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Wikio
Get exclusive travel deals and book discount cheap flights
Comments from an AP history
and government teacher in Raleigh, NC.
e-mail betsynewmark AT gmail.com
Commissions earned from selling items through Amazon will go towards buying materials for my classes. Thank you.
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Saturday, January 05, 2008
The ABC debates
7:27 pm So far, one question in, this is such an improvement on the Des Moines Register debate. First of all, Charles Gibson started off with a foreign policy question - a topic that the DMR apparently didn't think was relevant. And he's allowing them to talk and and respond to each other. And with Ron Paul in to give the pacifist line, Romney, Giuliani and Thompson all had an opportunity to school Paul and demonstrate their bona fides in fighting radical Islamic terrorism.
7:29 Now Romney and Huckabee are mixing it up over Huckabee's article calling the President's policies arrogant. When Romney told Huckabee not to characterize his position, Huckabee zapped "Which one?" Then Romney told him to stick to characterizing his own positions and Romney would take care of characterizing his. Well, that was rather disingenous considering all the ads and attacks that Romney has been running on Huckabee and McCain. I get several emails a day attacking them from the Romney team.
7:30 It is more interesting with Ron Paul in there since it presented the others, particularly Giuliani and Romney, the opportunity to express their views on the threat from Islamic terrorists and to refute Paul's assertion that we have provoked terrorist attacks by our presence in the Middle East.
7:49 Fred Thompson has just faded into the background. He just doesn't have the type of personality to jump into the conversation when it becomes a free-for-all.
7:54 Maybe I take that back about Fred. Mitt Romney just said "I like mandates" and Fred jumped on him saying "I didn't know you were going to admit it." "You just like the mandates you make up." Maybe Fred is warming up to what he needs to do in this sort of style debate.
8:01 Score one for Romney. John McCain started a rant on the pharmaceutical companies and how they're overcharging Medicaid and how we should reimport drugs from Canada. And Romney jumped in and said "Don't make the drug companies the bad guys." McCain said "Well, they are the bad guys." And Romney said basically that the drug companies are doing important work in the free market. McCain sounds like Hillary Clinton with his attacks on the drug companies. It is one more piece of evidence that McCain isn't at in his heart a free market conservative. Perhaps with his wife suffering from MS, Romney has more concern for allowing pharmaceutical companies to do research into new drugs. Without the profit incentive, why would they continue to do that research?
8:20 Now they're mixing it up on immigration. McCain denies that he ever supported amnesty. Well, not quite. Thompson has inserted himself well into this debate over immigration.
8:26 Good question from the New Hampshire ABC anchor. He asked them to say what they would bring to a campaign against Barack Obama. Good for him. That's what I and probably a lot of Republicans want to know: would any of these guys be able to match up against the Obama charisma. Romney says that he's the guy who can change Washington because he worked for change in the private sector. Thompson said that Obama would lead us to a welfare state. McCain jabbed at Romney and said he agreed: Romney is the candidate of change. The joke fell pretty flat and felt out of place. McCain then went on to say that he challenged Obama on foreign policy and that he had more experience. Romney responded that Obama blew the Democrats out of the water who attacked him on his inexperience. Giuliani said that not all change is good and attacked Obama for giving the enemy a timetable for withdrawl. Huckabee said that he'd differ with Obama on the 2nd Amendment, the sanctity of life, and on limited government, and national defense. Also same sex marriage. Well, yes, they would all have differences with a Democrat. Huckabee paid tribute to how Obama has done well on avoiding attack. Ron Paul says that he has a lot of similarities with Barack Obama. They both appeal to the young and both opposed the war. But similar as Paul and Obama apparently are, Ron also talks about his economic policies and his support for the free market.
Jim Geraghty disagrees and thinks the Obama question was stupid. I usually am in complete accord with Geraghty, but I respectfully disagree. So far the Republicans have all acted as if they would be taking on Hillary Clinton. It now looks increasingly likely that whoever the GOP nominee is, he'll be running against Barack Obama. As a Republican, I'm interested in seeing who can make the best argument against Obama - who can eloquently argue against Obama on policy?
8:44 Charlie Gibson invites the Democratic candidates to come out and join the Republicans to demonstate how, as Americans, we'll all support the next president who will come from these people on stage. My first thought as they come out and shake hands is - we have to pick a president from these guys? Yeesh! I can't get enthusiastic about any of them and they're so many of them. Once again I'll be voting for the person who annoys me the least. Sigh.
