GOP Debates

WVUBRU

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On the small table debate, Graham, Santorum and Pataki have all had good moments and have spoken the truth versus the typical GOP talking point crap. Very impressed with them standing up and being an adult in the room. Jindal has been nothing but an idiot. There will be more idiots at the big table debate but am hoping some will also be adults. I think Kasich, Bush, Rubio has a chance. The others, I am not sure.
 

Mntneer

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Who would have thought Graham would try to come across as a moderate on some issues, and Santorum calling for an increase in the minimum wage. And Pataki was good on the marriage license case.
 

WVUBRU

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Who would have thought Graham would try to come across as a moderate on some issues, and Santorum calling for an increase in the minimum wage. And Pataki was good on the marriage license case.

The spiel Santorum made on minimum wage was one of the best debate moments I have witnessed based on a legitimate point of view stating the truth of a past experience I have seen in many years. Graham stating the absolute truth of the sticky situation a GOP senate is in with a Dem president in terms of not picking a fight that would be disastrous for the party instead of saying crap that a bunch of mouth-breathers slop up like Jindal was doing was one of the most honest things I have seen in a Presidential debate.
 

DvlDog4WVU

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There's a whole lot of stupid in one room.
Shocking that's what you took away from it. Wanna give some more quality commentary on things you completely didn't understand with Carson's take on taxes? I so much enjoy you epitomizing your accusations.
 

WVPATX

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Shocking that's what you took away from it. Wanna give some more quality commentary on things you completely didn't understand with Carson's take on taxes? I so much enjoy you epitomizing your accusations.

You may not agree with their positions but lack of intelligence is not something I would use to describe the field. Personally I thought Fiorina, Rubio and Christie won the debate. Carly was very Thatcheresk this evening.
 

mule_eer

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I haven't seen the entire debate yet, but I listened to a fair amount of the main event on the drive home. I don't think Walker helped himself. Carson seemed to do well for the most part. Fiorina did well also, but the exchange between her and Trump went on too long. Christie came in and made good points to break that up. Bush doesn't impress me right now - the whole apology thing with him and Trump came off as lame to me, especially since he didn't get the apology. Rubio held his own, and he made some decent points. Cruz was Cruz, Huckabee was Huckabee. I'm not impressed with either one. Kasich might be too reserved for this big of a crowd, but I like pretty much everything he has to say.
 

WVUBRU

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On the big table debate, it was more about who didn't do well rather than who did in my pov. Trump, Carson, Walker did the worst and I expect their numbers to go down based on the performance. Rubio, Fiorno and Bush did the best or beat expectations and will go up. Christie did ok but did not connect. Everyone else were presented exactly what one expected and were non-factors.

I found the small table debate much better than the big table in terms of substantive commentary mixed with personal perspective. Several of these candidates need to drop out and Graham/Santorum needs to move up into the national discussion.
 

TarHeelEer

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On the big table debate, it was more about who didn't do well rather than who did in my pov. Trump, Carson, Walker did the worst and I expect their numbers to go down based on the performance. Rubio, Fiorno and Bush did the best or beat expectations and will go up. Christie did ok but did not connect. Everyone else were presented exactly what one expected and were non-factors.

I found the small table debate much better than the big table in terms of substantive commentary mixed with personal perspective. Several of these candidates need to drop out and Graham/Santorum needs to move up into the national discussion.

You're not going to vote for any of them, your commentary is null and void.
 

DvlDog4WVU

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On the big table debate, it was more about who didn't do well rather than who did in my pov. Trump, Carson, Walker did the worst and I expect their numbers to go down based on the performance. Rubio, Fiorno and Bush did the best or beat expectations and will go up. Christie did ok but did not connect. Everyone else were presented exactly what one expected and were non-factors.

I found the small table debate much better than the big table in terms of substantive commentary mixed with personal perspective. Several of these candidates need to drop out and Graham/Santorum needs to move up into the national discussion.
I have a slightly different take. I'm ready to cull the herd. Santorum, Jindal, Pataki, Graham, Paul, Cruz, Huckabee, Bush, and Walker. That would leave Trump (who I wish would go away), Christie, Carson, Fiorina, Rubio, and Kasich. I keep Rubio in for a VP nod to one of the others in the final list.
 

WhiteTailEER

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On the big table debate, it was more about who didn't do well rather than who did in my pov.

