Posted on 09/22/2011 8:12:40 PM PDT by dangus
Newt Gingrich won again. I'm actually starting to get excited for him. In fact, if Sarah Palin doesn't run, I'm going to have to consider him, in spite of his personal life. He came off as the smartest, most capable guy in the room, but also, again, the most feisty and courageous.
Michelle Bachmann continues to fade into the background, despite explaining her Gardasil comments. Much better than the last two debates.
Herman Cain gave a great performance, a huge improvement over a couple debates ago when he was a non-factor. I think his 9-9-9 is idiotic, since a sales tax is BOTH regressive and crushes spending, which might have been a plus in 2005, but is a killer to hopes of an economic recovery. But his *performance* was strong.
Rick Perry was absolutely terrible. He was so stiff, he looked as stiff as Charles Krauthammer and as propped up as Mike Dukakis, and so incapable of annunicating his attacks on Romney that they fell apart with a simple denial by Romney. His answers about illegal immigration were complete crap, forcing him to run away from Rick Santorum's painfully simple question.
Romney in contrast played a game of "I'll deny this, but I'll admit this," openly acknowledging that there's stuff in his past that people will have problems with, but denying each of Perry's specifics. To me, his admissions in general to unpopular stances, but denials of specific accusations by Perry actually made his specific denials credible, and Perry seem weak.
Santorum was excellent, second only to Gingrich in his sharpness and boldness. Too bad he's unelectable, but he actually started to seem vice presidential to me.
How can Ron Paul top siding with Ahmadinejab? How about making the US into the Soviet Union and the Mexican border with the Iron Curtain? Despicable. Loathesome. Insane.
Gary Johnson came off as the credible libertarian candidate. An awkward delivery style, but he avoided the bizarre statements and embarrassing positions of Ron Paul.
Jon Hunstman quit attacking Republicans and actually started to sound like one. Not a bad talker, but too much like Romney. Not at all because they're both Mormons.
The big winner: Newt Gingrich, with Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Rick Santorum being strong. Johnson takes the libertarian title.
The big loser: Rick Perry actually manages to top Ron Paul in offending the most people, by calling opposing giving special $100,000 tuition breaks to illegal aliens, "heartless."
Still waiting for Sarah.
He has already run as a Libertarian.and lost.
He has a very big fan base with younger voters and actually gets attention running as a Repub.
I don’t know that he is a “dottering old fool”, but he is misguided.
I pray that he is not the nominee (don’t think he will be).
The guy needs to sit down. He is bringing “his message”. We get it even if we don’t agree...now go away Ron.
lol...let’s hope not.
Spot on.
I see it as Newt, Cain, Bachman than anyone’s guess.
All the candidates have issues. I am tired of hearing people say, “I can’t vote for him/her, they have no chance of winning”.
Vote your conscience. You are not choosing the horse that is going to win.
The two guys I like least, which is Ron Paul and Huntsman, are both pf them giants standing next to Obama and his gang of psychotic midgets, so I feel pretty good about our line-up.
I don’t particularly care for either Perry or Romney, but the same comparison goes for them too. They roughed each other up a bit but it came off a bit like belching in church, neither one of them did themselves any good. But, then, I really didn’t like either one of them to begin with, so I’m biased. But standing next to Obama, giants.
The ones who most represent my way of thinking, naturally, I thought came off really well. That would be Bachmann, Gingrich, Cain, and Santorum. Actually, Johnson is pretty likeable on stage too. All of them rose in my estimation, and all of them articulated the kinds of things we should be standing for. (Actually, so did Ron Paul, who is usually pretty good as long as he doesn’t stray into anything remotely sounding like foreign policy).
And, yes, I like Gingrich. His performance during these debates has made it safe to say so out loud. He is the most articulate, the boldest, and the clearest-minded on stage, its what he does best. They, my four favorites, all essencially agree on principles and policies, but Gingrich is able to articulate it better than any of them.
So, anyway, those are my favorites. Bachmann, Cain, Gingrich, Santorum, followed by anyone whose name doesn’t rhyme with “Obama”. Now its just a race to see which of the four are able to stay the course all the way to November.
I do not like Romney. Can’t quite put my finger on what bothers me about him, not talking about his past actions but more his persona. Something about him just plain bothers me.
I believe that is what Rush Limbaugh was getting at yesterday.
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092111/content/01125112.guest.html
Upon going to that link (above) you see Rush advising his listeners that we will need to get the Texas electoral vote to win this election, and we will need to get the Hispanic vote from Obama to win this election against Obama.
Rush's segment on this yesterday was every informative, should one have ears to listen.
However, not considering whether or not we need to take the Hispanic vote from Obama to win in the general election, I don't think Perry is doing a good job in these debates explaining the entire immigration situation here.
He is particularly doing a bad job explaining himself on the Texas DREAM Act.
Here are a few things I wish he would at least address:
1. Perry needs to let people know that states have no right to deport. By not making people aware that a state can not, by any legal law in The U.S., deport immigrants, others may think, and they do, that he is soft. People mistakenly think Perry COULD send them back. He CAN'T, but yet too many people think that he CAN and that he just DOESN'T.
Rick Perry has to get that misguided notion straightened up if anyone is even to ever come close to understanding what he is doing or why. Like it or not, neither Perry nor the State of Texas can deport illegal immigrants. That is only, by law, a federal action.
