Keeping Tabs on the Debate

2016hrs EDT:
Ron Paul took his liberterian stand and emphasized the need for the USA not to have an amendment to ban gay marriage. This is because he views this both as a states rights issue, and an issue or personal and religious freedoms.

2020hrs:
Mike Huckabee maintains a good sense of humour - He mentioned that he was glad that he did not participate in the first 20 mins of the debate so that the front runners could get each other bloody and he could run for President. But in regards to abortion, he did a horribly smart thing: He quoted the constitution and the mention that all people have a right to life and liberty.


2025hrs:
Tom Tancredo is claiming to be the Real Conservative. Softball question.

2027hrs:
Duncan Hunter has garnered MASSIVE applause for his stance on being a conservative. Sadly, he effectively said nothing other than tearing down JFK for Cuba, and praising Ronald Reagan for assisting El Salvador. He uses conservatism to justify militarism.

2030hrs:
Ron Paul is stating that the only way to change healthcare is to take the corporations out of the equasion all while taking the USA out of Iraq and every other country. He wants it market based. He wants to pay for it with saving money from what in his opinion is our failed foreign policy.

2033hrs:
Duncan Hunter pointed out that the mandates the Romney has in his healthcare plan is still a mandate for socialized healthcare with heavy regulations

2035hrs:
Mike Huckabee believes that healthcare should be in the hands of the individual consumers. He also believes that we have a health problem and not a healthcare problem. "When all the old hippies find out they get free drugs, wait to see how well that gets out there..." - in regards to social security.

2037hrs:
Tom Tancredo points out that healthcare should be privatized through health savings accounts. Sounds like every other Republican outside of Romney.

2046hrs:
Time for potshots against Hillary.

2050hrs:
Guiliani agreed with Hillary on 2 points: 1 They are both Yankee fans, 2. "I have a million ideas, America can't afford them all..." - Hillary

2051hrs:
"I would much rather lose a campaign than lose a war" - McCain. On another note, he is the closest to potentially winning versus Hillary of any of the top 4 according to Fox News.

2054hrs:
Mike Huckabee fears Clinton giving away our sovereignty if she gets elected. I wonder if anyone pointed out that his weakness is the fact that he too, is a former governor from Arkansas.


2057hrs:
Ron Paul attempts to differentiate himself from Hillary by taking the true libertarian stand and isolationist stand.

2105hrs:
Mike Huckabee wants privatized healthcare, but insists on using the euphamism of "Personalization". He says that privatization gets a bad rap due to people thinking private = Enron

2106hrs:
Ron Paul also wants privatization, but wants to give younger Americans a way out of Medicare, Social Security, Public Schools, and mandatory health care insurance.

2109hrs:
Duncan Hunter wants to solve Social Security with Trade Policy that has a reciprocating effect of equal trade tariffs on both ends - theirs on our goods and ours on their goods

2110hrs:
Tom Tancredo jabs against Guiliani by pointing out that Guiliani wants Social Security benefits for illegal immigrants - Guiliani did not deny it.

2116hrs:
Duncan Hunter looks towards diplomacy in getting Vladamir Putin in line with our missile defense plans. He wants to exploit Putin's opening of sea based missile defense with a few Aegis cruisers in the Black Sea.

2121hrs:
Tom Tancredo takes a potshot against Nancy Pelosi for putting us in a bad situation with Turkey and the Kurds

2122hrs:
Mike Huckabee says that we should let the Kurds clean their own house of the PKK versus US intervention so as to let Turkey not be an enemy

2123hrs:
Ron Paul speaks his mind on the only issue he seems passionate about - getting us out of the rest of the world.

2126hrs:
Ron Paul wants us yet again to not be interventionist and go back to the Republican roots and get out. He claims that W won for that same reason although he claims that the Republicans have abandoned their principles.

2131hrs:
Fred Thompson effectively called himself too Lazy to Fail.


Afterthoughts:
Still, would the current field please leave Reagan dead and concentrate on the future rather tahn the past? So readers, which second tier candidate do you think won?

Preparing for the Florida Republican Debate

Tonight, Bill Krystol declared the Republican race a 5 candidate race. Looks like a single "Second Tier" candidate is prepared to shake up the establishment! Good work Mike Huckabee!

On another note, Florida, like the rest of the nation, is wondering when a real conservative, or any candidate will step up. So, I'll paraphrase Eminem on this one "Will the real conservative please stand up, please stand up, please stand up..."

Running Against the Past

I am not the only person to notice this, but it seems that both major parties have found parity in campaigning against the past. The Democrats are running against Bush while the Republicans are running against Clinton (past and future). Well, some Republicans are running against Bush while some Dems are running against Clinton.

What I am wondering is, when are the major candidates going to stop fighting a past they cannot change, and start fighting a political war based on the future of this country? And for those who do want to fight for a future, when are they going to start going beyond platitudes and put real substance into their fights?

This weeks featured candidates who do just that:
Mike Huckabee
Dennis Kucinich