The Republican Debate

I know I vowed not to watch it. Talkingpointsmemo and Dailykos have a blow by blow recount of the debate but you can tell their hearts weren't in it.

The New Republican Party has fine-tuned their message but I don't get a sense they can take the show to Broadway yet. The audience as far as I could make out was completely white. The show was somewhat spoiled by the felon governor Rick Scott,he of a $2.1 billion fine for theft of Medicare fees,had an address to the crowd. Fox News and Google sponsored this debate and basically Fox kept it on track and actually had follow ups from past debates, questioning some of the candidates' statements. This night was for all the minor candidates, whom I felt did better than the fighters in the main bout. Frank Luntz' focus group gave the win to Mitt Romney. Apparently,the Google audience loved Ron Paul and Herman Cain. Rick Perry, despite commentary later, did himself no harm and it was his homecourt as polls showed he has moved ahead of Romney in Florida.

The leftwing blogs gave the debate to Romney believing Perry blew his chance to tag Romney as flip-flopper and that Romney came out strong on the issue of social security. If you are a disillusioned Democrat or liberal, I would really think hard again about President Obama because this party we saw tonight is hard-right with a patina of libertarianism. Like past cheering of Rick Perry executing several hundred people, the audience crying out let the young man without health insurance die, this crowd did not disappoint. Live from Iraq, an openly gay soldier asked the candidates what they would do with DADT. A serving member of our armed forces was booed.

The first thing that came across after the first volleys between Romney and Perry was that all the candidates hated unions. Rick Santorum argued against any public sector unions. This was a great applause line. Mitt Romney said he would stand up to the Teachers Unions. Remember in 2008, the firemen and policeman unions voted for McCain and there are 1 million Republicans in the NEA.

Newt was against people receiving unemployment benefits because that's why we reformed welfare. You pay for your unemployment. Newt wants states to experiment on how the unemployed should be retrained by corporations.

Jon Hunstman, who got enormous airtime tonight, was better than his last debate. He still can't tell a joke. Huntsman was asked about the Solyandra issue which he changed into subsidies. He said he is against subsidies for alternative energies, except for natural gas. He mentioned T. Boone Pickens plan for natural gas , which the billionaire has shelved because the price for natural gas is too low.

Herman Cain got buzzes again tonight. No one asked him why his pizza sucks. But he mentioned his 9-9-9 plan to restart the economy. If we had Rudy, we would have 9-9-9 and 9-1-1. He said the economy was on life support and that he would treat all corporations the same.

A google question asked,"What would you do to get us back to the Tenth Amendment?" This amendment has been little used in our history but has become now the rallying cry for States'Rights. Ron Paul drew the biggest buzz by saying he would veto every single bill that violated the 10th amendment. He also emphasized that the federal government had no authority over education. This was once the rallying cry of Republicans in 1980 and apparently all the candidates agree to this now.

Greg Johnson , the former governor of New Mexico, showed up tonight. He said the biggest national secruty threat was our national debt and that he would balance the budget in 2113. He would veto all bills that went beyond government revenues and he would institute the Flat Tax and eliminate the income tax.

Mitt Romney, who earlier in the day claimed he was Middle Class,said he would eliminate the capital gains tax for everyone earning less than $200,000 per year.

Rick Perry vowed for everyone on Social Security and those soon to go on Social Security that the system would stay the same. He said that for younger people states could have the option of people opting out of the system. Mitt Romney took this as his opening and quoted Perry's book and asked how a 50-state social security system would work.

Perry rejoined about Romney supporting Obamacare in his book and then editing it out of the paperback. Romney lied about this. Perry could have also said that Romney backed the stimulus package and he did mentioned his support for Obama's educational program. Romney in Richie Rich fashion snidely said, "Nice Try."

