Republican Debate in Iowa

I have not forgotten that I am going to post concerning the events of the last few weeks, but I have only a brief time to post tonight. I followed the Republican Presidential debate in Iowa tonight, and I thought that I would share my thoughts.

I tuned in at 2035 (8:35 pm for those who do not use military time). At that point the debate had been running for nearly half an hour. I did listen to all of the debate that I could catch, even though there were some 'technical difficulties'.

I have been a supporter of both Mitt Romney and Michelle Bachmann, but was rather disappointed in their performances tonight. Ron Paul showed that he should not be allowed to be President by his reluctance to use our power to protect our interests. John Huntsman might as well not even have been there for all that he contributed. Tim Pawlenty weakened himself by attacking Michelle Bachmann, while failing to show how he was any different than the her, Cain, Gingrich, Romney, or Santorum. Herman Cain delivered a strong stand for conservatives, and performed very well. Newt Gingrich also ended the debate on a very strong note, much stronger than he went in. Rick Santorum also did well for the amount of time he was given, and managed to look like more than another generic candidate.

The losers in the debate tonight:

1) Michelle Bachmann-After the New Hampshire debate she quickly moved into competition with Mitt Romney. The reason that she lost this time was because she spent more time defending herself from Tim Pawlenty rather than taking control and forcing him to defend himself. Her worst moment came when trying to respond to another Pawlenty jab and gaining a houseful of boos. Also her not being in place coming back from the break did not help her either. Her best line of the night concerned how she would submit to her husband while President.

2) Mitt Romney-He did not do horribly in the debate, but he did not really seem to have any luster about him either. He seemed to largely stay out of the way and let others tear themselves to shreds around him. His worst line of the night concerned the similarities between his healthcare plan as governor and Obamacare. His best was when he took a stand for marriage being one man and one woman.

3)  Tim Pawlenty-He failed to show how he was any different than any of the rest on issues of specific policy. He also did not seem to have much in the way of passion for the debate other than trying to get at Michelle Bachmann. He appeared to be a conservative with all of the personality of a block of wood ( although I have seen blocks of wood with plenty of personality). There were not really any good points that I found, although I agreed with him on most issues. He had nothing to grab the attention.

4) John Huntsman-He was the only one with less energy than Tim Pawlenty. I would rather watch a sloth, slug, or turtle than listen to him. They at least go somewhere. The most animated that he ever got was defending the raising of the debt ceiling and civil unions for gays. Both of those issues sink him as a candidate before any other issue. He earned, in my estimation, the dubious distinction of being the most lifeless individual on stage.

He did not quite lose, only because he seemed to appeal to a generous portion of the audience, but Ron Paul is not going to win the nomination. There were many good things to say about him, and just as many to shut him down. For a very intelligent man, he possesses many incorrect beliefs about the way our foreign and domestic social policy should be run. He blames America for the threat of Iran, and believes that they have the right to develop nuclear weapons. He does not wish for us to project any aspects of power in our interests or those of our friends. He is also in favor of allowing each of the 50 states to set social policy on abortion and marriage. This makes him unrealistic and dangerous to all who are social conservatives or concerned with foreign policy.

The Winners

Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, and Rick Santorum all came out of this debate looking good. Gingrich still has about as much chance as a snowball does in Death valley at the height of summer, but he articulated the conservative position clearly and with power. Rick Santorum displayed his social conservatism as well as a fine grasp of the dangers associated with Iran and China. These came into play as he opposed Ron Paul on matters of policy. Herman Cain came across as also having paid attention to the threat from Iran and having an incredible grasp on our financial situation.

I just thought that I would post my thoughts and perspectives up tonight. I do not know how the straw poll will turn out on Saturday, but I anticipate sharing more with you then.

Good night, or good morning, and God bless.