Overall, the debate was mostly a pile on attack on Romney. These guys just can't stand him. But then they all turned to pile on Ron Paul on foreign policy and McCain over immigration. It seemed to me that Fred Thompson got it into gear after the first part of the debate and seemed a bit above the sniping attacks on each other. McCain came across as rather cranky with his zingers at Romney. Perhaps Fred can do that since he's so far behind the others that no one bothers to attack him. But I liked it that Thompson stuck up for the free market several times on the pharmaceutical company question and on oil company profits. He pointed out that they also have losses and that's how supply and demand works.Labels: Election 2008
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Comments:
7:27 pm So far, one question in, this is such an improvement on the Des Moines Register debate. First of all, Charles Gibson started off with a foreign policy question - a topic that the DMR apparently didn't think was relevant. And he's allowing them to talk and and respond to each other. And with Ron Paul in to give the pacifist line, Romney, Giuliani and Thompson all had an opportunity to school Paul and demonstrate their bona fides in fighting radical Islamic terrorism.
7:29 Now Romney and Huckabee are mixing it up over Huckabee's article calling the President's policies arrogant. When Romney told Huckabee not to characterize his position, Huckabee zapped "Which one?" Then Romney told him to stick to characterizing his own positions and Romney would take care of characterizing his. Well, that was rather disingenous considering all the ads and attacks that Romney has been running on Huckabee and McCain. I get several emails a day attacking them from the Romney team.
7:30 It is more interesting with Ron Paul in there since it presented the others, particularly Giuliani and Romney, the opportunity to express their views on the threat from Islamic terrorists and to refute Paul's assertion that we have provoked terrorist attacks by our presence in the Middle East.
7:49 Fred Thompson has just faded into the background. He just doesn't have the type of personality to jump into the conversation when it becomes a free-for-all.
7:54 Maybe I take that back about Fred. Mitt Romney just said "I like mandates" and Fred jumped on him saying "I didn't know you were going to admit it." "You just like the mandates you make up." Maybe Fred is warming up to what he needs to do in this sort of style debate.
8:01 Score one for Romney. John McCain started a rant on the pharmaceutical companies and how they're overcharging Medicaid and how we should reimport drugs from Canada. And Romney jumped in and said "Don't make the drug companies the bad guys." McCain said "Well, they are the bad guys." And Romney said basically that the drug companies are doing important work in the free market. McCain sounds like Hillary Clinton with his attacks on the drug companies. It is one more piece of evidence that McCain isn't at in his heart a free market conservative. Perhaps with his wife suffering from MS, Romney has more concern for allowing pharmaceutical companies to do research into new drugs. Without the profit incentive, why would they continue to do that research?
8:20 Now they're mixing it up on immigration. McCain denies that he ever supported amnesty. Well, not quite. Thompson has inserted himself well into this debate over immigration.
8:26 Good question from the New Hampshire ABC anchor. He asked them to say what they would bring to a campaign against Barack Obama. Good for him. That's what I and probably a lot of Republicans want to know: would any of these guys be able to match up against the Obama charisma. Romney says that he's the guy who can change Washington because he worked for change in the private sector. Thompson said that Obama would lead us to a welfare state. McCain jabbed at Romney and said he agreed: Romney is the candidate of change. The joke fell pretty flat and felt out of place. McCain then went on to say that he challenged Obama on foreign policy and that he had more experience. Romney responded that Obama blew the Democrats out of the water who attacked him on his inexperience. Giuliani said that not all change is good and attacked Obama for giving the enemy a timetable for withdrawl. Huckabee said that he'd differ with Obama on the 2nd Amendment, the sanctity of life, and on limited government, and national defense. Also same sex marriage. Well, yes, they would all have differences with a Democrat. Huckabee paid tribute to how Obama has done well on avoiding attack. Ron Paul says that he has a lot of similarities with Barack Obama. They both appeal to the young and both opposed the war. But similar as Paul and Obama apparently are, Ron also talks about his economic policies and his support for the free market.
Jim Geraghty disagrees and thinks the Obama question was stupid. I usually am in complete accord with Geraghty, but I respectfully disagree. So far the Republicans have all acted as if they would be taking on Hillary Clinton. It now looks increasingly likely that whoever the GOP nominee is, he'll be running against Barack Obama. As a Republican, I'm interested in seeing who can make the best argument against Obama - who can eloquently argue against Obama on policy?
8:44 Charlie Gibson invites the Democratic candidates to come out and join the Republicans to demonstate how, as Americans, we'll all support the next president who will come from these people on stage. My first thought as they come out and shake hands is - we have to pick a president from these guys? Yeesh! I can't get enthusiastic about any of them and they're so many of them. Once again I'll be voting for the person who annoys me the least. Sigh.
Overall, the debate was mostly a pile on attack on Romney. These guys just can't stand him. But then they all turned to pile on Ron Paul on foreign policy and McCain over immigration. It seemed to me that Fred Thompson got it into gear after the first part of the debate and seemed a bit above the sniping attacks on each other. McCain came across as rather cranky with his zingers at Romney. Perhaps Fred can do that since he's so far behind the others that no one bothers to attack him. But I liked it that Thompson stuck up for the free market several times on the pharmaceutical company question and on oil company profits. He pointed out that they also have losses and that's how supply and demand works.