I disagree. I didn't watch all of it, but I have to say that I had completely dismissed Carson before, but I liked not only what he said but his demeanor. Somebody speaking calmly and intelligently might be able to bridge the gap between the two sides. I didn't expect to be impressed by him, but I was.

I like Rubio and nothing yesterday changed my mind, in fact I think he did quite well also. He's a bit more impassioned than Carson, but I didn't see or hear anything about him that would suggest he couldn't be a reasonable choice.

Cruz ... Huckabee ... no way.

We'll see about Trump, but he seemed to come off as an idiot to me. He still can't talk specifics on anything, and then he blasts people in social media and then backs down in front of them at the debate. Especially with Fiorina.

I liked Kasich as well.

From what I saw, Rand Paul didn't get to speak much, but I did like what he had to say to counter Cruz's idea of ripping up the Iran deal on day one. He said to see if it's working first before just ripping it up. To me that exposed Cruz for what I already knew that he was, somebody that was going to take a stance without actually examining any of the evidence or details. So it wouldn't be a reasoned or rational stance.

Kasich, Rubio, Carson came out of it as people I could vote for.
 

WhiteTailEER

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That would leave Trump (who I wish would go away), Christie, Carson, Fiorina, Rubio, and Kasich.

I agree.

I'm anxious to see what happens with Trump's numbers, but he came across to me as somebody that had no business being on the stage with the others. And then he had all of his stupid faces and reactions ... coupled with nothing really intelligent to say about anything.

I didn't watch the whole thing though, so I could have missed something important.
 

bornaneer

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There's a whole lot of stupid in one room.

If you want more stupid, be sure to tune in to the CNN Democrat Debate in Oct. I just watched Bernie Sanders on CNN this AM . The guy is a complete out of touch moron. Can only imagine the cluster we will see when Hillary,Bernie and Martin O'Malley get on stage.
 

bornaneer

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Trump will probably lose a little in the polls since all the candidates upped their game and Trump was not in attack mode. All came across as more intelligent and capable compared to any of the three Democrats candidates.
 

WhiteTailEER

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All came across as more intelligent and capable compared to any of the three Democrats candidates.

Wouldn't it be more prudent to wait until the Democratic debates to make that assessment? Give them a chance to answer the same questions in the same type of setting?

Makes me cringe even thinking about watching Hilary on stage that long though. Egad
 

DvlDog4WVU

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Wouldn't it be more prudent to wait until the Democratic debates to make that assessment? Give them a chance to answer the same questions in the same type of setting?

Makes me cringe even thinking about watching Hilary on stage that long though. Egad
I'm already stocking up on jergins and kleenex!!
 
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Shocking that's what you took away from it. Wanna give some more quality commentary on things you completely didn't understand with Carson's take on taxes? I so much enjoy you epitomizing your accusations.

Trump talking about vaccinations causing autism, lol, especially after he just had an MD standing right beside him dispelling the myth.

Practically all of the candidates spewing the "America is weak" rhetoric after Jeb admitting that the sequestration was/is a Republican idea that has reduced our effectiveness.

Practically all of the candidates showing their lack of understanding of the role of the Supreme Court, none calling out discrimination for what it is.

All of them condemning Planned Parenthood and several of them still referring to the debunked videos. They still don't like to talk about the fact that only 3% of all of PP's funding actually goes for abortions and NONE of our tax dollars actually do. They don't have a clue. I know some of the general public wears tin foil hats but I didn't expect some of these guys to. It's very scary when you think there is a possibility that some of these guys could be the next POTUS.

One thing that was encouraging - they are ALL smart enough to admit that going to war in Iraq was a terrible idea and they ALL attempted to distance themselves from that decision, some of them even saying they didn't support the idea but yet their vote is on record and doesn't lie.

I gained a little bit of respect for Jeb - he had the balls to admit that he took a toke 40 years ago. :)
 

bornaneer

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Wouldn't it be more prudent to wait until the Democratic debates to make that assessment? Give them a chance to answer the same questions in the same type of setting?

Makes me cringe even thinking about watching Hilary on stage that long though. Egad

Maybe I should wait, but I have already seen Hillary, Bernie and O'Malley in action and it does not take a PhD to figure out those three. Bernie tried to attack the Repub debaters this AM on CNN on a couple issues and surprisingly Chris Cuomo made him look like a fool for his comments.
 
