Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #3 - Manchester, NH 06/05/07 - Official Discussion Thread

[CounterCounterCulture]

Republican Presidential Candidate Debate #3 - Manchester, New Hampshire 06/05/07 - Official Discussion Thread

WMUR-TV, CNN, and the New Hampshire Union Leader will host a Republican debate in Manchester, New Hampshire on the campus of Saint Anselm College. Moderated by Wolf Blitzer. Debate begins at 7 p.m. EDT (4 p.m. PDT) and will last two hours.

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

Watch live video including complete coverage of the Republican debate on CNN.com

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Oh no doubt that’s what he meant. But people read things wrongly a lot these days, you know what I’m sayin’? ;)

[TheBattman]

Still spouting that junk?

I won’t deny that some who oppose Amnesty base their position on racist beliefs. But there is a HUGE difference between the case you mention and the current situation...

First - the sheer numbers

Second - the fact that the Irish, Germans, Jews, etc. that you mentioned became Americans - shared their culture yet melted into the overall American culture (including learning the language and not expecting billions of dollars in handouts from citizen taxpayers). The majority of the current ILLEGAL immigrants share no such desire to become American - instead many actually are proponents of forcibly taking “back” territory (LaRoza, Aztlan, etc.).

Third - the very real and tangible damage already done and being done to our economy and environment (for the enviro-nuts out there).

There IS a difference. Comparison to historical events that are only superficially related is not a viable argument.

[Pinkbell]

I didn’t get to see the debate, but it appears the a lot of the DUmmies have bumped up Ron Paul where he has basically had near 50% or a little over in most of the CNN poll questions. Unless, Ron Paul changed his tune on Iraq or came out swining in other areas to look really good.

[TheBattman]

Why do you not like Huckabee? What’s not to like? Is he too Conservative or to sensible?

I'll take a swing at this one - Huckabee is a Big-Brother Big Government, Tax-and-spend, socialized medicine, illegal Alien-loving, pseudo-Conservative.

Does that answer your question?

[The_Eaglet]

I didn’t get to see the debate, but it appears the a lot of the DUmmies have bumped up Ron Paul where he has basically had near 50% or a little over in most of the CNN poll questions. Unless, Ron Paul changed his tune on Iraq or came out swining in other areas to look really good.

That may be so, but a lot of conservatives, FReepers, and Constitutionalists have also rallied to the virtual polls, as this forum's poll attests.

[AfterManyASummer]

He supports a national sales tax. I don’t know how credible his support is, though. What do you think of that?

I like Huckabee better than most of the candidates anyway.

[TomasUSMC]

if it is apparent that we cannot, then we have to do and tell the Iraqis the exact same thing that Benjamin Franklin said when he came out of the convention in 1787 and somebody said to him, “Dr. Franklin, what have you given us?” And he said, “A republic, if you can keep it.” It is exactly that time and it is exactly that thing that we have to say to the Iraqi government. We have given you this. We bought it with our blood and sweat. It is now up to you to keep it.

And I want the Iraqis to be in fact patrolling Baghdad. If they need vehicles, you let them have the vehicles. But I want them patrolling their city and putting their lives at risk.
- Tom Tancredo

The best thing said about Iraq to date.

[TheBattman]

The 10 cents @ gallon profit margin is a bit misleading because it doesn’t take into consideration that the oil industry actually owns/operates all or most levels of gasoline production, so they actually are getting a profit cut at each level, from the well, to the “wholesale” level, to the refinery, to the distributors, etc.

But I won't deny that the government is taking the lion's share.

[George W. Bush]

While Tom’s performance was a little uneven, that was an exceptionally good comment and it registered with the audience strongly. I think some of the other candidates wished they had said it first.

[dixiechick2000]

OHHH!

Cute AND clever!

That one is GOOD, Phil.

[HAL9000]

Uh huh..because of HUCKABEE, the State of Arkansas FIRED all the Republicans and elected a RAT Governor..

Mike Beebe got elected because Win Paul Rockeller died. I don't see how Huckabee can be blamed for that.

Asa lost because of his long absence from Arkansas politics, and Tim's affair with the secretary. Huckabee can't be blamed for that either.

