CNN/YouTube Debate
29/11/07 19:15
Last
night's GOP debate was certainly exciting. I was
expecting a brawl onstage. I've been
watching/reading/listening to a lot of the debate
follow up and have been surprised by a lot of the
comments.
First, as the commentators all seem to think as well, Huckabee did really well last night. He stood out as a friendly, knowledgeable, and calm candidate. He offered answers with depth and humor. Everyone keeps talking about how great his death penalty answer was, and I have to agree. It was very personal, thoughtful, and sincere. For all those folks out there like myself sick of insincere, lying Republicans, this was a relief. But, he's sure starting to stand out more these days. He was openly criticized for the first time last night (in the Thompson ad), which shows other candidates are starting to fear him. If he can't make it to the end, I agree that he would make an attractive VP choice, though he has publicly stated that he would have a very hard time accepting a VP offer from a pro-choice Republican like Rudy Giuliani. Overall, I like Huckabee. I wouldn't be disappointed to see him as the party's nominee, though it is indeed still a long shot. We can't get caught up in the recent hype.
Next, I thought Mitt Romney did absolutely terrible last night. I couldn't believe how soft the commentators and critics were on him afterwards. First, the spat with Giuliani in the beginning was unprofessional (on both their parts) and didn't accomplish anything, as they both have questionable records regarding "sanctuary cities". That argument threw him off for the rest of the night. From that point onward, he looked awkward up on stage and couldn't show off the polished, articulate image that he usually radiates. He did a fine job answering Thompson's video attack, but looked like an idiot on the Don't as Don't Tell policy. "The times have changed. I'll leave it up to the generals" is a really weak, lame answer, especially given the quote Anderson Cooper stated beforehand, where Romney adamantly stated that he looked forward to the day when gays could openly serve in the military. I'm sure this just played into his opponent's ideas and claims that he can't take a position and stand by it on his own. So, on the whole, he wasn't as impressive as he usually is at these debates. I have higher hopes for next time.
First, as the commentators all seem to think as well, Huckabee did really well last night. He stood out as a friendly, knowledgeable, and calm candidate. He offered answers with depth and humor. Everyone keeps talking about how great his death penalty answer was, and I have to agree. It was very personal, thoughtful, and sincere. For all those folks out there like myself sick of insincere, lying Republicans, this was a relief. But, he's sure starting to stand out more these days. He was openly criticized for the first time last night (in the Thompson ad), which shows other candidates are starting to fear him. If he can't make it to the end, I agree that he would make an attractive VP choice, though he has publicly stated that he would have a very hard time accepting a VP offer from a pro-choice Republican like Rudy Giuliani. Overall, I like Huckabee. I wouldn't be disappointed to see him as the party's nominee, though it is indeed still a long shot. We can't get caught up in the recent hype.
Next, I thought Mitt Romney did absolutely terrible last night. I couldn't believe how soft the commentators and critics were on him afterwards. First, the spat with Giuliani in the beginning was unprofessional (on both their parts) and didn't accomplish anything, as they both have questionable records regarding "sanctuary cities". That argument threw him off for the rest of the night. From that point onward, he looked awkward up on stage and couldn't show off the polished, articulate image that he usually radiates. He did a fine job answering Thompson's video attack, but looked like an idiot on the Don't as Don't Tell policy. "The times have changed. I'll leave it up to the generals" is a really weak, lame answer, especially given the quote Anderson Cooper stated beforehand, where Romney adamantly stated that he looked forward to the day when gays could openly serve in the military. I'm sure this just played into his opponent's ideas and claims that he can't take a position and stand by it on his own. So, on the whole, he wasn't as impressive as he usually is at these debates. I have higher hopes for next time.
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