2. Rick Perry needs to tell people from OTHER STATES that if they want in-state tuition, they can get it from their own stinkin' states! I get tired of hearing person after person complain that THEIR child from Kentucky, or Michigan, or Maine can't go to a Texas college with an in-state tuition rate for their child but yet... they complain that while their child can't, some illegal living in Texas CAN.
You know, it's ONE argument to say you don't want illegal's children getting to stay here or getting breaks. It is something totally different when they complain about not getting in-state tuition for their children for college in a state they don't even live in. They CAN get in-state tuition.. in the state where they live!
Even if Perry can't step back on his need to manage this problem we have in Texas, when he hears this complain (and I believe it was mentioned in this debate), Perry needs to look them in the eye and say "If you want in-state tuition for your child, then by golly find a college in YOUR state. This is for people who are living in Texas, and YOU don't LIVE in Texas.
Sorry for that rant. Like I said, it is one thing to talk about something that would benefit a child of an illegal immigrant. It is another thing to complain about some out-of-state teenager not getting in-state tuition in Texas when they have their OWN states they can already get in-state tuition in.
3. Regarding this same issue, I have heard a few now ignorantly claim that these children of illegal immigrants living in Texas go to college FOR FREE! That is ludicrous!
Michele Bachmann quoted the DREAM Act discount as a savings of $22,000 I believe. The UT Austin website indicates a slightly lower tuition per semester rate, but when you include fees, she was probably very close.
So since she used The University of Texas Austin as her example, let's just keep it at that here.
So a child of an illegal immigrant living in Texas for at least three years (maybe a lifetime for many) who has graduated from high school, submitted their application for American citizenship and going through that citizenship process, and having been accepted to The University of Texas Austin (one of the HARDEST universities in the country to get accepted to), gets an in-state tution rate.
Besides the fact that the student had to be GOOD enough to get into college and competitive enough to get into a major university, they are STILL going to have to pay the regular in-state tuition. These stellar students are NOT going to school for FREE.
4. I also wish Perry would point out that these students who are entering Texas colleges are in the process of working on and receiving their American citizenship. They are taking actions available through our federal government to be citizens, and the government would have track of them at that point and KNOW if they were following through their citizenship process as well (a cost of approximately $30,000.00 per person), that cost IN ADDITION TO the in-state tuition that student is paying out of his or her own (or family's) pocket.
Of all the above points, I would think that would be the one that Perry could be the most proud of getting out to people.
I live in Texas, and I understand this is not a matter of wanting to reward illegal immigrants but more a situation we have to manage so that we are not left with these folk in the gutters killing each other (and us), selling drugs, making a living through prostitution rings, etc. Texas does not want all that junk in our state! So... we MANAGE the situation we are left with because of a lax federal government that has not protected us as it should have done and has not deported the illegal immigrants that should have been deported.
I also understand what Texas politicians feel they must do to manage the situation does not come off well to many others.
I just wish Rick Perry would clear up some of the absolute nonsense that is being thrown about with this issue and what is or is not being done here - what can, and can not be done here - and what has, and has not been done here in Texas.
This is not going to be his best issue with conservatives, and some people are going to be upset with The DREAM Act regardless, but my golly, when these incorrect fallacies are mentioned or people just don't have the right information, the least he could do for himself is to defend what he can and correct all he should.
But just for me... HEY PEOPLE, IT'S NOT FREE.
I can't stand him - and tonight I noticed that he sounds just like James Carville (without the southern accent) when he talks. Ew.
“I just find it very hard to trust his rhetoric when his record is entirely another thing.”
Seriously?! His record is “entirely” another thing?
Now that I just had the rant I had in my earlier post, lol, I know I’m late in coming, but I wanted to add my congratulations to both Newt and Herman Cain for the best jobs in the debate tonight.
I wish Rick Perry would have done better. He didn’t shine tonight.
I’m going to stand here and tell you I have not given up on Rick Perry yet though. I still know who he is and what he stands for. I’m just disappointed in his debating skills so far and hope he’ll have the chance for others to see who he really is too.
For tonight, I’ll give it to Newt and Herman. They had a good night, and they both deserved it.
He is very smart.
But like a lot of smart people he is not very smart on the personal side. It’s a shame really.
I really have to wonder if Rick Perry now regrets jumping into the fray. He's been the target in all three debates and has been so occupied in fending off the punches that he's drifted off message. In the past, Perry has said that being Texas Governor is "the greatest job in the world". That post probably does seem more appealing after the past few weeks.
Are you going to make it a threesome sitting on the global warming couch with Newt and Nancy”
Excellent post!!! You covered all points well. I completely agree.
If Rick could do as well, but he is no debater.
I hope the Global Warming issue comes up, since it has been debunked.
I’d like to hear what Newt says. Could be he backs off of the issue. Many have.
Even if he holds the line..I think he would be great as a debater.
no
Romney and Cain won the debate. Because people are scared shitless of Obama getting another four years...Romney is going to go back to the top and be the frontrunner over the next 1-2 of polling.
Cain, might be able to get some traction...he did very well. Perry will plummet.
Thank you, berdie!
Your words gave me the courage to post my comment on another thread I found right after I posted here, that other thread being one that was specific to Perry’s immigration policies and with lots of other comments.
I appreciate your encouragement. Well, maybe you didn’t know you were encouraging me so to speak, but you did, and I needed it. It was scary coming on here after that last debate! LOL
Thank you.
Good luck, Casinva.
It’s a jungle out there.
“Sarah does.”
There won’t be a Sarah to vote for as she isn’t going to run.
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