Open thread: The Reagan Library debate
posted at 7:25 pm on September 7, 2011 by Allahpundit
8 p.m. ET on MSNBC. Nothing complicated about this one: Perry wants to make a good first impression and everyone else onstage wants to make sure that he doesn’t. The only question is how nasty it’ll get and whether any of the lesser candidates will do Romney’s heavy lifting for him. Remember, Mitt’s advisors told Marc Thiessen a few weeks ago that they’re counting on Bachmann to rhetorically rip Perry’s eyes out so that Romney can keep his patrician above-the-fray vibe going. On the other hand, they might not need her since it’s actually Ron Paul who’s hit Perry the hardest thus far. There’s no shortage of potential material — “career politician,” campaign cronyism, immigration, irresponsible rhetoric about Bernanke, etc. Who knows? Maybe someone will even knock him for ditching Texas’s wildfire response to attend tonight. Will anyone dare hit him on entitlements, though? Romney and Huntsman are the only candidates willing and able to attack from the left on that issue, but Huntsman’s embraced Paul Ryan’s budget so he’s in no position to get timid on Social Security and Medicare now. Mitt might have to get his hands dirty after all.
Here’s the handy dandy Hot Air/Townhall Twitter widget, which will be updated with bon mots and snarky delights throughout the debate. Below that, while we wait, you’ll find two clips previewing the inevitable attacks on Perry. One is Dick Cheney chastising him for his Bernanke comments, the other is New Mexico Gov. (and VP contender) Susana Martinez criticizing Perry’s support for Texas’s DREAM Act. Out: Perry/Martinez. In: Romney/Martinez?
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages: « Previous 1 … 18 19 20
Mittens. No wonder Ingraham was attacking her.
promachus on September 8, 2011 at 12:43 AM
so true, I say in 5 months Ace of clowns will be a Mitt supporter.
unseen on September 8, 2011 at 12:58 AM
SheeeitThat happens when one choses a candidate based on emotion, style, appearance, bravado and not based on policy, governing style or anything of substance — even though the candidate in question may possess the latter qualities…Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 1:08 AM
looks like Perry didn’t impress Ace
Earlier Ace said all Perry had to do was show up and not fall on his face and he would be fine. Once Perry did just that Ace raised the goal posts and said Perry was a “loser.” I agree, he will be changing his tune when he looks like a winner to him.
sandee on September 8, 2011 at 1:16 AM
Bank on it.
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 1:16 AM
Ok I’m back…..what is the verdict tonight
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 1:20 AM
That you are either up too late or up tooooo early…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 1:25 AM
Perry didn;t fill the void
unseen on September 8, 2011 at 1:25 AM
Newt shone, Bachmann vanished, Perry fizzled, Romney maw-mawed.
promachus on September 8, 2011 at 1:25 AM
Where are the Perry people?. Last night, they were on the QOTD thread patting themselves on the back. Tonight, after Perry’s first debate, I thought some would be here to talk him up some…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 1:29 AM
up too late friend…
dang nugget
i dvr’d the debate….is it worth it to watch??
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 1:33 AM
Hey Pseudoforce, if you are reading this, I think it’s safe to come back. You are missed ;)
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 1:36 AM
Watching it right now on DVR. So far it’s a little underwhelming. Newt has had a few good moments.
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 1:38 AM
darn
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 1:44 AM
Just skip to whenever you see Romney, Perry and Newt on the screen as they provided what will be the most talked about and analyzed moments tomorrow. Then you can decide if you want to watch the whole thing some other time.
There is one moment where Ron Paul talks about a fence with machine guns, you may get some laughs out of it. I try to go easy on Paul on issues other than his foreign policy, but he really came across as an old crank in this debate.
Daemonocracy on September 8, 2011 at 1:45 AM
Perry looked lightweight compared to Romney. Perry had a lot of bravado, but didn’t leave you with the impression that he could kick Romney’s ass in a fist fight. In fact just the opposite.
haner on September 8, 2011 at 1:45 AM
thanks…thought perry would hit it out of the park, but i did read that debates are his weakness…
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 1:49 AM
IMHO..I thought it was a very good debate..except for Ron Paul..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 1:52 AM
Perry got in some good points..But so did a lot of the other candidates!..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 1:53 AM
A couple of more debates, some of the losers get out, and then Sarah gets in and wins the gold.
