The real “epic fail” of this debate season is the GOP allowing liberal media figures to host and moderate REPUBLICAN debates in the first place. That said, let’s start with Saturday night’s ABC debate.
First, George Stuffin’envelopes, a smug former Clinton water boy, is a major league liberal dick. Sorry, but I couldn’t think of a more appropriate word.
Banning contraceptions? Really? That’s the issue you want to talk about? Really, George? Really?
And was Diane Sawyer moderating a debate last night or hosting a political episode of This is Your Life? “What would you be doing tonight if you weren't debating?” Really, Diane? Really?
Seriously. Why aren’t conservative, non-mainstream media figures asking the questions at these GOP debates?
The debates should be hosted by conservative organizations with conservative moderators….and if CNN, FOX, NBC, CBS, ABC and others want to broadcast them, fine. Give ‘em a feed. If not, screw ‘em.
You want questions on foreign policy, why not have John Bolton ask them? Second amendment? Try spinning Wayne LaPierre. Taxes? Hello, Grover Norquist. Spending and entitlements. David Walker. Abortion. Phyllis Schlafly. Immigration. Anyone from the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board. Military. How about former Pentagon Joint Chief of Staff Peter Pace? Good luck BS’ing that Marine!
And if you really want a question about contraception, why not bring back former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders to ask about it? Free condoms for school children! Wahoo!!
In any event, it’s time for Republicans to get serious. And that means it’s time for Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman to vamanos. Yes, Santorum. I don’t care that he won Iowa. He’s out of his league and his 15 minutes are up.
Rick Perry’s campaign isn’t dead yet, but it’s on life support. If Gingrich doesn’t reignite in South Carolina and Florida, Perry could be resurrected as the last “not-Romney” standing down the stretch. Yes, it’s a stretch…but conservatives who are not happy with the “Massachusetts moderate” are getting increasingly desperate.
Sorry, folks, but Ron Paul, rightly or wrongly, will never be embraced as an acceptable not-Romney by most GOP voters. He would, however, make a terrific Supreme Court justice. Or Fed chairman.
As for Romney, did he really say Saturday night that we have to protect entitlements…which are bankrupting the nation?
And finally, whether he’s electable or not is debatable; but what is not debatable is that Newt Gingrich is smart, knowledgeable, qualified, experienced, articulate…and would mop the floor with Barack Obama in a debate.
Bottom line: This ABC debate sucked. The candidates all appeared to be on Prozac and the moderators…well, they sucked. Then again, I’m sugar-coating it.
DEBATE DOUBLE-HEADER: GAME TWO
Sunday morning’s NBC debate was moderated by David Gregory, who did a much better job than ABC’s Stuffin’envelopes/Sawyer duo. Then again, that bar was high enough for a worm to crawl over.
Gregory wanted the GOP candidates to tell Americans how much pain they were going to cause if elected, what they would do to make fellow Republicans uncomfortable, what Americans will “have to learn to do with less of,” what the candidates would do to support gay rights, to tell everyone just how great labor unions are…and asked Rick Santorum if he was a socialist.
Good grief.
Gregory then went on to attack taxpayer champion Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform by (a) mischaracterizing the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and (b) asking Romney who “knew more about the American economy,” Grover or Warren Buffett.
Good for Romney for not playing along and refusing to get drawn into answering such a stupid question.
Otherwise, the highlights of what was a much edgier debate than the snoozer last night included:
- Santorum landing a nice shot against Romney for quitting and not running for re-election as governor of Massachusetts
- Gingrich upbraiding Romney for his “non-politician” baloney
- Huntsman taking Romney to the woodshed for criticizing Huntsman for serving as the U.S. Ambassador to China under Obama; noting that his two sons in the Navy are also technically serving under Obama.
- Perry’s self-deprecating humor in remembering this time around the three cabinet departments he’d eliminate if elected.
- Perry reaffirming his belief that Obama is a socialist
- Perry voicing strong support for the right to work
Actually, I’d have to say Perry was the winner of this debate overall, even though he really didn’t get a chance to participate as much as the others. But he used his limited opportunities well and appears to be getting his groove back. But is it too little, too late?
We’ll see. It’s Tuesday in New Hampshire for the next round of voting. Then off to Nevada…
Oops. Um, uh, no. That’s not right. Nevada caved to New Hampshire and the RNC, and so the election will next move to South Carolina. And then Nevada…
Oops, no…that’s not right either.
Florida broke the rules and moved its primary up, and Nevada…well, Nevada just let them butt in line. So the election will then move to the Sunshine State before finally moving to the Silver State. But, hey, we’ll be first in the West!
Whoop-di-do.
SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE 30-DAY TRIAL OF SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL!
