GOP Debate

[excat]

I didn't get to hear the first 7, and just listened to the other 10 this morning.

Going off what I heard, Cristi and Rubio are at the bottom of my list thus far, with Paul and Cruz at the top, even. Undecided on the other's so far. Time will tell as it keeps going. Each pretty much said something I liked and disliked except for Cruz. I was positive or neutral with everything he said.

 

[Fredkrueger100]

Seems they had it out for Trump from the gitgo. The bit about supporting whichever candidate wins the nomination and pledging not to run as an independent was obviously aimed at Trump. I was hoping they would ask Trump how he's going to force Mexico to pay for the wall he's going to build.

It was a blatant setup. I was pissed through the whole debate every time Megan and Chris asked him a question but first brought up something from years ago to make him look bad before he could answer. Now I said earlier that trump imo didn't really do anything to make himself look any better. I thought he would have been great at refuting what was said about him but he failed miserably. He failed to explain his ideas and just came off as usual just running his mouth. Now I usually like what he says for the most part but he has to realize he isn't gonna win just by running his mouth. He is going to have to lay out facts to back up his stuff or he is finished. Now there are two ways I view him running as an independent. One could be that he wants to win so badly to try and fix this broken country or he is really wanting to just try and hurt whoever gets the gop nomination. It's hard for me to believe he would do that but he has been pretty liberal in the past. Of course, people do change. This is just such a slippery slope this country is on. We have a bunch of people trying to become president and many sound good when they talk and even have some good voting records. But in the end, I just don't really know what to believe. They are all so good at lying that it's hard to believe any of them.

 

[ronny]

Carson: Man he’s smart. Short of Trump, he’s taken more bold risks in his life as a preeminent neurosurgeon than the rest of the field combined. That’s the problem, he’s too cerebral. He’s also a bit of a political rube. I was quite impressed with his performance and loved his military comments, but I get the impression that the domestic political wolves and international ones like Putin would eat him for lunch.


Thoughts?

I've always felt that Carson is actually in this knowing he can't win but setting himself up for the future, likely through the vehicle of Surgeon General.

I believe it takes nerves of steel to be a really great brain surgeon. I think most people sell him short.

 

[TenBears]

I enjoyed when trump said everyone up there was bought and paid for, and not one of them disagreed.

 

[dennishoddy]

I enjoyed when trump said everyone up there was bought and paid for, and not one of them disagreed.

Truth, and then he added that some at the podiums had actually received money from him.LOL.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

Christie is the type of politician that agrees with whoever is standing next to him. He'd have no place in my gov.

Cruz speaks well with a message that resonates with me, but the feeling of 'car salesman' hits me straight in the face every time. You can't tell me he's not rhino establishment.

Paul is running for the funds, just as his father did... He'll say something brilliant enough to keep him up in polls, keep the money coming in, then he'll drop a little crazy to ensure he doesn't have to lift a finger. Don't get me wrong, I like his message, but he seems in it for the money.

I'm still convinced Trump is a shill for Clinton and the D party.

Nobody else really made an impact. Rubio did well, but the credit belongs to his writers. Bush has the name following him around, and his message falls on deaf ears. Walker is as scripted as Rubio, but he can't act to save his life. Carson can't debate. As much as I like him, he isn't a winner. I loved Hucks 'Let the military do what they do best. Break stuff and kill people.' and tax lines, but I wouldn't vote for him due to his (and most of the fields) extremist views on abortion.

We aren't going to get an ideal candidate. We will get an acceptable candidate. And we'll have to knuckle down and support them regardless. Try to contain the havoc Trump will cause.

 

[Glocktogo]

Christie is the type of politician that agrees with whoever is standing next to him. He'd have no place in my gov.

Cruz speaks well with a message that resonates with me, but the feeling of 'car salesman' hits me straight in the face every time. You can't tell me he's not rhino establishment.

Paul is running for the funds, just as his father did... He'll say something brilliant enough to keep him up in polls, keep the money coming in, then he'll drop a little crazy to ensure he doesn't have to lift a finger. Don't get me wrong, I like his message, but he seems in it for the money.