Mirimichi on September 8, 2011 at 1:54 AM
Lol. I know there is no love lost between you and Ron Paul.
(I am still offended that Buddy wasn’t invited. Why won’t they let him make his case!)
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 1:56 AM
Hey DS
will probably check out the DVR tomorrow…gettin late in the night for me to peruse it now, gotta get up in a little while….i did just see his death penalty answer on the other thread which sounded good to me…
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 1:57 AM
and he wins the straw poll on msdnc, natch
*sigh*
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 1:58 AM
We have to cut out the driftwood!..Sorry Buddy fans..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:01 AM
The debate was very spirited!..:)
PS..The Ronulans are sounding off on The Right Scoop!..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:03 AM
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 1:57 AM
I hope you do watch it for yourself. You shouldn’t take anyone’s word for it.
IMO: Perry won, Newt was very, very good, Cain and Bachmann each had a few great answers, Santorum had one terrific answer (about welfare), and the rest were just sort of “there”. Paul & Huntsman were awful, but that’s not a surprise.
Perry had some great zings: calling O an “abject liar” was my personal favorite.
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 2:13 AM
Nice post!..I thought a lot of the candidates brought their “A” game..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:16 AM
Just saw that a few minutes ago. That was a great moment. I bet Obama has steam coming out of his ears.
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 2:20 AM
And over at HuffPo, it’s all fap,fap,fap,fap about a Romney/Huntsman ticket that thay could really go for!
bigmike on September 8, 2011 at 2:22 AM
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:16 AM
Thank you, and ITA. I was very impressed by Newt and so glad to see it from him. He was the 1990s Newt I know and love (not the AGW Newt, iow).
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 2:23 AM
Perry called Obama an abject liar on border control. That’s rich coming from Mr. Open Borders himself.
This country can’t take another decade of open borders with Mexico.
haner on September 8, 2011 at 2:24 AM
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 2:20 AM
LOL! I’d like to have seen the expression on his face when he heard that. And we know he did because Gibbs on MSNBC said O was watching Perry.
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 2:27 AM
Good let the Daily Kooks banter all they want..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:29 AM
Newt is a very strong debater..One of the best!..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:34 AM
I laughed almost as hard as when Huntsman said he could win.
I wonder if Obama will try and take any shots at the GOP tomorrow in his speech because he is pissed about this debate? O/T but I think Boehner’s decision not to rebut the speech is a master stroke. Truly makes Obama look like an irrelevant afterthought.
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 2:36 AM
Some would say he’s a master…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 2:36 AM
He is a very good debater..But some folks mileage may vary!..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:39 AM
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 2:36 AM
In the HA poll on Boehner’s non-rebuttal, I voted for “master stroke”, too! Boehner’s treating him like the ZERO he is.
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 2:43 AM
Some won’t be seeing the obamanation Thursday nite, he’s being pre-empted for the football game in at least one TV market…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 2:44 AM
I don’t think it was very presidential of Perry to call Obama abject liar. It will alienate the independents.
promachus on September 8, 2011 at 2:45 AM
That whooshing sound wasn’t a pair of NIKE’s…I wonder who advised Newt to sit on a couch with Lugosi and to go all in for Dede? Newt’s usually a bit smarter than that…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 2:46 AM
Kinda polarizing, wasn’t it?…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 2:47 AM
It was very much like what Rush Limbaugh would say. Is Perry aiming for raising his name recognition to become a talk show host?
promachus on September 8, 2011 at 2:50 AM
He didn’t call him a liar. He said he either had the worst intel on the border OR that he was lying.
El_Terrible on September 8, 2011 at 2:50 AM
Heh. One more sign WI is going to go red in ’12.
Kataklysmic on September 8, 2011 at 2:56 AM
That was still very disrespectful of the office of the presidency. It would alienate a lot of independents.
promachus on September 8, 2011 at 2:56 AM
are you a joke account?
Daemonocracy on September 8, 2011 at 2:58 AM
Newt did very good in the debate..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 2:59 AM
Lol!..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 3:00 AM
He’s parroting what he’s heard for the past 2 years and applying it to Perry…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 3:02 AM
Print reports state that
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 3:09 AM
Maybe it’s because Milwaukee considers the Packers to be the home team…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 3:11 AM
Just an outside-the-box thought here:
Aside from his bowl cut, a first name that sounds like a critter and a last name that sounds like a skin ailment, how many times do we say, “oh yeah, Newt was very good,” before we actually have to start saying that, to the apolitical observer, who doesn’t know that he has been labeled “unelectable,” he appears to be in the hunt?