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MOUNTIE IN MD

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I have a slightly different take. I'm ready to cull the herd. Santorum, Jindal, Pataki, Graham, Paul, Cruz, Huckabee, Bush, and Walker. That would leave Trump (who I wish would go away), Christie, Carson, Fiorina, Rubio, and Kasich. I keep Rubio in for a VP nod to one of the others in the final list.

Trump is here b/c of his popularity and he's a blow-hard...he has no business being in this race. I wish the media would stop pimping him much like a Kardashian.

I agree with the final five you've selected although, I wouldn't discount Rubio as the Presidential Candidate. Carson was good but he didn't do much for me on foreign policy. Fiorina's stock probably increased the most last night but I pause with her b/c my Aunt worked at H/P and doesn't have many good things to say about Carly. Kasich didn't speak very often but he seems to be pretty sharp. Christie, to me, just seems like an honest person. I'd possibly throw Graham into the mix as well.
 

DvlDog4WVU

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Trump is here b/c of his popularity and he's a blow-hard...he has no business being in this race. I wish the media would stop pimping him much like a Kardashian.

I agree with the final five you've selected although, I wouldn't discount Rubio as the Presidential Candidate. Carson was good but he didn't do much for me on foreign policy. Fiorina's stock probably increased the most last night but I pause with her b/c my Aunt worked at H/P and doesn't have many good things to say about Carly. Kasich didn't speak very often but he seems to be pretty sharp. Christie, to me, just seems like an honest person. I'd possibly throw Graham into the mix as well.
I enjoyed the dustup between Graham and Santorum. Graham's position is pretty clear. He is here to fight ISIL, that seems to be about it. That's fine, but we have a lot more problems facing our nation today.
 

Mntneer

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I still don't understand how so many people are attracted to the idea of Ted Cruz. He looks grumpy and angry all the time, like that grumpy puppet Walter.

It's all going to boil down to personality however in the general election, and he lacks it big time. I wish Kasich would show more of it, same with Fiorina.
 

Keyser76

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I was surprised to not hear anything about Obamacare, pretty boring actually, I fell asleep.
 

bornaneer

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Trump talking about vaccinations causing autism, lol, especially after he just had an MD standing right beside him dispelling the myth.

Practically all of the candidates spewing the "America is weak" rhetoric after Jeb admitting that the sequestration was/is a Republican idea that has reduced our effectiveness.

Practically all of the candidates showing their lack of understanding of the role of the Supreme Court, none calling out discrimination for what it is.

All of them condemning Planned Parenthood and several of them still referring to the debunked videos. They still don't like to talk about the fact that only 3% of all of PP's funding actually goes for abortions and NONE of our tax dollars actually do. They don't have a clue. I know some of the general public wears tin foil hats but I didn't expect some of these guys to. It's very scary when you think there is a possibility that some of these guys could be the next POTUS.

One thing that was encouraging - they are ALL smart enough to admit that going to war in Iraq was a terrible idea and they ALL attempted to distance themselves from that decision, some of them even saying they didn't support the idea but yet their vote is on record and doesn't lie.

I gained a little bit of respect for Jeb - he had the balls to admit that he took a toke 40 years ago. :)

Did you miss the PART where the MD standing next to Trump AGREED with him about the timing of the vaccinations? Trump NEVER said he was against vaccinations. Also WHAT DEBUNKED videos? The video Fiorina referenced was real. I have a suggestion for you, LOOK in the MIRROR once in awhile, you might get a glimpse of what A TIN FOIL HAT looks like.
 
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Did you miss the PART where the MD standing next to Trump AGREED with him about the timing of the vaccinations? Trump NEVER said he was against vaccinations. Also WHAT DEBUNKED videos? The video Fiorina referenced was real. I have a suggestion for you, LOOK in the MIRROR once in awhile, you might get a glimpse of what A TIN FOIL HAT looks like.

Agreed? LOL. He referenced numerous studies which have shown NO correlation. Do you not understand English spoken above an eighth grade level? Do you also understand how Carson was trying to be gracious in showing just how really stupid Trump is? It's called throwing him a bone. The video was real alright, it was made by "pro-lifers". You ARE one of them (tin foil hat wearer).
 

