What I got out of the debate:
Ron Paul looks like Jack Riley, the comedian who played Mr. Carlin on the Bob Newhart Show in the 1970s:
That, and Fred Thompson won hands down. Rudy and McCain (in that order) Placed and Showed.
OIL
7:40 – Romney, with Fred’s help, says he’s against windfall profits tax.
7:39 – Giuliani is right-on on energy, particularly new refineries and nuclear power plants.
7:37 – Fred says “NO” to windfall profit tax. Excellent. If you’re old enough to remember what happened the last time we had a windfall profits tax (near-depression, skyrocketing energy costs), you’d shoot anyone who proposed a windfall profit tax.
Aside: Doesn’t Ron Paul look like that guy from the Bob Newhart show in the 70s?
Aside: The Fredheads did NOT log onto Facebook. I am pissed at you.
BARACK OBAMA
7:32 – Huckabee cites 2nd Amendment, right to life, national defense, taxes(??), same sex marriage, as some of the differences between himself and Obama.
7:30 – Gialiani slams Obama’s national security record with great specifics.
Aside: McCain is doing very well tonight. Have you noticed that McCain and Thompson are ganging up on Romney? I have. Interesting.
7:27 – McCain: Senator Obama does not have the training and experience to lead this country in foreign policy. Right on, right on, right on, brother, right on.
7:26 – Fred says Obama has adopted the position of every liberal interest group in America. Obama see’s governement as the cure for every problem.
7:24 – Romney says Obama’s health care will kill the economy, quoting P. J. O’Rourke: “If you think health care’s expensive now, just wait ‘til it’s free.”
IMMIGRATION
7:23 – Romney calls out separation between illegal and legal immigration–good for him.
7:22 – Ron Paul is worried about the national ID. He’s absolutely right about that the welfare state invites illegals into the country, which is why he should vote for Thompson.
7:20 – Huckabee . . . and then my live stream broke. Something about holding your head up.
7:17 – Fred’s up: If we secured the border, as we all agree we should do; if we assisted employers . . . verification system; and if we stopped creating sanctuary cities, as Mayor Giuliani did, then we’d fix this problem. Good row, but Giuliani did sue to stop the federal law that outlawed sanctuary cities. He can’t deny it, though he tried.
7:15 – This is getting boring. Seal the border. If you find them, send them back. End of story. Rudy scores big hit on Romney. I really like Rudy. I wish he were a conservative.
7:12 – McCain goes after Romney hard on the amnesty attack ads. Romney says that his ads don’t call it amnesty and fires back. “Everyone who’s here illegally today would get stay here.”
7:10 – Giuliani would let some stay. McCain says he never supported amnesty, quotes Romney’s endorsement of McCain’s plan. Romney admits, but McCain quibbles over specifics.
7:09 – Romney’s against rewarding illegal aliens for breaking into the country. Good for him. Giuliani doesn’t want to talk about 12 million illegals, wants to concentrate on the ones who’ve committed crimes IN ADDITION TO breaking and entering.
7:07 – McCain’s wife is still hot.
7:06 – Immigration aimed at McCain. Have you changed your ‘path to citizenship’ plan?
McCain: No. But I will secure the borders
7:05 – They’re back.
HEALTH CARE
7:00 – Commercial break. On health care, remember, it’s not mentioned in the Constitution. Michelle Malkin is also live blogging. She captured part of the Romney-Thompson exchange on health care mandates I missed:
Romney: I like mandates.
Thompson: I didn’t think you’d admit it…[crosstalk]…
6:57 – Huckabee spoke for 2 minutes and said nothing but platitudes. Another putz.
6:55 – Romney recovers with a Federalism answer: he would not force California to use the Mass. model.
6:53 – Fred slams Romney on mandates:
R omney: I’ll tell you the kinds of mandates I like. Fred: The ones you make! (laughter, and not forced like Ben Adler will claim.)
6:51 – FINALLY, someone who knows what the f*** he’s talking about: Fred Thompson. Economic choice, open markets, free enterprise.
6:49 – Still on heath care. Thank God they’re all slamming Hillarycare–except for Ron ‘DB’ Paul. He’s still in Iraq. And people don’t go to India to get heart surgery. They go to India for the cuisine. And inflation in health care comes from the third-party payer system.
6:45 – Healthcare bores me. I’m going to have a beer and cigarette. BRB.
FOREIGN POLICY
6:41 – “our first principles are based on the Constitution of the United States . . . They set the powers out in the Constitution.” Quotes the 10th Amendment! God Bless Fred Thompson. Another 10 for Fred. Federalism and the 10th Amendment are the most important domestic issues in EVERY election, period. 6:40 – Is Fred still on the stage, or did he leave? I haven’t heard him in 20 minutes.
6:37 – On the Principles question: McCain’s answer was good but predictable, Romney sounded insincere. Giuliani sounds great, but he’s not a Reagan Republican.
6:35 – I just voted on the Facebook poll regarding foreign policy. Vote now.
6:31 – The question from President Bush on principles. We know Fred’s, so Charlie directs the question to McCain and Romney. But I’m still wanting to choke the living shit out of that idiot Ron Paul.
6:29 – Ron Paul is a freakin’ idiot! “Why do they attack America?” Because YOU’RE here, you putz! Good job, Rudy. Ron Paul is an idiot. He’s flippin' un-American moron.
6:19 – Well, then Ron Paul opened his mouth. He laments that “all options are on the table” regarding Iran. Dude, we kill our enemies before they kill us. If you don’t like it, move.
6:18 – McCain gives excellent answer by giving Bush credit for preventing a terrorist attack after 9/11. Kudos. Also, crediting Bush for the Surge. So far, I am proud to be a Republican right now.
6:15 – Fred scores a 10 on question about President Bush’s foreign policy. Giuliani giving excellent answer, as well.
Streaming online via WMUR in New Hampshire.
ABCNews.com has a Facebook debate for everyone. Let’s get some Fredheads on there to make sure solid, conservative values come through.
And I’ll be right here to declare Thompson the clear winner objectively score the candidates at debate’s end.