Well I just got done watching a grueling hour and a half of what Fox News calls a debate. First off, I was hoping for a little less bias than usual, but I'm afraid we may have gotten more than usual. Ron Paul got hammered by the questioners, who had an obvious sense of disgust in their speech when talking with Congressman Paul. At the same time, good-ol Fox conservatives and even Rudy Guiliani were allowed to slide and dodge the questions. Paul got mis-quoted, stopped in the middle of his sentences, and was even had it implied to him that he supported al-Qaeda by one of the panelists. On top of all that, everytime Paul gave a response, there was a clear sound of laughter in the background. I would hope it wasn't the other candidates or Fox News personality, but whomever was laughing, must have been pretty damn close to a microphone. But anyway....here is a quick, candidate-by-candidate analysis:
-Rudy Guiliani: a horrible showing for someone who is supposed to be the front-runner. This man answers every question the same: he laundry lists what he did as Mayor. In a president, Americans need someone who will talk about what they bring to the table. I could have been up there listing what Rudy did and didn't do as Mayor. I want to know what he WILL do as President, not what he DID do as Mayor.
-John McCain: McCain had a good night. I thought his passion showed and he looked and sounded the most presidential. Whether or not this is going to help him rebound after a disappointing summer, we'll just have to wait and see, but, overall, he had a definite connection with the New Hampshire audience and I would be willing to bet he won himself a few more votes.
-Mitt Romney: Romney didn't answer one question clearly. He dodged every question and the commentators never followed up. By the end of this debate, I didn't know whether Romney wanted in or out of Iraq, whether he wanted a nationwide ban to abortion or not, or how he was going to deal with the immigration problems he has so often spoke out on. I'm not sure if he was flip-flopping again or what, but when I thought I had his positions figured out...well...now I'm not so sure.
-Mike Huckabee: Huckabee, as usual, came off as the most warm candidate. I thought he had an okay night. He didn't hurt himself, but yet didn't have that defining moment he could really use. He just got lost in the shuffle and, unfortunately for him, I don't think people are going to wake up tomorrow and remember Huckabee as anything more than just another candidate.
-Sam Brownback: All I have to say is that this man is a one issue candidate. Every question he got asked, he answered by blaming it on there not being enough emphasis on families. Brownback needs to be more than just a strict social conservative, he needs to be someone who is ready to lead this country and, in this day and age, you need more than just "family values" to do that.
-Duncan Hunter: Like Huckabee, Hunter will be forgotten. He should have dropped out this race a long time ago. He doesn't bring anything new or different to the discussion and as far as I'm concerned, he comes off as just wasting time.
-Tom Tancredo: He had on okay showing, maybe slightly better than last time, only because he covered some tough issues and went straight to the point. But at the same time, Tancredo fails to make an impact, and should just drop out.
-Ron Paul: I can't help but feel bad for Paul. He was bullied by Fox and still held his ground. What surprised me the most was that the audience, republican voters, had great applause for many of Paul's responses that were quite the opposite of those of main-stream republicans. Maybe there is a niche for Paul to still make an impact. Over all he did really good and did a lot to make himself appear the alternative to the "Bush-Cheney" like Republicans.
WINNERS:
-McCain
-Paul
LOSERS:
-Guiliani
-Romney
And everyone else, just stuck somewhere in between. For those who watched it, I would love to hear your thoughts!