DvlDog4WVU

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I thought it was semi-amusing how often they brought up Obama and Hilary. They weren't debating either one of them
That was done because they know there are a lot of fence riders and undecided watching the debates right now because of the Trump element. I honestly never tire of hearing people beat on Hillary.

I will say the one thing that drives me nuts is their attempt to be witty. Walker's little quip about the Apprentice was so rehearsed and scripted I just wanted to yell at my TV. It makes me think of that scene in Fight Club when Brad Pitt asks Norton how being witty is working out for him.
 

bornaneer

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Agreed? LOL. He referenced numerous studies which have shown NO correlation. Do you not understand English spoken above an eighth grade level? Do you also understand how Carson was trying to be gracious in showing just how really stupid Trump is? It's called throwing him a bone. The video was real alright, it was made by "pro-lifers". You ARE one of them (tin foil hat wearer).

What "numerous" studies did he reference? Name one. He also said HE BELIEVED in vaccinations. Maybe you were adjusting your "hat" during that segment. I also UNDERSTAND your total intolerance for ANYONE or ANYTHING not associated with the word Democrat. You are a real piece of work.
 
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What "numerous" studies did he reference? Name one. He also said HE BELIEVED in vaccinations. Maybe you were adjusting your "hat" during that segment. I also UNDERSTAND your total intolerance for ANYONE or ANYTHING not associated with the word Democrat. You are a real piece of work.

Did you even watch the debate? He said "numerous studies have been done...". You asking me to name one when he didn't cite any specifically is really stupid.

He said he saw a "perfectly healthy" two year old go in for vaccinations and a couple of months later, the child showed signs of autism. LOL.
 

bornaneer

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Did you even watch the debate? He said "numerous studies have been done...". You asking me to name one when he didn't cite any specifically is really stupid.

He said he saw a "perfectly healthy" two year old go in for vaccinations and a couple of months later, the child showed signs of autism. LOL.

Damm, you are dumber than I thought. YOU SAID "which have shown NO correlation". Which one of his "numerous studies" were shown to have "no correlation" since you know what studies he was referencing.
 
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Damm, you are dumber than I thought. YOU SAID "which have shown NO correlation". Which one of his "numerous studies" were shown to have "no correlation" since you know what studies he was referencing.

I simply quoted Ben Carson and Ben Carson said "Numerous studies have shown no correlation...". (The quotation marks indicate I am quoting someone). Ben Carson did NOT mention any specific studies. If Ben Carson didn't mention any specifically, how can I cite one that he didn't specifically reference? I can't have a debate with someone that doesn't comprehend simple English, nor remember what he saw just last night on television. Please stop embarrassing yourself.
 

DvlDog4WVU

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Damm, you are dumber than I thought. YOU SAID "which have shown NO correlation". Which one of his "numerous studies" were shown to have "no correlation" since you know what studies he was referencing.
Ben is correct. Anyone not vaccinating their child is being irresponsible. In fact, studies have shown there has been a stark increase in otherwise exterminated diseases and it's directly attributed to people not vaccinating their children because of the fear stirred up by Jenny McCarthy with her attempt at determining causation from vaccination.

What Ben said was accurate, but what he also said was the timing of the vaccines should be studied, which I also agree with. As it is right now, they max blast kids with several shots at once.
 

COOL MAN

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Fiorina won going away, while Rubio was a pretty solid Place winner. Trump was Trump.......I don't know where that puts him.

I felt the biggest loser (even though he hardly has far to fall) was Kasich; bad environment to argue for national unity when your competitors...with the possible exception of Christie.....and your party clearly want nothing to do with the "other" half of the American voting public (and of course, the Dems are no better). Let me know if you can find any Republicans outside Ohio supporting Kasich today. I also feel Carson had a pretty bad night; if he intends to stay in the race, he's simply got to find a way to avoid participating in future debates. I regret he may be a distant memory by April 1 (or perhaps even earlier).

I think Walker had a better night than in Cleveland, but I don't know how it translates to support for him on the current battlefield. I also think Cruz may have earned some support from Right-wingers who (for whatever reason) are/will be looking for an alternative to Trump and, now, Fiorina.