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 3:13 AM
Screw 0bamAA+.
Tomorrow night it’s Brees & da Black and Gold!!!!”
WHO DAT!!!!!11!!1!
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 3:16 AM
Good to see you!..:)
Dire Straits on September 8, 2011 at 3:27 AM
Hey! Sorry, I was thread hopping…
Who’s your team? (dead thread for now – OT!)
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 3:43 AM
It ain’t the Ain’ts, cane_loader…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 3:47 AM
I posted this link on the QOTD thread, too…FOX News now has a former ACORN/Project Vote coordinator working as an on-air contributor…The story is a Green Room post…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 3:49 AM
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 3:13 AM
I think Newt hurt himself badly with his attack of the Ryan plan on Meet the Press (I think it was MTP). He already had to overcome his couch cozy with Pelosi and his backing of Scozza-whatever-her-name-was… Outside of that (sigh) I still like Newt for his other qualities and those were on full display tonight.
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 3:51 AM
Gohawgs,
“‘Aints” going back to Super Bowl this year. Last year was a freak-injury fluke. Brees will take us back to the big game!
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:05 AM
Aslan’s Girl:
I agree with you that Newt has killed himself politically.
But as probably 85% of voters are pretty politically uninformed (because the media are splintered and they also have to work for a living), I’m saying that if you don’t know the political inside baseball, Newt has been turning in consistently solid performances – enough to still look pretty good to those who’ve never heard of Ryan or Scozzafava!
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:08 AM
I have lots of family in La, my Mom is from Ascension Parish. Makes for interesting Thanksgivings…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 4:09 AM
Something about Newt’s personality though … I think as president it would be a drama-queen situation & he would get wrapped up in all kind of little battles & lose focus.
He sure has been looking good in the debates, though
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:10 AM
Do you ever go back? Ascension has grown so much. More importantly, who, if not the Saints, will have your allegiance this year?
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:13 AM
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:08 AM
But how far can Newt go when political junkies do know? I always hold out hope for him, though, because I think he’s brilliant otherwise.
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 4:14 AM
One thing I forgot to mention about Perry that impressed me — at one point he stopped looking at the mods and the audience and looked directly into the camera. I hope he keeps doing that at the upcoming debates.
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 4:15 AM
Not this year but, usually 2 to 3 times each year. Even before Katrina caused a migration North to BR people were moving into Ascension to get out of BR. Lots of 40 & 80 acre farms have been turned into subdivisions. Driving down the Airline is now pretty much non-stop development whereas it used to be a mostly rural drive…
The Cowboys, of course…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 4:19 AM
Newt can go far into the playoffs if he keeps it up – maybe VP (though I have an inkling that that slot may be held for Cain).
As far as Perry looking into the camera, good catch. I remember that. He looked authentic. Perry has a lot of tools. You just know that his team of PR experts is already slicing his performance into one cell thicknesses and mounting them on slides….
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:21 AM
Growth got so out of control in Ascension Parish that they put a moratorium on new subdivisions a few years back. Not sure if they lifted it. As you say, this was before Katrina.
Speaking of which, did you notice that they took the names “Katrina” and “Rita” out of this year’s rotation, and replaced them with “Katia” and “Rina?” Sort of clever, I thought.
Re: Cowboys, I always look forward to it, BRING IT! :D
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:27 AM
The “powers that be” let homes go up w/o regard to infrastructure. LA42/931/44 were/are taxed beyond capacity. It was all about the benjamins until it was almost too late. 44 from Gonzales to 42 is a pain as is 42 between the Airline and 44…
It appears that Katia will not pose the danger Katrina did, thankfully…
It ain’t gonna be pretty for the Ain’ts…
Gohawgs on September 8, 2011 at 4:37 AM
Yep, those little roads, no need for police checkpoints. You end up in the ditch, you was drunk.
I’m thinking LA will get one good hurricane. It’s been every 3 years for awhile. Lili-2002, Katrina/Rita-2005, Gustav/Ike-2008….