I'm still convinced Trump is a shill for Clinton and the D party.

Nobody else really made an impact. Rubio did well, but the credit belongs to his writers. Bush has the name following him around, and his message falls on deaf ears. Walker is as scripted as Rubio, but he can't act to save his life. Carson can't debate. As much as I like him, he isn't a winner. I loved Hucks 'Let the military do what they do best. Break stuff and kill people.' and tax lines, but I wouldn't vote for him due to his (and most of the fields) extremist views on abortion.

We aren't going to get an ideal candidate. We will get an acceptable candidate. And we'll have to knuckle down and support them regardless. Try to contain the havoc Trump will cause.

You provided a lot of negative input, but little on the positive. Given what you know at this point, which one do you want?

 

[Shadowrider]

I disagree with a few observations here, but agree with most. I'll be honest, I fast forwarded through all but Fiorina and Jindal on the first debate. Listening to Graham, Santorum, Pataki, etc. would be a complete waste of my time. I told my wife before we watched that I really just wanted to see how Fiorina would do, because I felt she should've been in the top 10 all along. I'm glad to see she did so well.

On to the rest:

Christie: Conservative? Please! Half of what he had to say was either RINO or outright liberal. Sadly, he did better than I expected and it really pissed me off that he came out on top of Paul over government surveillance. Paul was completely correct that Christie doesn't understand the BoR and would be another Statist with a capital "S". I wouldn't vote for him if he got the nomination.

Paul: How can you be so right and come off so wrong? I think the chemicals from his perm have leeched into his brain. He cooked his own goose. Seriously, I was embarrassed for him. One point, he got the least talk time of all the candidates, which considering his poor performance might be good luck for him.

Huckabee: His time in broadcasting has polished his presentation. He came off better than I expected, but his talk on women's issues further cemented his position as yet another evangelical white male who has a penchant for telling women what to do with their own bodies. He is unelectable in the general election and quite frankly, doesn't bring anything to the table that half the other candidates haven’t got.

Walker: I got to see a little more of him and while I don’t think he won anything, he didn’t lose either. That’s half the battle. I could vote for him if he make the cut to the ballot. However, just like some of the other governors, he doesn’t bring anything extra to the table. Well, his epic battles in his own state prove he can fight and survive, which are admirable traits. On the other side of that coin, he can create a lot of heat where perhaps there’s a better way.

Trump: I 100% called it before the debate. Megyn Kelly was assigned to damage Trump by Ailes and she did not disappoint. Sadly, Trump completely obliged her. IMO, it’s the first tactical error he’s made. He came off as combative and in a VERY politician-like manner, evaded answering most questions, preferring instead to provide sound bites. Oh he scored a few good hits, but was the least “presidential” of the bunch. That said, I hope he sticks around for a while to keep the rest of the field from slipping into their RINO bathrobes and dismissing the palpable anger in this country as unworthy of their attention.

Bush: Milquetoast Jeb should be his nickname. I feel like he hurt himself, but not enough to derail his run. One point that would only stand out to the informed was his board position with Bloomberg. I had no idea and it flat pissed me off when they revealed it. Jeb didn’t even bat an eye at defending it, though he tried to deflect the hit by claiming he didn’t know what it did on Planned Parenthood. If he didn’t, he should have. Between that and his position as a financial advisor for Barclay’s, he would be nothing but a moderate to RINO Wall Street POTUS who would further damage our economy in favor of the oligarchs.

Carson: Man he’s smart. Short of Trump, he’s taken more bold risks in his life as a preeminent neurosurgeon than the rest of the field combined. That’s the problem, he’s too cerebral. He’s also a bit of a political rube. I was quite impressed with his performance and loved his military comments, but I get the impression that the domestic political wolves and international ones like Putin would eat him for lunch.

Cruz: I thought he also did well and increased his stock. His hawkish positions on international affairs worry me, but I think he could do good things domestically. Sadly, the mere sound of his voice grates on my brain and as much as I hate to say this, I think it would turn off many voters. He’s not as sour as Paul, but he’s just a bit too negative.

