I believe marriage is between a man and a woman.” Others disagree. Why get the state involved at all?
6:19PM T-Paw: Would amend the constitution to bar gay marriage.
6:20PM T-Paw is losing luster, which is a bit like me losing sobriety.
6:21PM Cain: “Don’t ask don’t tell” talk is a distraction.
6:22PM Mitt: “We ought to be talking about the economy and jobs.” We’ll hear that a lot between now and whenever.
6:23PM Santorum: Wants a system of discipline.
Careful, Rick — Some of my gay friends might like that.
6:25PM Mitt has somebody new doing his gray streaks — much more natural than they used to be.
6:26PM Question: Where’s Gary Johnson tonight? Remember how I said each candidate needs a niche? Tonight, the Principled Geeky Libertarian Slot is being filled by Ron Paul.
6:28PM Santorum: States can’t be required to care for illegals.
6:30PM Paul: “There was a time we didn’t look to government to take care of everything.”
One way or another — the hard way or the really flippin’ hard way — that time is coming back.
6:30PM Hang on. My cocktail seems to have evaporated again.
6:32PM T-Paw: Reinforcing the border!
6:33PM Point of interest here: T-Paw says birthright citizenship is due to a Supreme Court decision. But doesn’t the 14th Amendmen mention citizens “born or naturalized?”
6:34PM Newt’s running the bases here on border control. Newt IS the Big Idea Guy. But do expect him to implode at least two more times before flaming out.
6:35PM Ron Paul listens to questions the way a feral cat looks a dead rat.
6:37PM Everybody hates Kelo! This is why GOP debates are 26% less frustrating than Democratic debates, where the arguments revolve around who has the best reason to screw you out of your stuff.
6:40PM T-Paw is winning me back with his strong stand for Coke over that sickly-sweet imitator.
6:42PM Foreign policy time. Pretty sure the official media questions will center around: Who wants to bomb the most brown people?
6:42PM Navy vet: Time to come home from Afghanistan?
6:43PM Mitt: Yes. Unless the generals tell me differently. And also I love vets, especially when I bring them home in accordance with our legitimate security needs so long as it isn’t nation building. And that’s how I spent my summer vacation.
6:43PM Paul: Bring’em home.
6:44PM Brazil, they’ve joked for decades, is always the next superpower. I’m starting to think T-Paw is always the next great GOP hope.
6:46PM Bachmann: Bombing Libya is not in our interest.
But Reagan did it!
I kid, of course. I think I was quoting Obama in the above line.
6:47PM Bachmann: “We deferred leadership to France. That’s all you need to know.”
The more you know… the less you care. (Cue NBC chimes.)
6:48PM Is price tag a factor in national security? Is John Tree trying to put the heartless, gay-hating Republicans in their old “green eyeshades” mode?
6:49PM Cain: Three-part national security test. His grandmother used to say, “It’s a mess, an absolute mess.”
I dread to ask what she said that about.
6:50PM Truck Driver Guy: I have no idea what he just asked. Can we get a professional moderator, please? Although I’d take Truck Driver Guy over John Tree any time.
6:51PM Dear Mr. Santorum: Please put that thumb away. You don’t know where it’s been.
6:52PM Cadillac: Using Obama bailout money to sponsor GOP debate on Republican-hating CNN!
Dude. That’s worth a shot right there.
6:55PM “Closing moment.” The prettiest thing John Tree has ever said.
6:55PM Cain: “I think they’re going to find this is a good field of candidates.”
6:56PM First debate of the season, and Tree is asking about running mates? Bring back Truck Driver Guy. Please.
6:57PM Mitt: Anyone on this stage would be a better President than Obama. Because of the economy. Which sucks. And his foreign policy. Which doesn’t exist.
6:57PM Seriously, we’re still talking about running mates?
6:58PM Paul: “They haven’t even told me how they feel about the Federal Reserve yet!”
6:59PM It’s the last minute. Normally I’d be taking notes for my wrap, but I’ll be doing that on PJTV.com in just a few minutes. Joe Hick, Stephen Kruiser and Tony Katz are hosting the post-debate talk, so you don’t want to miss it.
Also: Video evidence that my drunkblogs are as advertised!
Glad you’re enjoying your drink. But now I have a vital question for you:
Which should I enjoy with the debate? Whiskey (wild turkey) or wine (Cabernet)?
Hard liquor, and plenty of it.
Wild Turkey and a cigar for the evening it is!
Chivas Regal (18 Y.O.) goes great with a club-fest. And by that I mean King is getting each of the candidates to club each other – just what I expected from CNN.
Back to Bill O.
