Reagan Library Republican Presidential Debate: January 30, 2008 (Official Thread)

CNN ^ | January 30, 2008

[khnyny]

Reagan Library Republican Presidential Debate: January 30, 2008

SIMI VALLEY, California (CNN) -- Republican presidential hopefuls will face off Wednesday night without a familiar face as ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani is expected to drop out and endorse front-runner Sen. John McCain.

The remaining candidates will take the stage in a debate -- sponsored by CNN, the Los Angeles Times and Politico -- beginning at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday.

The event at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, follows McCain's Tuesday night win in the Florida primary.

McCain topped former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 36 percent to 31 percent in the hotly contested race.

Giuliani placed third with 15 percent of the vote, followed closely by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 14 percent, and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was fifth with 3 percent.

Giuliani is expected to end his White House bid and endorse McCain at a campaign event in California later Wednesday, Republican Party sources said.

Minus Giuliani, the debate will be a four-candidate affair -- McCain, Romney, Huckabee and Paul -- with CNN's Anderson Cooper moderating.

[DoughtyOne]

Schwarzenegger to come out for McCain tomorrow morning.

Good lord, if that doesn’t sink your dinghy, what would?

[CounterCounterCulture]

LOL

I’ll go with...

Winner: Paul
Place: Romney
Show: Huckabee
Jackass: McCain

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

It’s the one who should have dropped out months ago.

Ain't gonna happen, my man. While Romney and McCain beat each other up and Huckabee marginalizes himself with idiotic comments, voters are going to gravitate to Paul's crystal clear conservative message. Booyah!

[tear gas]

The end of this debate on this special day affords us an opportunity to thank our Lord for this special day and to thank our Lord for sparing our people and our country from the now terminated candidacy of Rudy Giuliani, a man possessed of great Evil.

Thank you, God.

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Amen

[scott says]

I’m in California ( via CT - 20 years) and will vote Romney in the primary...there is no way I can support McCain at this time, maybe in the General if I absolutely am forced.

[wimpycat]

sounds like you are saying romney looks kinda metro sexual.

I don't think he looks metrosexual. He looks like Max Headroom.

[icwhatudo]

Make sure you all go to the front page and vote in Free Republics new poll on who won tonights debate!

[Hoodlum91]

Romney also has the most Reagan-like hair.

[be-baw]

Not having read a single post on this thread yet, I have to say that was just about the most pointless debate I've ever seen...unless the point was to have Anderson Cooper get McCain and Romney to pig-wrestle in the mud.

Good for Huckabee and Paul: they remained above the fray.

Egads, we're in deep sh!t!

[keepitreal]

...And that Schwartenegger is emdorsing McCainiac tomorrow! Woop de do.

Do any Republicans in CA even like Schwartznegger anymore?

[BurbankKarl]

If Rino Schwarzenegger just endorsed McCain I do think Romney did better tonight.

[jmyrlefuller]

I think there’s some truth in that.

Giuliani, Romney, Thompson... definitely small government perspectives when it comes to business.

Huckabee— populist all the way, and it’s obvious. Hunter has made statements on both sides of the issue— reduction in regulations but in the perspective of increasing business to create American jobs— so that leans populism. I think even Ron Paul plays up individualist ideals.

McCain— I’m not sure if he’s ever put together anything very coherent on the issue.

But there is definitely a divide— those who disdain money and corporate influence (the populists/individualists) and those who see free enterprise as an inalienable right (the pro-business types). It’s a divide that will be difficult to bridge.

[Fox_Mulder77]

“McCain would still look tired and haggerd sitting next to Nancy Reagan”

ROTFL!!!

[exit82]

Thanks—that’s what I thought. And he was selling beer then too. Thanks to FIL.

I WAS a footsoldier in the RR revolution—a small one—and much younger then—I don’t remember seeing this clown in the trenches.

[Son House]

McCain is too stupid to handle national security.

And what a set-up by CNN, all for McDole’s loss in a national election. They shouldn’t ever complain about the use of Reagan’s name, but CNN will.

[COBOL2Java]

How popular is Gov. Arnold in CA?

[allmendream]

Who is ‘they’. I think Nancy could sit wherever she wanted. She didn’t look coerced. In fact I saw them speaking to each other during the debate. Not that I am a big fan of Arnold, but come on! SO much better than Grey-out Davis and BustamoveBustamonte.

[COgamer]

“Overall the main impress I get from this is that McCain was awful tonight.”

I was watching the audience tracker, and McCain did horrible. Just horrible. The second half of the debate I don’t think he got over 50% even once. Huckabee stuck between 60-70, Paul about 55, and Romney consistently at 70-75%.

[dforest]

I usually don’t say too nice of stuff about Huck.

Well here it is, he is better than McCain.........tick...tick

[jveritas]

My FRiend, this is McCain worst debate by far. This debate format with him sitting down make him looks very bad, in the coming debates and in the general elections debate, if he is the nominee I have my doubt now, his campaign should insists to avoid this debate format.