Free Republic

So a miracle happened last night and somehow I was able to actually watch the GOP debate while it was going on and neither Ben10 (my kids' favorite) nor So You Think You Can Dance (my wife's favorite, as is just about any reality show that is on) entered into the picture at all. This is something that happens about as often as a full solar eclipse so I'm grateful, especially because I really did enjoy watching the debate last night, which was unexpected. Anyway, I thought I'd jot down some of my thoughts of how the different candidates fared...

"Since his "media honeymoon" ended a few weeks ago, it seems Trump has been the recipient of a never-ending supply of bad news: Polls showing Republicans opposed to him, polls showing the general electorate opposed to him, polls showing his New Hampshire competitor Romney with much better poll numbers than his, fumbling during interviews, being mocked at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and a failure to pivot off of the birth certificate issue...."

Howie thread for the week; I don't see a Howie column in today's Herald on their site but we'll get going anyway

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, is among the more natural populist politicians of our time, frequently critiquing elites in the press, the Democratic Party, and the Republican establishment. It is one of the reasons — along with her working-class background and the sense of authenticity that she can often convey — that she is so popular with some voters. One potential problem for Ms. Palin, however, is that plenty of well-to-do and well-educated voters — those whom we might think of as belonging to the elite — will be participating in the Republican primaries. Three recent surveys of Republican...

 Things are changing.  Obama's starting to tank, and the media's not so much focued on "who" the leader of the Republican Party is, or will be.But it's a good question.  Personally, I think the grassroots is the "leader" of the party at the moment, which is just fine.But there are other questions.  Who would you like to see begin to take greater leadership role?  Who do you want for a nominee in 2012?  What direction should the party take?  What issues should it focus on?  How the the Republicans in Congress approach "working with" Obama?All important questions.We're keeping this survey open...