There are no “agnostics”; only habitual sinners looking for excuses for their failures to repent. The writer of this article is a punk and a smartass and has the morals of an alleycat.
What kind of a stupid question was that?
Hell, I forgot how to sign in.
bring back the lights and bells… listening to john king grunt through everybody’s responses is incredibly annoying and rude.
Good, it’s not just me. It’s not only annoying, but freaking rude. And frankly, pretty unprofessional
Agree with both of you. Who taught that bozo manners? I remember why I don’t watch CNN. In fact, why I don’t watch TV at all. Which brings me to another observation: all the news folks have really aged badly, esp Gloria Borger and Wolf Blitzer. When WB came up on the screen I practically fell outta my chair. Why isn’t that guy in a coffin? F
Why does CNN and the like waste time and energy with facebook and twitter? Debates are a serious thing. Facebook and Twitter are not serious things. They are silly gimmicks.
I’m doing Crown Royal….will that do?? Mr. Green, you are too funny!
love the commentary
The ObamaCare — RomneyCare discussion has not yet touched on my principal concern. The states are appropriate places to experiment with ideas to determine whether they work. The states are empowered by their own constitutions and not by the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and have far more latitude than does the federal government. ObamaCare, unlike RomneyCare, is dependent on the Commerce Clause. That’s a big difference and should have been addressed.
Hafta agree, Elvis and Johnny Cash.
I agree that individual states have the freedom to experiment, and enact more laws than the federal government. I’m a big supporter of states’ rights. However, my issue here is not that the state did it, but that it is still a form of socialism. Whether enacted at the state or federal level, it’s still evil.
“leno or conan” ?! really ?? oh jesus “elvis or johnny cash” WTF ?!
Disclosure…I will not say what company I work for. : )
FREE ENTERPRISE!!!!
You should have used a bigger glass!!
I always appreciate SG’s drunkblogs as I cannot bring myself to watch these whatcha-macallits. I’m not sure what they are, but they aren’t debates. I’m having a nice Merlot called The Little Penguin. Whoops, dinner bell just rang, be back in a bit!
I hope John King never does another debate. He is so annoying, cutting everyone off before they get their answer out. Most of the answers appear to be of reasonable length, it’s the 30 second rule that isn’t correct.
The Republicans need to do what the Democrats did, set the rules for the debates and see which networks want to cover them. I don’t know why they do any debates on CNN or MSNBC anyway, this is what happens when you have a hack network running a debate, by the time your comment gets to substance, they’re cutting you off.
I’m listening, not watching. Who is making the pig noises?
john king…it’s, apparently, his way of keeping the answers short and on topic…or another way of trivializing the candidates as are the twitter comments onscreen behind them and the oh-so-silly ‘either/or’ questions.
oh oh..am i hearing-double or is romney already repeating his talking points? “some people think govt is better…they are wrong” i heard you the first time, mittens…i think.
Anybody else getting annoyed by the background sounds? Someone is saying something into a background microphone and it is annoying.
5:42…I’d sure hope Mitt could “hit that out of the park” He is a successful businessman, no? Softball question? Is there a Republican that doesn’t feel the GM/Chrysler bailouts were wrong?
Another disclosure….I will not disclose what company I work for.
What’s up with John King erping and burping and chirping in the background halfway through the statements of the candidates?
Why is CNN sponsoring our debate?
Why do Liberal organizations have anything to do with the Republican debates?
Why is it that we can’t have an official GOP early debate series on Fox?
By now it must be known to everyone in the game that there will be early debates. The format, location, and who is invited should be under the control of the GOP.
You can bet the Democrats would never agree to a debate on Fox with Rush as the moderator. Why do we agree to the mirror image of same thing?
you nailed it, old guy. this group could learn something from palin when it comes to dealing with the media.
I have no idea, OG, but it needs to stop now.
Next debate better be on Fox, or else I’m not going to watch it either.
More seriously, there’s a reason the GOP is called the Stupid Party, and its not just cause we have a buncha half-clever libertarians wandering around pretending to think about being conservative. N
The annoying noises are coming from our over anxious moderator. Newt just had his only likable moment of the night.
Grey Goose. Rocks. Twist.
Also, nice crowd shots CNN. Huge crowd and the producer is clearly looking for every “rube” shot he can get.
King is also suffering from Tourette Syndrome…
Santorum’s a cross between Jerry Seinfeld and Mr. Ed, eh?
We already have performance pay.
Newt is doing damage control instead of making forward points?
And the pointing finger, followed by the waving hand! The hand coreographer has changed from the last one!
I’m anonymous.
Herman Cain – the problem hasn’t been solved! You’re not going to get your money out of it. Nice!
