Republicans Debate

A very interesting debate. I think Romney won; he's leading in the Florida polls and I suppose he'll win there. Just like with the Dems Super Tuesday is huge. They seemed to agree that Hillary will be the Democratic nominee; I don't think they mentioned Obama's name once. They also played nicer than the Democrats; they didn't attack each other nearly as much. Tim Russert blasted the Bush administration, citing rises in unemployment, the deficit, debt, and gas prices. Some of the statistics were quite remarkable; I think he said gas was $1.47 in 2001. That might not be right, but I think it's close. Anyways, my thoughts about each candidate.

Mitt Romney:
Romney looked and sounded sharp. He articulated his positions well and came out looking really strong economically. It appeared that he's the most economically savvy. He defended himself well from questions about his campaign spending and his Mormon faith. He didn't appear as strong as the others on foreign policy though. He wanted people to focus on his record as Massachusetts governor and as him being a Washington outsider.

John McCain:
I remember an SNL skit from the 2004 campaign where John Kerry listed all the people he knew. McCain did that tonight. He knows a lot of people. I didn't know any of them, and I'm guessing a lot of Floridian Republicans don't either. Opposite to Romney, he looked strong on foreign policy and weak on the economy. He forcefully confirmed his views on Iraq, saying that if we "surrendered," as in Hillary's plan, then al-Qaeda would win. A little bit of demagoguery.

Rudy Giuliani:
Giuliani wandered a lot and I don't think he really helped his chances. The thing I felt that set him apart was how he felt on environmental innovation. He wanted to improve technology rather than set emissions caps. And he took a larger world view of the problem of global warming, which I think is essential.

Ron Paul:
He got asked about 3 or 4 questions, but did his best. He continues to get marginalized. He is the only Republican against the war, which drew strong applause from the audience. His big thing is his difference from the others. Also he wore an '80s style tie which looked goofy. At the end he criticized the Republican Party for losing their Republican values.

Mike Huckabee:
He was also marginalized. I think people believe he'll get out of the race soon; he needs a big Super Tuesday. Losing South Carolina hurt him. He wandered on a lot of questions too. He wants to add to the highways to invigorate the economy. Hm. His Fair Tax plan is garbage, and unrealistic, as Russert pointed out. He did, however, have the best jokes.

This looks to be shaping up to be a Romney-McCain race. That would be the best ticket for the Republicans, regardless of which one they pick as President. It combines the economic expert and the foreign policy expert. They spent a lot of time blasting Hillary. I admit myself very surprised at the lack of an Obama mention. I predict Romney wins the nomination.