Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #1~ Reagan Library 05/03/07 - Official Discussion Thread

[CounterCounterCulture]

Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #1 – Reagan Library 05/03/07 - Official Discussion Thread

• Sam Brownback
• Jim Gilmore
• Rudy Giuliani
• Mike Huckabee
• Duncan Hunter
• John McCain
• Mitt Romney
• Ron Paul
• Tom Tancredo
• Tommy Thompson

  The debate will take place at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, and will air live on MSNBC from 8:00 to 9:30 pm (ET) and stream live on MSNBC.com and politico.com and will include audience questions gathered on politico.com.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>>Not for the candidates. We can go nuts here as much as we want.

I can appreciate that comment. I think. This early in the campaign, I said the other candidates should criticize Rooty if they want to score points. Romney, Gilmore and Hunter did just that.

[Pinkbell]

It’s early enough. I belive they still have time to set themselves apart.

[Afronaut]

Did I see That little sparkle JUDITH get her little bit of camera time tonight?

My Wife (of 20+ years) and i both think that Rudy does not look well. I wish him the best of health, but he was not looking well tonight.

Maybe he is exhausted.

[FreeReign]

Ron Paul should not ever actually appear in public.

LOL!

[rbmillerjr]

“Single digit candidates still being pushed on FR!
Some for candidates that could be used to put people to sleep”

Kind of early. Some people come up in the polls. Who do you like?

[Freedom'sWorthIt]

Oh - too bad.

[jhw61]

Why don’t you take your eternalvigilance elsewhere. I’m trying to avoid you, get it?

[NavyCanDo]

“Romney did good tonight.”

Out of the ten he is the only one who looked Presidential, and that’s not easy to do on this debate controlled by the liberal media.

[George W. Bush]

Mitt didn’t say anything wrong, but his overall demeanor was way too slick for my taste.

I think he is so much the CEO/Boy Scout/Mormon type, it's about the only way he can come off. He's that way the same way Giuliani is an incurable New Yorker. I grasp that the Mittster might be being politically devious with us on so-con issues. He definitely needs to commit more firmly to pro-gun positions. I also assess Romney as the kind of guy who makes a deal with you and then will carry it through. I think whatever we can get his solid commitment to as a candidate, that is what he will do if we elect him. He will carry our banner if we select him. It's a lot like a business transaction. On one of the abortion questions, Romney answered very quickly and very sincerely. It was pretty convincing for an answer from one of these political critters.

Still, no one should be totally settled on any candidate just yet. Some will drop out because they're flatliners. We might have a few more get in the race. The frontrunner will change at least once more, I think. This was only a pre-primary season debate.

[KentuckyWoman]

Immigration is an issue that I pay VERY close attention to and Cousin Fred (as we’ve called him here) voted to raise the visa caps, voting to increase chain migration and sided with the current administration every single time on issues involving illegal aliens. As Tennessee is currently being overrun by illegal hispanics, those votes didn’t garner him any friends here that are concerned about what is happening here with this issue. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a GREAT guy and VERY likeable and I would certainly take him over, say Guillani or McCain....I’m just urging a bit of caution if particular issues are important to you that the republican party may not see the same way. Rumor here would have it that Fred will announce his candiacy some time this month, so we’ll have to see how it all shakes out.

[La Enchiladita]

McCain... and especially Rudy were lackluster.

My exact term for Rudy's performance also. And MCain, just plain booooooringggg.....

[rbmillerjr]

“This is what our Nation’s founders thought of foreign intervention”

...and the shores of Tripoli....
...Barbary pirates...

“and why Congress is required to declare wars, not pass that power to the executive branch.”

The President is the Commander in Chief. He has the executive power to send men to battle as they have done in Korea,Vietnam,Panama,Grenada,Iraq,Afghanistan...

[EternalVigilance]

Why don’t you take your eternalvigilance elsewhere. I’m trying to avoid you, get it?

I'm not aware that I've ever even seen your screenname before, but if you have issues, it's you that should take them elsewhere.

[Pinkbell]

It’s cool that you were able to meet him.

I thought Hunter did very well. I think he needs to be a little more outgoing, and I hope he afforded more air time in the future. I felt he wasn’t given the amount of questions that some of the others were. He just has to set himself apart from the sea of candidates.

[NavyCanDo]

Its early yet, but I can see a Fred Thompsom/Romney team

[Choose Ye This Day]

I don’t think much of him one way or the other.

But he doesn’t debate well. He looked too stiff, too rehearsed.

[bvw]

All the candidates need to work on word skills. "We" a few times for every "I" is better than "I, I, I". Avoid negative phrasings, especially alone. Always start a response or a new thought of on a positive step. Don't dilly dally on a bad question. Huckabee got a bit tripped up by Matthews on the religion question -- although he stuck it out. Respond to those awful "quick answer" poll type questions not at all. Throw the moderator off kilter on them, at the least.

Have some curve-balls stories to antidote idiotic questions that are lose-lose to respond at all to.

[La Enchiladita]

You have a point there, SW, and a good one at that!!

Maybe Mrs. Hunter will be the first...?!

[nowandlater]

I would say to some people, Mitt comes off as a Boy Scout on steriods. In my opinion that is good thing. To others it is a turn off.

[KentuckyWoman]

Congress delared war.

No. They didn't. They 'gave' that power to the Executive Branch instead of actually making a declaration of war themselves. Something they are NOT allowed to do under the U.S. Constitution. The last 'war' that was declared by Congress was WWII - also the last war we actually won as all since have been 'police actions' at the behest and control of the U.N.