Romney keeps trying to explain the Massachusetts healthcare system and also claims on Day 1 he would sign an executive order rescinding the program. Later, a student asked whether the candidates would allow his parents to still carrying him until age 25 and whether health insurance companies would be able to refuse him for a pre-existing condition. Everyone avoided the question. It was Jon Huntsman who tried to answer by saying that our economy is being held up by the reluctance of companies to invest because of Obamacare.

The moderator asked the candidates whether they agreed with President Obama on the millionaire tax which, he said, was supported by 2/3rds of the American people. Jon Huntsman spoke for the candidates saying there would not be any new taxes and that you had to deal with the structural elements in the economy so you needed tax reform that got rid of all the loopholes. It turns out that Huntsman's plan would increase taxes on the middle class. He then echoed everyone else saying he would repeal Obamacare.

A Viewert Question asked which Department of government would you eliminate?
Herman Cain reiterated he would eliminate the ERA. Several others would eliminate the Department of Education.

On Education, the canidates really were suggesting a Voucher system but knowing how Paul Ryan was crucified about this they worded it differently. All of them said the federal government should get out of education. This comes at a time when we are losing our competitive edge in every discipline to the rest of the planet. Newt said he would eliminate the Department of Education and provide Pell Grants for K-12 for parents to send their children to any school. Ron Paul said he would end Leave No Child Behind and would give tax credits to parents so they could opt-out of public education. Rick Perry would have voucher system for education. He's the only one who said it outload. Romney said all education was local and state and that he would encourage school choice and stand up to the NEA. Michelle Bachmann, who was largely absent tonight, emphasized parental control and the repeal of all federal regulations on education. Herman Can would have the federal government out of education and end all federal programs in this area. Huntsman actually said the voucher word and that he would localize education and end all federal mandates.

On immigration, the candidates sort of ignored the reality of Hispanic voters and pandered to the all-white audience. Michelle Bachmann said she would build a fence the entire border with Mexico and make sure illegals got no benefits. She didn't mention a fence with Canada. Earlier in the day Andy Borowitz wrote a column suggesting Canada build a fence to keep us out.

A question from a viewer asked whether employers should use E-Verify to prove employees were legal. Newt said he would outsource it to Fedex to avoid corruption. He wasd for 100% control of the border, English as the official language of government and modernizing the legal system so tourist visas would be more available.

Romney tries to score off Rick Perry and show he i s a tough guy by saying he vetoed giving illegal kids in-state tuition in Massachusetts but Rick Perry did not. Also, he said he would build a fence and endorse E-Verify. He claimed that Rick Perry did not stop illegal immigration and gave 16,000 illegal students in-state tuition.

Rick Perry's answer was that the federal government hasn't done anything. He would use drones and boots on the ground. It was unrealistic to erect a fence along the border. He supported the Arizona law suit on their bill and that he wanted the children not to be a burden on society. He also said the legislature overwhelmingly voted for the tutition plan. Romney kept saying it was a $100,000 subsidy for illegals.

Rick Santorum said that Perry was soft of American soveirgnty and that he was a Big Government Moderate. He said that Perry gave privileges to illegals. and even advocated a binational health insurance scheme with Mexico, which even Obama would not do.

Rick Perry defended himself and committed he would defeat the Mexican drug cartels.

Ron Paul defended his previous remarks that border controls also are used to control people inside. He said that there was over $1 trillion overseas taken out by Americans and that the federal database should be of concern to everyone because it doesn't just track illegals but every American.

Earlier Michelle Bachmann, New Gingrich and Santorum had called Obama a "socialist". Romney preferred to call him a Big Spending Liberal who was influenced by the Social Democrat parties in Europe. This was a test for Romney because conservatives complained he was not toeing the line.

Foreign Policy was a disaster. Mitt Romney vowed that there would not be an inch between the United States and Israel and that he would prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear country. He said it was unacceptable for the United States to negotiate on behalf of Israel. Herman Cain said that Israel will defend itself and that America should say that if you mess with Israel, you mess with the U.S.

