If anyone’s interested… Here’s an open discussion thread for those watching the Republican and Democratic debates tonight on ABC.
If anyone’s interested… Here’s an open discussion thread for those watching the Republican and Democratic debates tonight on ABC.
I’m watching since I have to vote by absentee ballot this week before returning to Africa on Sunday.
Re: Foreign Policy — it’s interesting to see how the Republicans are avoiding criticizing the President, but focusing their criticisms on Rumsfeld. They’ve got a tough tightrope to walk given Bush’s huge disapproval ratings, and yet their need to be loyal Republicans.
Romney just scored some points with me… he has clearly studied some of Islamic writings. He discussed a KEY Egyptian scholar who played a huge role in the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism in Egypt and elsewhere in the 70s and 80s (I did my bachelor’s thesis on the Muslim – Christian conflict in Egypt in the 20th century.)
Wow. Huckabee knows about Sayyid Qutb as well. Points for him too.
Interesting to hear Huckabee has an article in Foreign Affairs on Islamic Terrorism. First time I’ve heard that. Just Googled it. [url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20080101faessay87112/michael-d-huckabee/america-s-priorities-in-the-war-on-terror.html]Here’s the link.[/url]
More Googling produced these other links:
A special Foreign Affairs issue with articles by various Presidential candidates:
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/special/campaign2008
And John McCain on [url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20071101faessay86602/john-mccain/an-enduring-peace-built-on-freedom.html]”Securing America’s Future”[/url]
So glad to discover these. I’ll have a lot of reading to do in the next few days.
Has anyone noticed that with the increase in debates and endless talking heads pondering politics that there is an exponential decrease in the good that politics might accomplish?
I think that for a lot of Americans the candidates, particularly the new front-runners, are more known about by reputation than first-hand experience. For example, my mother did not think much about Huckabee but said she had never heard him speak. On a tangent, my daughter is doing phone calls for McCain in New Hampshire and says a lot of voters are upset with his amnesty position for so-called undocumented workers who are here illegally.
I like this format much better than most of the previous debate formats. It seems to be drawing out a deeper level of discussion than mere 30 second soundbites.
I like the less controlled format. It’s interesting and useful to see them interact more spontaneously.
heh. McCain and Romney arguing free reign, over the definition of “amnesty”.
So faar, best debate on issues….split screen so we can see them both talking…..this is good stuff…..
Hey Dee. Good for you still watching even AFTER you voted!
Excellent job by ABC in moderating. I’m glad that they’ve let some of these interchanges take place, even if they’re over time limit. And this current question asking the Republicans to distinguish themselves from Obama is helpful to me.
John Edwards and John McCain just hugged…
As one who remembers the Kennedy/Nixon debate (but barely!), I have to say we have come a long way.
Being overseas so much, I confess I’ve been shocked how huge an issue immigration has become over the past year. That just wasn’t something on my radar screen, so it surprised me at how much air time it’s gotten, and that it polled as the #1 issue for Republicans in Iowa.
I would have liked to hear Republicans talking about Pakistan as the Democrats are. This foreign policy question for the dems is a lot more specific than the GOP question. The GOP for policy discussion was still helpful, but this is a much more focused question. Real issue, real scenarios.
Richardson just said he’ll seek negotiations with the Soviet Union!
Whoops! LOL
How many times can you say “change” in one sentence?
I’m not a fan of Bill Richardson, but Amen to his call not to automatically exclude experience in the hunger for change…
As much as I really don’t want to see Hillary elected, I have to say of all 4 Dems, on the issue of Iraq, she seems the most realistic, at least in terms of acknowledging the difficulty and hard questions.
The others sound kind of “pie in the sky”
Wow. Tough questions from ABC. First to Hillary on the “likeability” thing, now to Richardson on his failure to do anything as Energy Secretary. Not too many softballs for the dems. They were a bit gentler on the Republicans it seems.
I’m starting to think that candidates like Richardson with little to lose are much more refreshingly candid than the frontrunners. This does seem to be the year of the progressivist pitch for the Democrats. ‘If you’re a ‘little guy’ we’re for you’!
I wonder what’s in the coffee I’m drinking… I’m finding myself agreeing with Hillary way too much.
