Live Blogging GOP Debate
On Duncan Hunter
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 9:45 PM
Duncan Hunter came out on top tonight in the debates as far as I am concerned.
He hit the Scooter Libby issue out of the ballpark and he hit the ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION issue out of the ballpark and he hit the Islamic Retards out of the ballpark.
DUNCAN IS THE MAN, folks.
From the debates from bloggers:
Live Blogging The Debate
– I’m going to be “sort of” living blogging the debate. I say “sort of,” because if the GOP debate is as dull as the Democrat debate, there aren’t going to be that many comments made that really catch my ear. But, I will be watching and every so often, I’ll chime in with something. Feel free to do the same in the comments section.
I’m liveblogging the debate which is, so far, better than I expected….
PS: I’m going to do my best to avoid commenting on what Duncan Hunter says, for obvious reasons, but forgive me if I can’t help myself and say something anyway.
– 8:05: McCain smacks Reid in his first question. Nice!
– 8:09: Mitt sounded very good, very professional. He had an outstanding answer to the question about Iraq.
– 8:12: Ok, so, Huckabee, if we need hundreds of thousands of troops — well, we don’t have them. So, what now, Huckabee? Not a great answer.
– 8:13: I can tell already that there are going to be a lot of questions put out that invite the candidates to criticize Bush.
– 8:16: Boy, Tom Tancredo really had trouble with that question about Israel and Iran. Understandable, but still…
– 8:20 Mitt: “Osama Bin Laden will pay and he will die!” I like it!
– 8:21: Honestly, this is a lot more interesting than the Democratic debates. People are actually talking about ideas instead of dodging everything.
– 8:22: McCain will follow Bin Laden to the “Gates of Hell.” That’s a good line.
– 8:23: McCain and Huckabee had funny lines at least on Arnold.
– 8:26: Tanc seems a little nervous and off his game.
– 8:29: Ooooh….Rudy just came across as being indifferent to whether Roe v. Wade is overturned. Not helpful for him.
– 8:31: Mitt went from polished to waffling like John Kerry when he was asked about abortion.
– 8:33: Boy, Rudy stinks on abortion, too. Ooof…
– 8:36: Ron Paul would have been a better fit foreign policy wise in the Democratic debate.
– 8:38: Mitt gave a great answer on the church question. Again, very polished.
– 8:40: I am not the biggest Mike Huckabee fan, but I have to give him credit for being more charismatic than I thought he was.
– 8:42: I wasn’t involved in debate prep, but I think Duncan has an interesting strategy. He side-steps these little foo-foo questions they’ve been asking the 2nd tier guys and tells people about the more important parts of his platform. It’s a little bit of a different strategy, but so far, in my biased opinion, I think it has worked for him.
– 8:44: Did Tanc ever prep for this debate? Yeesh, I love Tanc, but, man, he has really had a tough time…
– 8:45: Tommy Thompson just made a nice pitch for himself.
– 8:47: Sam Brownback is….he just doesn’t quite have the knack.
– 8:49: Now everybody is going way off track. I think that’s because the questions are a little fluffy.
– 8:51: Man, Huckabee is really helping himself, I think. He is showing that unlike our currrent President, he can express himself.
– 8:53: I can hardly believe I am saying this, but MSNBC actually asked tougher questions to the Democrats than they have to the Republicans so far.
– 8:54: Ok, come on, give Duncan a chance to bury McCain on illegal immigration! Awww…I was hoping that Duncan would sidestep global warming and bury McCain. Didn’t happen.
– 9:00: McCain and Rudy are the only candidates for embryonic stem cell research.
– 9:02: I really think they should get into immigration a little heavier in the last 30 minutes. It’s a huge issue and they really haven’t touched it.
– 9:10: Again, I am biased but Duncan’s answer about killing Zarqawi and improving the border rocked hard! Nice job, Dunc!
– 9:12: Believe it or not, Drudge is running a debate poll. Go vote! — By, the way, first place is currently Tommy Thompson at 28% (Think there are people who haven’t seen the debate and are confusing him with Fred?).
– 9:17: Tommy Thompson said “several thousand” troops were injured in Iraq. He was very low. They’ll be ragging on him tomorrow for that. Rudy nailed his “gotcha” question on the difference between Shia and Sunny Muslims.