I live in Washington DC and don’t have cable, so I don’t have to watch this crap. Yes, let me repeat that: I live in Washington DC — on Capitol Hill — and I don’t subscribe to cable. Do. Not. Subscribe.
So I can enjoy this debate by drinking while listening to the local (and only) classical music station on the radio, which happens to be NPR, and no I do not contribute one dime to NPR other than what they extract from me through the IRS.
I’ll catch the highlights of the debate, such as they are, tomorrow on the web. It doesn’t amount to a hill of goat beans anyway. Nobody takes these debates seriously except the candidates and the chattering class, and the latter only do so because they know they’ll have to inflate themselves and talk or write about for a day or two — words that will completely forgotten ten minutes after they are uttered.
I can’t watch these dog-and-pony shows, either… but I am drinking a Lagunita’s Maximus India Pale Ale and enjoying a delightful documentary on Amish weddings.
Sorry guys, i’m in with Hermy.
You guys do know that King is a massive drug user, right? Remember when he used to do CBS Evening News replacements on Mondays? Cheeks sunken like a Hollywood actor’s as the first couple of weeks’ shooting sobriety sinks in..
What is with the background? All those little lights / pixels, with roving shadows…
Is CNN afraid nobody will know they’re the ones doing this? Isn’t the logo stamp on the *bottom of the screen enough? Or are they just trying to do forshadowing. And there are red and blue bolognes tracking back and forth behind Romney – what’s that about?
If only someone would teach Bachman how *not* to talk through her nose.
She is from that part of MN, just as Palin is from the same kind of people in AK. It is a local accent.
“stay tuned for post-game coverage”… it would kill you to call it post-debate,cnn ? just more trivializing of the republicans. old guy was spot on…will the dems now debate on foxnews?
I would love to see Krauthammer be the moderator in a Dem debate. The Dems would just wilt under his questions and challenges.
Just wanted to say that, while I’m a dyed in the wool liberal, I’ve followed just about every debate for several years now solely through Vodkapundit drunk blogging. I know it’s a burden to drink and crack jokes, but it’s a real service and is much appreciated.
Thanks, Joe. And as you’ve probably guessed, drunkblogging isn’t a partisan affair. I invented it in “honor” of GW Bush, and maintain a take no prisoners/take all shots attitude towards all these events.
i love you too, man…no,really…really man, i love you, man. skoal!
Santorum is playing an invisible accordian!
Paul has no clue about religion. You most certainly *can* teach people how to be moral! Just like you can teach little kids to be toilet trained.
Oh, now you have dragged me into listening to this so-called debate…now I need a drink too!
Ryan Budget…everyone…I like Ryan’s plans for Medicare, but I can do it better…specifics?
Well, they’ve all got it right so far on the 1st Amendment.
I still think I’m going to need a double…
Glad Mit is so sure about Shari’a not coming into our courts. But he’s wrong. They’re trying all the time!
What is with the lame assed this or that questions? Can they trivialize this any more? Gawd, I haven’t been this embarrassed since I watched the clip of some ditz on MTV asking Clinton “Boxers or briefs” — and he *answered*!!!
King’s probably saving that one for Mitt.
Ok… So I hear a lot of “can’ts”. Who does have a shot at the presidency, then?
Not a clue. Yet.
It is amazing watching King try to badger Herman Cain into a box. The thing King does not realize is Cain spent the last few years doing talk radio. That will teach a man to be able to explain his position any day of the week.
Cain is absolutely right. He should never hire a Muslim that may have an extremist philosophy. They are our enemy. Christians are not our enemy. Jews are not our enemy. Buddists are not our enemy. Hindu’s are not our enemy. Extremist Muslims have to be vetted and if that means a non extremist misses out on an opportunity, so be it.
Cain, two word answer — everybody else but Mit has to blather on. But I’m glad they didn’t take the a$$hat definition the CNN sock puppet tried to get them to. OBVIOUSLY trying to get them to say “George W Bush Republican” or “Dick Cheney Republican” – can you say stupid question?
Newt’s parents really named him well — slimey thing that pokes it head out of rocks.
Gary Johnson of New Mexico was kept out of the debate by establishment candidates. They have no shame! VIVA LA TEA PARTY!
Jeez Steve, thanks for the spoiler update on the hockey game….
oh jeeze…constitutional amendment to ‘protect’ marriage from those icky gay citizens. sorry, guys (and gal) you lost me on that one. bachmann wants to let the states decide BUT wants to change the friggin constitution to over-ride them. sheesh.
…oh,and ‘them kind’ shouldn’t be able to serve their country either…ye gods! now where do i find an alternative to these bozos??