Rick Perry was asked what he would do if he was called at 3AM and told a radical group grabbed ahold of the nukes in Pakistan . He said he would build relations in the area and provide India and Taiwan with F-16s. He said we had no allies in that part of the world like Musharref, the former Pakistani military leader who was replaced by an elected President.

Rick Santorum was asked about Iraq. He said we had to stay there with 30,000 troops to stablize the situation. And that we must remain engaged in Afghanistan to win a "victory". And that we needed to establish a relationship with Pakistan.

Newt was asked about foreign assistance and he said that no one who votes against us at the UN should receive a dime. He would encourage foreign aid be delivered not by our government but corporations. He said the world was even more dangerous today than before Obama.

Governor Johnson said the biggest national security threat was our debt and he would cut our military budget by 43%. He believed that trade makes friends.

Michelle Bachmann said that she opposed charter flights to Cuba, which have started, because Cuba was a state sponsor of terrorism.

Huntsman said why we don't have a foreign policy is that our Core is broken and that we must fix it. He said as 25% of the world's GDP we should be an example to the world. But we must bring our troops home. Only Iraq can fix Iraq and only Pakistan can fix Pakistan.

Rick Santorum said because our country is sick, our values are not weak.

Michelle Bachmann was given the question on religion and state. She answered that the state can't be a religion but everyone should be able to express their faith in public places.

A Gay soldier from Iraq asked the question a bout DADT. He was booed from the audience. Rick Santorum said that he would re-instate DADT but it wouldn't affect the gays who have come out of the closet now because that would penalize them for Obama's policy. He said that sex has no place in our armed services and that gays were being given a special privilege.

On exceptions of abortion for rape, Ron Paul dodged the issue but did say he could not regulate for the Day After pill.

Rick Perry was asked about his disputes with George W. He played it safe by saying they talked but he disagreed with the Medicare Plan D and Leave No Child Behind.

Questions on Obamacare. Herman Cain claimed he would be dead on it. Huntsman claimed it would cost a $1 trillion over 10 years. No one mentions the cut in healthcare costs.

Michelle Bachman was again asked about the HPU Vaccine for young women. She again accused Perry of doing this because he received campaign donations and on and on. The Governor responded he will always err on the side of life. Not mentioning executing several hundred people.

Rick Perry fumbled around on questions why there were so many uninsured people in Texas. Then he just blurted out everyone was coming to Texas because of oppportunity.

Then Mitt Romney tried to explain his plan in Massachusetts but that he would immediately sign a waiver for all 50 states because Obamacare was unconsitutional.

Then we had a series of questions on job creation. All said get rid of regulations, lower taxes, eliminate Obamacare and get rid of Dodd-Franks regulations on the banks and become energy independent.

Then everyone invoked Reagan and claimed Obama doesn't understand America. Then we got a goofy question about who on the stage would you choose as Vice President.

Quick take-away--I didn't see a President of the United States on stage. Michelle Bachmann is history. She was not sharp and was simply not even wacky. Ron Paul is the biggest gainer. It's still a two-way race--Romney and Perry. The verbals gave it to Romney but the visuals gave it to Perry. Romney came across as...well...weird. I do not find him as Michael Gerson does as calming and reassuring in times of economic troubles.

More importantly, I did not hear a single idea that made any sense. Also, I did not get any sense that the candidates connect with the reality of today's American. They also have an antiquated view of America's current position in the world. That doesn't mean that one of them can't win. We have had a population drilled with lies from the GOP for the last several years. In some ways, this has been a successful campaign to depress Obama's base and condition people to accept one of these people as President.

But my gut says they have a ways to go to convince people outside the party of their worthiness.
Personally, I didn't believe a word that said about anything. It's quite clear to me that no one has the energy in this country to re-fight the healthcare issue, that everything they said about education was a non-starter and that none of them knew anything about foreign policy. Ironically, the only neo-conservatives remaining is old Frothy Mix Santorum. It was ironic the debate was sponsored by Google--Google his name--and that he had to answer a question about gays.