– 9:21: A national ID card only for aliens….uh, doesn’t that defeat the point, Mitt and Rudy? So, if they DON’T HAVE THE CARD, they’re Americans? Uh…
– 9:23: Ron Paul is really determined to capture the anti-war vote.
– 9:25: Matthews is inviting everyone to beat up on the Clintons. Very interesting…
– 9:26: I was very strongly in favor of what Congress did in the Schiavo case and still am, so I was very pleased to hear Duncan say that he supported trying to save Schiavo.
– 9:32: Debate Summary: (I am going to leave Duncan out of this since I am working for him.)
Winners: 1) Mike Huckabee 1) Mitt Romney — Both were very charismatic
Losers: 1) Tom Tancredo (Seemed unprepared) 2) (Late addition) Rudy, because he came across as being to the left of everyone but Ron Paul and for a guy who is supposed to be exceptionally personable, he didn’t seem all that charming.
Not Sure: Ron Paul isn’t going to appeal to 95% of the base, but he stands alone as an anti-war Republican and he will appeal to the relatively small contingent of Republicans who support that position. So, he may be sort of like Ralph Nader: no, he can’t win, but he may have gained the support of a certain niche group that will stick with him long-term.
Overall, I thought it was a much more substance filled and interesting debate than the one the Democrats had last week. Also, I have to give MSNBC credit — they did a good job overall and if anything, they may have been too soft on the candidates.
I consult for the Duncan Hunter campaign through TCV Media.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 It’s Show Time! Posted by: Matt Lewis at 6:56 PM
8:05 - Pardon Libby? I give Rudy props for his answer. He stood out, here. “This is excessive punishment.” And I LOVE how he is not allowing Wolfie to shut him up. He’s about to say, “I paid for this microphone!”
8:05 - Hunter just hit the Scooter Libby question out of the ballpark.
8:04 - Huckabee’s airplane security analogy is a good one.
7:47 - Wolfie just asked “The Mormon Question.”
7:43 - GREAT ANSWER. Huckabee hits it out of the ballpark for me (and I’m guessing a lot of Americans) with: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” I also like his nuanced answer about the amount of time creation may have took.
7:42 - That’s right, Romney’s conversion to Pro-Life happened at the age of, what, 50?
7:41 - Ok, Rudy. I’ve been favorable to you tonight. But now that you’ve brought it up — you do not hate abortion.
7:40 - Is that lightning — or is Rudy being struck down for criticizing a priest?
7:39 - Tommy Thompson thinks anyone named Thompson is good (for this reason, I’m a huge Huey Lewis fan…)
7:38 - RudyMcRomneySon? Gilmore makes the point that we don’t know how conservative Fred Thompson is …
7:35 -McCain survived the Immigration discussion. Frankly, I’m surprised Romney and Rudy didn’t take some better shots at him. … What’s with McCain talking about Native American language?
7:25 - Here comes the Immigration issue. I’m taking a break to soak it all in …
7:24 - Tancredo makes a good point about losing the English language. I think that will play pretty well among base voters.
7:23 - Ok, the sounds in the background is lighting in Manchesters …
7:19 - Rudy mentions Ft. Dix — and JFK Airport. Says this war is not a bumper sticker. He earns the 2nd round of applause.
7:18 - I know I’m in the minority here, but boy could I go for a wacky Chris Matthews question, right now …
7:16 - Tancredo is hurrying. Slow down, dude.
7:15 - Did Huckabee just say today is the birthday of Ronald Reagan??? Did I hear him wrong, or is it February, already?
7:14 - So Duncan Hunter was like the only guy in Congress who read the Iraq Intelligence Report …
7:13 - Ok, I’m voting Tommy Thompson off the debate. He’s not merely a 3rd tier candidate — but worse — he’s not entertaining, either …
7:11 - McCain just made a good point that he didn’t say it was “President Clinton’s War” in Bosnia. He gets the first applause of the night.
7:09 - Gilmore has a HUGE chip on his shoulder. Wolf just did him a favor, in the question, by mentioning his background — which is extensive.
7:08 - McCain didn’t read the classified Iraq report before voting for the war, but we’ve always known that. Was that a “gotcha” question? If so, it didn’t work. Apparently Brownback didn’t, either. At least, he won’t answer the question.
7:07 - Man is Rudy good on the issue of terror. If this debate is about terror, he wins. Love the aphorisms. BTW, what’s up with that random buzz sound (or is it just me)?