I think it would be horrible to go Bush – Clinton – Bush – Clinton. But I have to admit she’s the most impressive candidate the dems have got. I like Obama’s passion, but Hillary’s realism impresses me.
Oh come on Hillary, answer the question…!
Well, that was very helpful. So glad I watched. It certainly seemed the most substantive of the debates I’ve seen. It probably helped that there were fewer candidates included.
Also, I’m a bit more encouraged by the quality of some of the candidates. I was surprised by several who were stronger than expected in areas I had considered them weak. So, hopefully I’ll be a bit less cynical and more hopeful than I’d been about this election season.
Sorry if I monopolized the comments here…!
Karen – went to caucus undesided. Ended up in Hillary’s group as it was the least……just wanted to keep them honest……still undecided as to who I would like to see get the nomination – in either party……but am a real believer in the two party system, and hope we don’t have a third party candidate jump in…….
I caught part of the Republican debate—they all want a piece of Mitt.
They also seemed pretty stuck in the past—in that sense, Fred Thompson was the most credible Reaganesque conservative.
I can see why some people like Ron Paul, even if he is a nut job.
Overall, probably a good night for McCain, but not much ground gained or lost by any Republican.
I watched more of the Democratic debate–all did well, but comparatively, I thought Obama was the weakest–at least, he seemed the most tired, which surprised me. He needs a really good night’s sleep. Hillary was either obnoxious or terrific, or both, depending. Richardson may have gained a few votes, but isn’t going anywhere. Edwards was the most on point and energetic, but he really needs to mix up his rhetoric a bit–if I hear “coporate greed” one more time I’m going to scream, even if I agree with him.
IRNS, I’d agree with most of your assessment. I don’t think there were any huge surprises or gaffes. LOL about Hillary’s swings between obnoxious & terrific, I’d have to agree. And yes, Obama seemed tired tonight.
I guess for me the real news was that Huckabee is quite a bit more versed in various aspects of Foreign Policy than I’d expected. It’s too late tonight, but I’ve bookmarked the Foreign Affairs edition I linked above with 8 different articles by the candidates, and I’ll be reading those tomorrow and Monday…
After we got home from a priest friend’s retirement party, my husband just had to watch football . . . so I remain blissfully ignorant. (I’ve already made up my mind about who will get my vote in our Republican Primary here in Texas, and as my mother used to say: “It’s none of your beeswax!” 😉
Romney, Huckabee, and McCain sniped at each other openly but tried to look dignified. Romney’s attack ads and Huckabee’s antics show how shallow both really are. And MCain, while he’s showing better and will probably win NH, I saw him in NH in June and he acted like a somewhat confused old man. Guiliani, despite the fact that his 9-11 litany make him “Johnny One Note”, still has my vote. I remember NYC before his mayoral tenure and how he turned it around. Our poor nation needs the same kind of dramatic transformation. On the democratic side, Bill Richardson come off better than either Obama or Hilary. (Edwards is just plain whiny!) Neither Obama or Hilary was impressive and every time I heard them suggest the great things they were going to do, I felt my already empty wallet squeezed. And neither party had the guts to mention one of the most significant forces driving oil prices, namely the fact that the major banks and financial funds have invested so much in petroleum futures that they, not the oil companies, are driving the prices. ABC did a wonderful job and Charles Gibson was truly outstanding!
Just an observation. I have paid next to no attention to any of the campaigning and haven’t watched a single debate yet. Why? Because the way the primary system is set up I have exactly zero chance of casting a meaningful vote in a primary race. By the time I get to vote in a primary the race will be looooong over and it will only be a formality… For the record I have never cast a vote for president in a primary that wasn’t already over and conceded. Enjoy it, those of you who get to vote while the race is still on…
I caught the Democratic debate; missed the GOP. I agree that Hillary actually was quite impressive (except when she lost her temper after Edwards attacked her). She and Richardson come to the table better prepared than the others.
Charlie Gibson for President. 🙂
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BabyBlue, LOL! Yes, he did a wonderful job in how he framed the issues! Kudos to ABC for getting out of the way and letting the candidates talk.
I’d like to see a debate where the same questions are asked of the Republicans and the Democrats. This is the only way we are going to be able to compare the two parties on the issues.