Saints over Packers by 2.
Hitting the hay, nice chatting, gohawgs, aslans girl!”
End OT
cane_loader on September 8, 2011 at 4:45 AM
It’s still amusing to me that there are some people who believe that a politician who has resigned has done something reprehensible, and so much so that the reasons don’t matter.
Aitch748 on September 8, 2011 at 5:18 AM
will do…
newt has some good points against the media, kudos to him…
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 7:05 AM
One could argue the demographic of such, might help counter an invasion of future terrorists from the Arab Spring festival Obama so loves.
Don L on September 8, 2011 at 7:16 AM
Its amusing to me Nista that some people think that the Presidency is going to be any easier. Oh and that wasn’t the only time she quit something.
CW on September 8, 2011 at 7:25 AM
My take.
kingsjester on September 8, 2011 at 7:31 AM
a good one too :)
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 7:34 AM
I didn’t get that at all.
What I saw was a media determined to take Perry down, through gotcha questions and by pitting all the other competitors against him, while trying to paint all of them as wackos.
I saw Brian Williams sneering at Perry over the audience reaction to the statistic on Texas executions. And what the HELL did mentioning Santorum’s religion have to do with the question he asked him?
The whole thing was a joke, from start to finish. In the Presidential debate, the GOP challenger will get all the ‘record’ questions, and Obama will get all the ‘tell us again why you’re so awesome’ questions.
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 7:42 AM
One other thing I’ll add – Newt called out Williams and his sidekick for it early, but even Mitt got tired of the attacks on Perry after a while and started defending him toward the end. The media’s treatment of and contempt toward the candidates was disgusting.
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 7:44 AM
Perry’s definitely the front-runner…so far. However, the Dream Act thingy is liable to come back and bite him.
kingsjester on September 8, 2011 at 7:53 AM
and it will continue for the next year
shameful
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 7:55 AM
next is cnn/tea party express debate on 9.12…more gotcha questions from the grunter, john king…
cmsinaz on September 8, 2011 at 7:56 AM
Oh God I hate that guy.
“Hrnh…Hmp…Uhn…Ahem”
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 8:01 AM
Might hurt him with the base a little, but if he wins the nom, the indies won’t care about that. This election is about jobs, and you can’t put OBL’s corpse in your gas tank. Perry wins going away.
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 8:02 AM
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 8:02 AM
I agree. Tonight’s speech is going to be an epic failure.
kingsjester on September 8, 2011 at 8:03 AM
Are you ready for some football? I know I am!
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 8:28 AM
My take is that they all performed well with the exception of Paul who’s just too nutty to take seriously. Yes, even Huntsman at times was pretty good. Apparently someone behind the scenes at his campaign told him he’ll be mired at 1% unless he starts actually going after his former boss. Of course he had to go undermine that by playing the “climate change” and “evolution” cards towards the ends. Anyway, my breakdown:
Santorum – Not as impressive as the last debate, but that’s because he was mostly ignored. Still doesn’t have a prayer though.
Newt – Masterful. The dude’s always been good in this sort of environment. The problem is he can’t win the nomination thanks to low personal ratings and self-inflicted wounds to his campaign.
Bachmann – Pretty good, particularly on energy and Obamacare. I’m glad she went after Mittens on the whole “waiver” pledge. If you want it gone, pledge to REPEAL the damn thing.
Romney – A solid performance, but at times he comes off as shady. I hate the aforementioned “waiver” copout with Obamacare. And I really didn’t like him using the Democrat playbook to attack Perry on Social Security. But on economic issues, he was solid.
Perry – A good debut, but not a knockout. He was targeted all night though by the NBC moderators as well as Mittens and Paul, so he held his own. And he never stumbled which was key. He’ll get better I think as the primaries wear on.
Paul – A nut. He did have the occasional good answer, but I look forward to his inevitable exit from the race.
Cain – Some solid answers. Even though I don’t like at all the idea of a 9% national sales tax, he did explain it pretty well in about 20 seconds. He’s definitely got a position waiting for him in the next administration if he wants it.
Huntsman – As I said earlier, he did surprisingly well. But he lost me at the end with the climate change and evolution nonsense. Those are theories, Jon. Maybe they’re widely accepted in the mainstream(well, at least evolution is), but insulting the beliefs of your fellow candidates as well as a huge chunk of the GOP electorate ain’t good politics.