For the inside “scoop” on all things conservative in Nevada, get a FREE 30-DAY TRIAL of Silver State Confidential today. CLICK HERE
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Entitlements are not rights.” – Ron Paul in the Face the Nation debate this morning
“Ron Paul, as always, used every (debate) question to cite his long-held libertarian views which, through constant repetition have gone from startling to comfortable - you don't have to agree with him, but you can almost recite his answer along with him.” – Rich Galen, Mullings.com, 1/8/12
“Romney is still leading (in New Hampshire) by 15 percentage points, but that lead has been steadily shrinking in the tracking polls. It is still hard to see how he loses in New Hampshire, but if he doesn't get over 30 percent - also unlikely - then the chattering class will immediately claim that the Romney ceiling has been rebuilt and it is again anyone's nomination.” - Rich Galen, Mullings.com, 1/8/12
“The GOP heads into Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary in an unexpected and uncomfortable position. The party that once seemed to have so many advantages going into 2012 - a fired-up base, an unpopular Democratic president, a struggling economy - now finds itself stuck, ambivalent about its front-runner and unable to decide on an alternative. In 2010, the GOP fed off the anti-establishment energy of the tea party movement, but now Republicans are closer to the nomination of Romney, a quintessentially establishment figure with a record of compromising with liberals." - Joel Achenbach and Peter Wallsten in Saturday’s Washington Post
“I think Romney has a problem with this whole negative stuff. One is that he's gotten Newt Gingrich awfully mad. And I don't know if I'd want Newt Gingrich mad at me. But number two is that Romney is starting to come across as a bully. Everybody understands that he has all these friends who can write big checks and they hide behind a super PAC, and they run negative ads. And that comes across as the rich kid who shows up showing you all the toys he has and then, when you're not looking, takes yours away. And I think that that starts to smell bad to people when they see a candidate that's going to run that type of relentless, negative barrage and feels that's the best way to get elected.” – Santorum senior adviser John Brabender
“Romney may be the WORST candidate. For one thing, his claimed record as a fiscally conservative governor is as much of a sham as his flipflops on social issues. He claims to have cut a $3 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. In fact, the deficit was one-third that size, and this supposed friend to business cut it by raising corporate taxes, along with taxes on New Hampshire commuters, by millions of dollars. Romney is a nice, rich man with a tin ear (he may or may not release his income taxes) and plenty of pals in the Republican in-crowd. Gingrich is a tough, smart Reagan conservative who brought his party out of 40 years in the wilderness, reformed welfare, and balanced the federal budget. Romney would be a disaster as the nominee. Gingrich would make an outstanding President at a time of crisis for America." – New Hampshire Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid in a Sunday op/ed
We’ll see. It’s Tuesday in New Hampshire for the next round of voting. Then off to Nevada…
Oops. Um, uh, no. That’s not right. Nevada caved to New Hampshire and the RNC, and so the election will next move to South Carolina. And then Nevada…
Oops, no…that’s not right either.
Florida broke the rules and moved its primary up, and Nevada…well, Nevada just let them butt in line. So the election will then move to the Sunshine State before finally moving to the Silver State. But, hey, we’ll be first in the West!
Whoop-di-do.
SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE 30-DAY TRIAL OF SILVER STATE CONFIDENTIAL!
For the inside “scoop” on all things conservative in Nevada, get a FREE 30-DAY TRIAL of Silver State Confidential today. CLICK HERE
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
“Entitlements are not rights.” – Ron Paul in the Face the Nation debate this morning
“Ron Paul, as always, used every (debate) question to cite his long-held libertarian views which, through constant repetition have gone from startling to comfortable - you don't have to agree with him, but you can almost recite his answer along with him.” – Rich Galen, Mullings.com, 1/8/12
“Romney is still leading (in New Hampshire) by 15 percentage points, but that lead has been steadily shrinking in the tracking polls. It is still hard to see how he loses in New Hampshire, but if he doesn't get over 30 percent - also unlikely - then the chattering class will immediately claim that the Romney ceiling has been rebuilt and it is again anyone's nomination.” - Rich Galen, Mullings.com, 1/8/12
“The GOP heads into Tuesday's first-in-the-nation primary in an unexpected and uncomfortable position. The party that once seemed to have so many advantages going into 2012 - a fired-up base, an unpopular Democratic president, a struggling economy - now finds itself stuck, ambivalent about its front-runner and unable to decide on an alternative. In 2010, the GOP fed off the anti-establishment energy of the tea party movement, but now Republicans are closer to the nomination of Romney, a quintessentially establishment figure with a record of compromising with liberals." - Joel Achenbach and Peter Wallsten in Saturday’s Washington Post
“I think Romney has a problem with this whole negative stuff. One is that he's gotten Newt Gingrich awfully mad. And I don't know if I'd want Newt Gingrich mad at me. But number two is that Romney is starting to come across as a bully. Everybody understands that he has all these friends who can write big checks and they hide behind a super PAC, and they run negative ads. And that comes across as the rich kid who shows up showing you all the toys he has and then, when you're not looking, takes yours away. And I think that that starts to smell bad to people when they see a candidate that's going to run that type of relentless, negative barrage and feels that's the best way to get elected.” – Santorum senior adviser John Brabender
“Romney may be the WORST candidate. For one thing, his claimed record as a fiscally conservative governor is as much of a sham as his flipflops on social issues. He claims to have cut a $3 billion budget deficit without raising taxes. In fact, the deficit was one-third that size, and this supposed friend to business cut it by raising corporate taxes, along with taxes on New Hampshire commuters, by millions of dollars. Romney is a nice, rich man with a tin ear (he may or may not release his income taxes) and plenty of pals in the Republican in-crowd. Gingrich is a tough, smart Reagan conservative who brought his party out of 40 years in the wilderness, reformed welfare, and balanced the federal budget. Romney would be a disaster as the nominee. Gingrich would make an outstanding President at a time of crisis for America." – New Hampshire Union Leader publisher Joe McQuaid in a Sunday op/ed
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