If the stupid Leftists would quit trying to implement gay marriage via initiatives and the courts, you would not be hearing about a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. They have lost 35 straight times trying to enact such laws. The result is always around 70-30. 70% of voters, a super-majority, always say no, even in the Blue States. You gonna blame the Right for this?
That doesn’t mean that you have to federalize the issue. You can simply pass state constitutional amendments. This is a good test of whether a candidate really believes in Federalism, Bachman clearly doesn’t.
Go Herman Cain! Three point how to fix the *whole* illegal immigration problem, not just something here, something there. Nicely done.
Does anybody else get the feeling that King is trying to set them up for a damning sound bite, rather than actually asking a question to be legitimately answered?
It’s not just you.
LOL oh, he has been trying all night, both in questions and issues…. amusing how he also trys “gotcha” questions..
Definitely not just you.
*Why* are they letting poor readers read the questions?? All I can say is, “See! Education is broken and has been for *decades*!”
Naturalized citizens doesn’t mean anchor babies. The thing was written to make sure that freed slaves were deemed citizens. I excluded children of visitors, visiting laborers, foreign diplomats, etc. Then court ruled otherwise. Googlefu will find the cites later, promise!
6:21PM Cain: “Don’t ask don’t tell” talk is a distraction.
What does this mean? That the government should stay out of it completely, or ?
He was asked if he would change it back again. IOW, churning the DADT is a distraction.
Paul won’t listen to anybody else. He was in the service (under Washington???) for 5 years, so he knows all about it. The guy is scary. We have a president NOW who doesn’t listen to experts because he thinks he knows it all – do want to trade him for a superannuated same thing only different?
Unless I misunderstood, Mittens just said he supported eminent domain when privately-owned land is taken by the government for building roads and such but not when it’s handed over to a private company. The example offered concerned a privately-owned energy company that, when up and running, would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Huh? How about never, Mittens, as in the government never has the right to pillage private land for any purpose.
And there you have the liberal mind set “Does a President need to think about cost?” *For* *anything* is implied. These people have no clue!
All is lost!
PJM just brought up the little ad thingy telling me to “click here for free info on Gubmint grants”.
As goes PJM,so goes the nation.
We’re doomed.
Afganistan. Is there a reason we are still there? If there is (or isn’t) shouldn’t they want to know that first before they decide whether to stay or go?
Oh, Cain gets it!
Who the heck decides what is or isn’t a threat? The reason we have bases around the world is that we can use them to stage to places that we need to get to in a hurry. If China starts moving against us, do we want to try and turn them back from Venice Beach, or on *their* turf? Geeze!
As a registered independent in a state with closed primaries (OK) I spent my precious afterwork time marinating in Barton-based Gin-n-tonics, I’ve moved to my warm weather bar.
Romney is the goode olde GOP my turn guy, how’s that worked out for them so far?
I’d love to see a Cain/Palin ticket but I don’t think they’ll survive the losermedia-enabled pachyderm food fight. I want someone that will fire every sorry sumnamabeetch in an executive branch position that was hired by Carter, Clinton or Obama’s administration, no more Marxist moles! Leaving the damn positions vacant is better than letting those ratbastages backshoot you.
Despite decades of history I don’t believe the GOP gets it, yet. The donks are out to rip your liver out of your body, shove it where the sun don’t shine and dance on the ashes of this country. %)##!&^(T get a clue you losers!
I read a quote ostensibly from Ted the murderous drunkard of Chappaquiddick once that he was glad that he’d be dead before we figured out what he and the rest of that cabal of rat-bastages had done to this country. May be apocryphal but it’s quite believeable.
Can’t fire them if they were hired more than 3 years ago. Civil service rules. Of course, you can eliminate their positions, which really, really works for me.
King is forbidden by his bosses to ask, “What’s your favorite color?”
You might be surprised.
What? Cain is forbidden to ask a question? What?
..if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
Paul is so self centered, he hasn’t even tried to find out what the other people’s stands are? He’s so pathetic!
As we get to the end I am doing a slow boil over the gotcha questions.
Why are we so stupid?
Why is it so hard for the GOP to organize our own debates?
Whether it is ballot box stuffing, losing most recounts on close GOP victories, or getting setup in debates where the Democrats are deciding the questions, moderator, and venue, the election year behavior of the Democrats is entirely predictable, and yet the GOP seems to take no steps to alter the situation.
As long as they are allowed to tip the playing field in their favor, we are going to continued to get screwed. They must be laughing themselves silly at DNC HQ watching this.
As we get to the end I am doing a slow boil over the gotcha questions.
Why are we so stupid?
Why is it so hard for the GOP to organize our own debates?