Rubio: Rubio rose in my eyes more than the rest of the field. He came off as thoughtful without being too cerebral. He came off as firm where he needed to be and understanding where that was needed. Sadly, he revealed the same Achilles’ heel that Huckabee has, women’s issues. Half the women in this country aren’t going to vote for him as a result and that’s too much ground to lose.

Kasich: I’ve been asking about him for months with nothing more than drips of information to show for it. It’s been like pulling teeth to get the goods on him and there’s so much unknown that may ultimately result in an Achilles’ heel for him as well. That being said and for the time being, I think he won more for the night than the rest. He’s smart but with heart. His record in improving his state can’t be matched by the other governors and unlike Walker, he managed to do it without creating a ton of enemies. His favorability rating in Ohio is the envy of governors everywhere. He could be the single nominee on that stage that could shrink the ever widening political divide in this country. He seems the most “Reagan-like” of the bunch. If I had to vote for a single one of them tomorrow, I’d have to vote for optimism and pick him. On the flip side, I watched him as he received his questions and he was the most nervous person on the stage. I’m concerned about his chops on international issues and he could be a bit too much glass is half full. I’m not sure he’s ready for the big chair, but he’s on the way.

Conclusions (subject to change as things progress): I’d go for a Walker/Rubio or Walker/Fiorina ticket. I’m more solid on Rubio or Fiorina as VP than Walker as POTUS. Whoever wins, I’d put Kasich in Valerie Jarrett’s office and he wouldn’t stay sealed up in there. I’d give him carte blanc on domestic economic policy and make sure everyone knew that he had real power on that front. I’d let him choose the Fed Chairman as a matter of fact. It’s a no brainer. Speaking of no-brainers, Carson has more chops to be Surgeon General in his little finger than Murthy has in his entire body. Cruz should be in charge of DHS and told to make hardening the border happen (I don’t think it can be sealed, but it can be hardened to significantly reduce the flow). I’d put Rubio in charge of overhauling the immigration system concurrently. Fiorina would be Sec. of State if not VP.

I’d put Huckabee in charge of Social Security and Bush as Sec. of Labor. His business connections could be put to good use in determining how to create jobs, but you don’t want him holding the purse strings.

In a cruel twist of fate, I’d make Paul the Director of National Intelligence, but he’s be on a VERY short leash. Fix the excesses without appreciably degrading our counterintelligence capabilities. I’d make Christie AG, but he’d come with a handler that reported directly to the President. He’d also have a short leash on civil rights.

Thoughts?

As usual I agree with almost all of it and I don't really necessarily disagree with the small part, I'm just not sure. That part would be Carson. I think he has more stones than he lets on. I mean think about it, he cuts on kids brains! Got to have a massive set to do that. I think he would operate like Reagan, with building the hell out of the military to the point he never needed to use it.

I'll add that if Fiorina was on the stage with all of them she would have pounded them all. That woman is just flat out impressive and I get the same vibe from Carson, Cruz, Rubio and I'm starting to get it from Kashich. But Fiorina conveys her knowledge and competence better than any of them so far and it just seems to come naturally from her.

I like Cruz's moral compass and his dedication to it. That's doing it for me right now.

Walker I could live with but isn't my 1st choice. He reminds me of Brad Henry in a way. Not the "Oh golly gee" way of Henry, but Henry was an absolute animal on the campaign trail, he was flat good. I get that same vibe from Walker.

Kasich I'm right with you on for the most part. His stock definitely went up with me last night.

Christie: When I called him conservative earlier I was referring to his appearance last night to the general voting public. It was definitely not my opinion of him, only that he will "sell well" to the sheep.

 

[farmerbyron]

Irrelevant to this discussion and off topic. Start a thread about military social experiments if you want to keep debating that single point, please?

Horse ****. It was in the GOP debate last night and is a valid observation. Not off topic in any way.

 

[TwoForFlinching]

You provided a lot of negative input, but little on the positive. Given what you know at this point, which one do you want?

Couldn't tell you. None of the top 10 candidates have given me a reason to vote for them yet. I'm not the type to hop on a bandwagon. Too early to tell.