7:05 - Mitt takes on Harry Reid. Good move. But Wolfie is disputing whether or not Romney answered the question (clearly Wolf is trying to crack the whip early). Romney calls it, “an unreasonable hypothetical.”
7:04 - Huckabee is funny … AGAIN!
7:03 - I’m John McCain … BUZZ
7:03 - I’m Matt Lewis and I’m with Townhall.com.
7:00 - Let’s see how Wolf Blitzer measures up to Chris Matthews … Ok. They’re going to have “local” NH journalists asking questions.
6:58 - Ed Rollins is on Lou Dobbs talking about how Thompson may not have the “fire in the belly” for the race. Someone just compared Thompson’s strategy (of staying out of the race), to Roger Clements.
6:56 PM - The debate is about to start. Post your comments — as we go — below …
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| Posted by: Matt Lewis at 8:13 PM |
| 8:47 - Tancredo says the biggest mistake of Bush is that he ran as a conservative and governed as a liberal. 8:46 - Romney mentions “Ronald Reagan.” I take a shot. 8:42: “Muchas Gracias,” says McCain to Tancredo. You gotta give it to McCain, he’s got a great sense of humor. I think he’s scoring some points on being compassionate toward immigrants. 8:41 - Tancredo is right, by the way, that bilingual countries don’t work. 8:39 - Romney just got the “flip-flopping” question. Specifically, why does he have ads in Spanish, if he wants English to be the national language. Frankly, I agree with Mitt. I don’t see the two things as being inconsistent. 8:38 - Brownback will support the nominee of the GOP — even if it’s Rudy. 8:36 - Ron Paul has truly become an anti-war Republican. 8:31 - On conservatives who disagree with Romneycare, Mitt answers: “Well, I want to talk to the people, not just those conservatives who are concerned …” 8:30 - Why is Tommy Thompson yelling at me? 8:29 - Oooh. A question from a blogger. 8:26 - “It’s your health, you should own your health insurance” - Rudy. 8:21 - ***IDEA OF THE DAY: Divided Presidency: Rudy runs the war and Huckabee runs the social issues. Any takers? 8:20 - Rudy gets up and walks even closer. He’s doing very well today — and I think this format is good for him, too. 8:19 - Wow, someone asks a question with a conservative worldview. Sadly, it’s directed to Ron Paul. 8:18 - This format is much better for McCain. He’s the first to stand up. He’s better out from behind a podium. 8:17 - Brownback wants to divide up Iraq into 3 states. Isn’t that Joe Biden’s plan? 8:15 - How much do you want to bet one of these guys gets up off the red chair, walks over, and consoles one of these questioners? 8:14 - This format is a bit more touchy-feely. I’m having flashbacks to the Bill Clinton vs. George H.W. Bush debate where Clinton says, “I feel your pain.” 8:13 - Ok, the stage is a little odd looking. It’s likely Republican voters who get to ask the questions … |
Townhall Comments section is down:
| Wednesday, June 06, 2007 |
| AP ‘Startled’ By Bush Criticism in Debate |
| Posted by: Mary Katharine Ham at 12:15 AM |
| Despite the fact that it has happened at every debate so far, that the base’s displeasure with the immigration bill is well-publicized, and that Bush’s “don’t want to do what’s right for America” swipe at critics prompted an even better-publicized clobber of a column from Peggy Noonan, which all of punditry pretty much acknowledged was an accurate reflection of the base’s feelings about Bush. And yet, totally surprising to the AP that men courting the aforementioned base would reflect such feelings. Puzzle and puzzle ’til your puzzler is sore, guys. Ace commends CNN for finding “likely Republican” voters that accurately reflect his feelings:
And, what was with the CNN amateur hour? They had mike problems in the Democratic debate and somehow didn’t get them worked out in the intervening two days? Giuliani’s mike actually cut off a part of one of his answers. The producers were mighty clumsy with the cameras when Wolf was asking his “down-the-line” questions, panning from candidate to candidate too quickly and missing half of each candidate’s answer before panning violently back to the speaker. I know these events are hard to put together, but they can be put on well. That’s kinda CNN’s job. My favorite totally unbiased question came from Wolf and was something like, “You know, Arnold has really gained a lot of independent voters and broadened his base in California by moving farther and farther left. Isn’t that something you guys should probably try to emulate?” I thought the appropriate answer to that would have been, “I don’t know. What do you think we should do, Wolf? It’s a mystery to us. |
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