Whether it is ballot box stuffing, losing most recounts on close GOP victories, or getting setup in debates where the Democrats are deciding the questions, moderator, and venue, the election year behavior of the Democrats is entirely predictable, and yet the GOP seems to take no steps to alter the situation.
As long as they are allowed to tip the playing field in their favor, we are going to continued to get screwed. They must be laughing themselves silly at DNC HQ watching this.
wow…that was really dis-heartening. i want to see barack go away as soon as possible but i’m not inclined to vote for anybody in this crew. sigh. thanks for a swell party though, stephen. now i need another drink.
None of them look any good, because they have no chance of looking good in this venue. The questions are wrong. It is a jumped-up TV interview.
I want real debates. I want head-to-head match-ups. Random draw. 1/2 hour, each getting 15 mins of time. When the clock runs out, your mike gets shut off. And I want Republicans asking the questions… and not some townhall nonsense.
A Ring Wing Blogger debate. Several of the top Rightside bloggers asking questions of the R candidates. Give all of them 20 minutes to post their replies to each blogger’s question,if it can’t be worked out to do it live on cable/networks/radio.
Then we’d have real questions!! And definitive answers!!
no doubt that the venue/format stunk but not for one nano-second did my gut tell me ‘now THAT’s who i want as president’. maybe we should hear what johnson has to say…or somebody with some intellectual gravitas like mccotter…or perhaps that palin razzle-dazzle…i dunno…i’m feeling a little lost right now. i looked at that panel and saw a bunch of losers when this election should be a cakewalk..for somebody.
Ron Paul is the only candidate that doesn’t pay lip service to the war machine.
“I’m going to defer to the generals, defer to the commanders, defer to the WAR MACHINE – IT KNOWS BEST…..”
You call that leadership? Ron Paul is the only one who thinks we are stirring up more trouble than we are resolving. He said we knocked out Taliban, and that was right. But we should have left once Taliban was scattered.
Thanks Stephen for making this so-called debate almost watchable. Some of the candidates appear to not be totally plastic, but only your commentary made it bearable. We still need some better candidates though…and even larger drinks!
Notice how CNN was smart and did not allow a chance for applause at any time. MSM tricksters wouldn’t want any indication of a popular candidate. Protecting Obama by preventing any stand out candidates.
Seriously… Make your own debate. Idiots!
My take:
Winner: Romney. At the very least by default, front runner going in and front runner going out, but he also had solid answers. Additionally, no one really went after him, and Pawlenty even backed off the ObomenyCare.
Biggest Looser: Bachman. Her answers were generic, cagey, and sometimes nonsensical (she wants states to decide the gay marriage issue, but supports a constitutional amendment banning it, huh?). For someone who’s supposedly a tea party favorite she sure sounded a lot like a “standard politician.”
Honorable mention: Paul. I don’t think he did much to move into the viable candidate category, but I think his supporters will be excited about his performance, and he may have gained more supporters among the growing, but still a small group, “small military Republicans.”
Scotch? And pizza? Really?
Politics makes strange bedfellows.
While the candidates were answering, or trying to, King mumbling in the background in an uh huh, hurry up way was most distracting.
He did this throughout the entire debate.
I would have jumped down from the stage and strangled him.
Agreed. Either cut them off or let them talk, that grunting was so annoying.
Stephen,
I can’t believe you played the deciduous card!
Mr. Green, thanks for drunkblogging the debate so I didn’t have to.
“the Tea Party remains deeply suspicious.”
I know it was early, but ‘courage’: Romney is loathed by the TEAs. That disposition is a settled conviction.
Well, as I`ve been known to say, I`d rather have a bottle in front of me, than a frontal lobotomy.
Stephen,
Most of us aren’t this witty, even sober. I watched the ho tang and thought a lot of it was funny, but I had never thought about “a gummi bear’s chance in a garbage disposal” before. After reflecting upon it, I betcha those chances would be slim and none. Thanks for an entertaining blog.
Wow, wonderful blog format! How long have you been running a blog for? you make blogging look easy. The overall glance of your web site is fantastic, let alone the content material!
Fantastic points altogether, you simply gained a logo new reader. What could you recommend about your put up that you simply made some days in the past? Any certain?
That is very fascinating, You’re an overly professional blogger. I’ve joined your rss feed and sit up for in search of more of your wonderful post. Additionally, I have shared your web site in my social networks
Fantastic items from you, man. I have take into accout your stuff prior to and you are just extremely fantastic. I really like what you have obtained right here, certainly like what you are stating and the best way wherein you assert it. You’re making it entertaining and you continue to care for to stay it smart. I can not wait to learn much more from you. This is really a great website.