[calcowgirl]

Shouldn’t the GOP nationally be following that Arnold Schwarzenegger example in California?

REP. HUNTER: No. (Laughter.) And let me just say, you know, I look at Governor Romney, Mayor Giuliani, my good friend John McCain. Governor Romney joined with Bill Clinton for the 1994 gun ban when I was fighting that. Mayor Giuliani stood with him at the White House on that. Governor Romney has passed what I consider to be a major step toward socialism with respect to his mandated health care bill. John McCain is standing strong with Ted Kennedy on this Kennedy- McCain-Bush border enforcement bill.

I think the guy who’s got the most influence right here with these three gentlemen is Ted Kennedy. And I think we need to move away from the Kennedy Wing of the Republican Party. (Applause.)

---

Best part of the debate. Thank you for transcribing.

[LibertyRocks]

I’m willing to give Paul the benefit of the doubt on the education issue, as I am familiar with his stance on it.

However, I will say that he really needs to work on his delivery then, as it sure didn’t sound good when he used the clichés of the “liberal anti-war” crowd when talking about the Iraq war, and especially not when he answered the last question...

[LibertyRocks]

Thank you calcowgirl. If Mitt Romney partnered with Clinton on gun control, then I don’t see how he’s any better than Giuliani...

[OKIEDOC]

Well CNN does play it’s little games.

[LibertyRocks]

Thanks for the transcription dragnet! Great line about moving away from the “Kennedy Wing” of the party.

[A CA Guy]

Paul seems crazy, damages the debate IMO.

[George W. Bush]

I didn’t get to see the debate, but it appears the a lot of the DUmmies have bumped up Ron Paul where he has basically had near 50% or a little over in most of the CNN poll questions. Unless, Ron Paul changed his tune on Iraq or came out swining in other areas to look really good.

It's simply wrong to label those supporters as a bunch of DUmmies. You forget that Ron Paul has a national network of conservative and libertarian supporters for decades, unique among the second-tier candidates. We funded his campaigns when both parties were trying to knock him off.

Ron Paul is the darling of the Slashdotters (generally libertarian) for his absolute and consistent opposition to internet regulation and taxation. The online gambling people love him big-time because he opposed the backdoor way that they got shut down. He opposed Xlinton's bombing campaign in Kosovo like everyone at FR (when Bush II and McStain were supporting Xlinton, blathering about dissent stopping at the water's edge). He was a leader in defeating the Xlinton National ID and the Xlinton effort to impose No Child Left Behind. He has the single strongest gun rights voting record in Congress. He has the very highest anti-tax rating in Congress.

And he's willing to speak out and vote no, no matter what. He's proved it so many times that we don't even question it.

He really is Dr. No after all. And people remember when that one guy was the only one who stood up and spoke out and voted the way they wanted.

Another thing that some people don't understand is his appeal to young people, the under-thirties and the college crowd. These kids are just out from under mom's thumb and something about Hitlery's Mommy State repels them, obviously, their intelligence wasn't entirely destroyed by the public schools. But, like most young people, they're mushy-headed and somewhat liberal and peacenik. Well, maybe Churchill was right about expecting idealism in young people. But Ron Paul speaks the language of liberty and conveys to them that there are certain fundamental ideas in the Constitution that cannot be ignored, that our Constitution actually means certain very specific things and isn't just some morphing document. Young people like that concreteness after years of being spoon-fed relativism from their schools and even their parents and churches. Ron Paul speaks of liberty to young people and isn't scary to them on what they view as GOP militarism.

At any rate, his detractors here (generally not people of very broad background or long FR seniority) conclude it's just DUmmies supporting Ron Paul. They underestimate his real appeal and his long record in office.

[CAluvdubya]

I was hootin’ and hollerin’ when I heard him say that! Even had to pump my fist in the air! Finally, someone with guts said outloud, on TV, what all of us have been thinking and saying!

[LibertyRocks]

I honestly think he’d get more support if he could adequately articulate WHY he disagrees. As it is, you’re right he does sound rather silly. I personally don’t support him for President even if he got much better at articulating things in the next few months.