I have no clue how the public will grade Jeb, who I myself thought had both good and bad moments (and who I like on a personal level as much as any of the Republicans). Unfortunately for him, he's got a Kryptonite in the field named Trump....and he just can't seem to find a lead-lined suit which fits. I admit I'm a Christie guy, but he's just too far down the list to be taken seriously (and being a Jersey guy will always work against him west of the Delaware River).

IMO, Huckabee and Paul (and Christie and Kasich) might just as well start the weaning-out process of the field today.
 
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DvlDog4WVU

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Fiorina won going away, while Rubio was a pretty solid Place winner. Trump was Trump.......I don't know where that puts him.

I felt the biggest loser (even though he hardly has far to fall) was Kasich; bad environment to argue for national unity when your competitors...with the possible exception of Christie.....clearly want nothing to do with the "other" half of the American voting public. Let me know if you can find any Republicans outside Ohio supporting Kasich today. I also feel Carson had a pretty bad night; if he intends to stay in the race, he's simply got to find a way to avoid participating in future debates. I regret he may be a distant memory by April 1 (or perhaps even earlier).

I think Walker had a better night than in Cleveland, but I don't know how it translates to support for him on the current battlefield. I also think Cruz may have earned some support from Right-wingers who (for whatever reason) are looking for an alternative to Fiorina and Trump.

I have no clue how the public will grade Jeb, who I myself thought had both good and bad moments (and who I like on a personal level as much as any of the Republicans). Unfortunately for him, he's got a Kryptonite in the field named Trump....and he just can't seem to find a lead-lined suit which fits. I admit I'm a Christie guy, but he's just too far down the list to be taken seriously (and being a Jersey guy will always work against him west of the Delaware River).

IMO, Huckabee and Paul (and Christie and Kasich) might just as well start the weaning-out process of the field today.
I'm not in Ohio and I've been on the Kasich train since before he officially entered the race. You are correct though that no one is paying much attention to him which is a shame. Everyone I talk to, I try to get them to check him out. Out of all of them, he is my favorite.
 

mneilmont

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How did you good folks get all of this education from that show last night? Seriously, the CNN format absolutely sucked starting with attempt to delete Carly. It was nothing short of a ***** rumor mill - he said, she said game. There was no way in hell the stage could do anything other than react to the Mod's question about what someone said about the one the question was directed to. The questions were mainly asking for response to something Trump said or did. The respondent was given one minute to address Trump and then Trump had 30 seconds of rebuttal time to each of the other 10 candidates. That assures Trump of two times the air time given to any other. We have already seen that Trump does very well in those exchanges. Time to get beyond that from Fox and CNN. The only time anyone could speak freely about a subject, was when they became irritating with "Jake, Jake...".

Whichever network has the next one should ask a question from a list of 10-20 areas that are pertinent. Give two - three minutes to answer. Give the next person on the list one minute to rebut. Go to next candidate on list and ask a pertinent question from list and allow 2-3 min answer and allow next 1 min to rebut. After end of list, allow each one a minute or more to challenge the comments regarding items on first pass. Allow a minute to respond to the challenge.

Go back to head of line with question and response, and repeat the above until two hours are absorbed. This would allow candidates to address some pressing issues and time evenly distribute to each candidate. Let's get away from these touchy feely BS questions and see if anyone knows what in hell to do in the office of the President to lead us out of our current glide path.
 

op2

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Like Rand Paul or not, at least most of comes out of his mouth is substantive and has to do with issues. Most of the rest talk and don't say anything having to do with policies.

I have to admit Trump made me laugh some but at the same time it really is kinda of strange and sad that the leader in the polls regularly and openly insults other people and other candidates.
 

COOL MAN

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Couple questions for those who follow this kind-of thing closer than yours truly:

How much does Fiorina jump in the current field after last night ?? And assuming her support does increase, from what current candidate(s) does it come from ??
If Rubio indeed is indeed destined to be a VP candidate......a plausible notion, IMO.......for which winning candidate would he be the best purely-political fit ??
 

mule_eer

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I'm not in Ohio and I've been on the Kasich train since before he officially entered the race. You are correct though that no one is paying much attention to him which is a shame. Everyone I talk to, I try to get them to check him out. Out of all of them, he is my favorite.
I think part of his problem is that he's reasonable and controls his emotions. With a field this large, the noise makers get the attention. I honestly hope.he wins the nomination, because he strikes me as the best candidate for president. I have very little confidence that he will win though.