Doughboy on September 8, 2011 at 8:39 AM
I didn’t get that at all.
What I saw was a media determined to take Perry down, through gotcha questions and by pitting all the other competitors against him, while trying to paint all of them as wackos.
I saw Brian Williams sneering at Perry over the audience reaction to the statistic on Texas executions. And what the HELL did mentioning Santorum’s religion have to do with the question he asked him?
The whole thing was a joke, from start to finish. In the Presidential debate, the GOP challenger will get all the ‘record’ questions, and Obama will get all the ‘tell us again why you’re so awesome’ questions.
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 7:42 AM
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 7:42 AM
One other thing I’ll add – Newt called out Williams and his sidekick for it early, but even Mitt got tired of the attacks on Perry after a while and started defending him toward the end. The media’s treatment of and contempt toward the candidates was disgusting.
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 7:44 AM
You and me rarely agree on anything-but I’ve got to thank you for your observations about the debate. They’ve been spot-on.
annoyinglittletwerp on September 8, 2011 at 8:52 AM
Are you ready for some football? I know I am!
fossten on September 8, 2011 at 8:28 AM
I would watch William from American Idol sing She Bang before I would listen to Scooter speak. So, tonight, I’ll have the sound off and hang out around here.
kingsjester on September 8, 2011 at 9:01 AM
Too many threads going on for closely related topics. My summation is here, should anyone care:
http://hotair.com/archives/2011/09/07/video-romney-hits-perry-on-social-security-perry-doubles-down-on-ponzi-scheme/comment-page-3/#comment-4894440
OnlyOrange on September 8, 2011 at 9:05 AM
annoyinglittletwerp on September 8, 2011 at 8:52 AM
I was about to post the same thing! ITA w/fossten, too. Cue the Twilight Zone music ;)
-Aslan’s Girl
Aslans Girl on September 8, 2011 at 9:25 AM
It also amuses me that, after all this time, some people are still clinging to the idea that Palin resigned because she found the job of governing itself too tough.
It also amuses me that some people are still pushing the idea that political operatives could possibly use the same weapons against a President that they could use against a Governor of Alaska (at least until December 2010 when the Alaskan legislature finally patched that chink in the Governor’s political defenses). Hint: They can’t. Whoever is President has the Department of Justice to handle the things that the Governor of Alaska had to handle on his or her own (until December 2010).
But, you know, Anybody But Obama, as long as it isn’t Palin, right?
Aitch748 on September 8, 2011 at 9:35 AM
Yep. The candidates have to get together on this and all call little Bammie a liar, because he is a damn liar. He lies every day, and gets away with it because his media won’t call him on it.
slickwillie2001 on September 8, 2011 at 9:51 AM
I had read somewhere that the initial claim from the Himalayan glacier scientist said that, at current rates, the glaciers would melt by the year 2350, which some dyslexic reporter turned into 2035, and the MSM ran with the story without fact-checking. Meanwhile, the original scientist re-checked his data and concluded that the melt date would be later than 2350.
I do like Perry’s position on the carbon dioxide/global-warming issue, that we should not cripple the United States economically or energy-wise over an unproven theory, but Perry did NOT explain himself well on this issue–I found myself trying to shout answers into the TV for him based on science, and I work with a bunch of meteorologists, none of whom believe in man-made global warming! Perry needs to bone up on the science, and try to summarize it in 60 seconds or less, if he wants to be convincing on this issue.
I also thought Perry’s answer on Social Security was weak. How many voters really know what a Ponzi scheme is, and who cares? With Democrats running ads about Republicans pushing Grandma over a cliff in a wheelchair, Perry (and the other candidates) need to come up with concrete plans to provide Social Security for current retirees, and reform the system to adapt it to today’s society of smaller families and much longer lives than in the 1930′s, and gradually wean young people off Social Security to provide for their own retirement.
I had high hopes for Perry prior to this debate, and he might improve as he continues to campaign, but Romney sounded far more convincing and “Presidential” in this debate, and Gingrich was surprisingly strong, especially in his statement that all the candidates will eventually be a “team” to defeat Obama once the Republican nominee is known.
Steve Z on September 8, 2011 at 10:20 AM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 … 18 19 20