0 comments
7:27 pm So far, one question in, this is such an improvement on the Des Moines Register debate. First of all, Charles Gibson started off with a foreign policy question - a topic that the DMR apparently didn't think was relevant. And he's allowing them to talk and and respond to each other. And with Ron Paul in to give the pacifist line, Romney, Giuliani and Thompson all had an opportunity to school Paul and demonstrate their bona fides in fighting radical Islamic terrorism.
7:29 Now Romney and Huckabee are mixing it up over Huckabee's article calling the President's policies arrogant. When Romney told Huckabee not to characterize his position, Huckabee zapped "Which one?" Then Romney told him to stick to characterizing his own positions and Romney would take care of characterizing his. Well, that was rather disingenous considering all the ads and attacks that Romney has been running on Huckabee and McCain. I get several emails a day attacking them from the Romney team.
7:30 It is more interesting with Ron Paul in there since it presented the others, particularly Giuliani and Romney, the opportunity to express their views on the threat from Islamic terrorists and to refute Paul's assertion that we have provoked terrorist attacks by our presence in the Middle East.
7:49 Fred Thompson has just faded into the background. He just doesn't have the type of personality to jump into the conversation when it becomes a free-for-all.
7:54 Maybe I take that back about Fred. Mitt Romney just said "I like mandates" and Fred jumped on him saying "I didn't know you were going to admit it." "You just like the mandates you make up." Maybe Fred is warming up to what he needs to do in this sort of style debate.
8:01 Score one for Romney. John McCain started a rant on the pharmaceutical companies and how they're overcharging Medicaid and how we should reimport drugs from Canada. And Romney jumped in and said "Don't make the drug companies the bad guys." McCain said "Well, they are the bad guys." And Romney said basically that the drug companies are doing important work in the free market. McCain sounds like Hillary Clinton with his attacks on the drug companies. It is one more piece of evidence that McCain isn't at in his heart a free market conservative. Perhaps with his wife suffering from MS, Romney has more concern for allowing pharmaceutical companies to do research into new drugs. Without the profit incentive, why would they continue to do that research?
8:20 Now they're mixing it up on immigration. McCain denies that he ever supported amnesty. Well, not quite. Thompson has inserted himself well into this debate over immigration.
8:26 Good question from the New Hampshire ABC anchor. He asked them to say what they would bring to a campaign against Barack Obama. Good for him. That's what I and probably a lot of Republicans want to know: would any of these guys be able to match up against the Obama charisma. Romney says that he's the guy who can change Washington because he worked for change in the private sector. Thompson said that Obama would lead us to a welfare state. McCain jabbed at Romney and said he agreed: Romney is the candidate of change. The joke fell pretty flat and felt out of place. McCain then went on to say that he challenged Obama on foreign policy and that he had more experience. Romney responded that Obama blew the Democrats out of the water who attacked him on his inexperience. Giuliani said that not all change is good and attacked Obama for giving the enemy a timetable for withdrawl. Huckabee said that he'd differ with Obama on the 2nd Amendment, the sanctity of life, and on limited government, and national defense. Also same sex marriage. Well, yes, they would all have differences with a Democrat. Huckabee paid tribute to how Obama has done well on avoiding attack. Ron Paul says that he has a lot of similarities with Barack Obama. They both appeal to the young and both opposed the war. But similar as Paul and Obama apparently are, Ron also talks about his economic policies and his support for the free market.
Jim Geraghty disagrees and thinks the Obama question was stupid. I usually am in complete accord with Geraghty, but I respectfully disagree. So far the Republicans have all acted as if they would be taking on Hillary Clinton. It now looks increasingly likely that whoever the GOP nominee is, he'll be running against Barack Obama. As a Republican, I'm interested in seeing who can make the best argument against Obama - who can eloquently argue against Obama on policy?
8:44 Charlie Gibson invites the Democratic candidates to come out and join the Republicans to demonstate how, as Americans, we'll all support the next president who will come from these people on stage. My first thought as they come out and shake hands is - we have to pick a president from these guys? Yeesh! I can't get enthusiastic about any of them and they're so many of them. Once again I'll be voting for the person who annoys me the least. Sigh.
Overall, the debate was mostly a pile on attack on Romney. These guys just can't stand him. But then they all turned to pile on Ron Paul on foreign policy and McCain over immigration. It seemed to me that Fred Thompson got it into gear after the first part of the debate and seemed a bit above the sniping attacks on each other. McCain came across as rather cranky with his zingers at Romney. Perhaps Fred can do that since he's so far behind the others that no one bothers to attack him. But I liked it that Thompson stuck up for the free market several times on the pharmaceutical company question and on oil company profits. He pointed out that they also have losses and that's how supply and demand works.
Labels: Election 2008
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