Blogging at – YouTube? huh?

                                     

Eh, not so much.  I was not all that impressed with the Dem version, and given that it is CNN (just listen to this exchange from a former guest on MTNP, Hugh Hewitt during his show and a CNN guy involved with this here.

My intention is not to really live blog this debate – instead, I’m just going to comment on how things are going (candidates, YouTubes, the talking heads, et al) as I feel led instead of trying to record).

Update: Okey, ok, so I fibbed…the YouTubes – no so bad.  And I seem to have started to live blogging it (at least half way). 

So now it starts! 

Oh gosh, a singing troubador…cute song, but his point is?  All the candidates are chuckling as fun is poked at all of them….no question…that’s the intro??  OK, not bad as an intro -  better than the talking heads / moderators!

Q – to Rudy from a New Yawker on Sanctuary City – decent answer.  Anderson throws it to Romney who tries to shred Rudy, and Rudy is firing back.  AND IN THIS CORNER – they are going to go at it!  I love it!  Romney is actually trying to mix it up.  Rudy’s button just got pushed "holier than thou attitude" back to Romney.

This I expected from Rudy – I’m not taking any crap from anyone.  I am a bit surprised that Romney is continuing to fire back – rolling with the fight with just a bit of the canned responses.

Lively!

More after the jump!

Q – Will you vote for amnesty in any form?

Thompson – we get to invite who comes into our house – is deliberately raking both Rudy and Romney on Sanctuary "Areas".   Rudy has a credible answer.  Anderson swings it to McCain – who says he won’t but then tips into the defense that he never proposed amnesty (groans from the crowd).  Sorry, the rest of his answer I do not agree with him.  Tancredo – great to hear others trying to out-Tancredo Tancredo.  He does not agree that Americans won’t do the jobs – they just won’t do the job at the wages illegals will accept (and I agree with that sentiment).  And Hunter gives his stock answer.

Q – Huck and illegals for college.  Points out that military has to pay twice what illegals would have to pay for the bill that Huck supported that would give illegals.  Boy, twisting.  Basic argument that why hold the children responsible for their parents illegal activity.  Sorry, as a Baptist Minister, he should know better (…and the sins of the fathers will continue for seven generations…).  Romney – Huck is talking like a liberal, spending other peoples’ money. Huck says he worked to put himself, it hard, and that we are a better 

Romney – we are not punishing the children.  There is only so much money to go around – should we give it to legal citizens or to illegals.

I have to hand it to Romney – he wins this round! 

Q – Ron Paul – goes after his supporters and conspiracy theories….I check out.

Q – question on spending.

They all are answering well…..McCain, Romney, Rudy.  All with different ways – a target rich environment!

Q – Rs once stood for limited government.  Spending is way up.  Top 3 programs that you’d reduce

Thompson – his plan for the biggest entitlement – SS.  OMB has a list of 100 programs that are the worst – he’d kill them all.  SS-reform with indexing, add private accounts.  Do Medicare too.

Paul – he claims that unlike the others Ed, Energy, DHHS, change foreign policy by bringing troops home.

Huck – Replace IRS with FairTax.  Redo DHHS and restructure it.

Q – for McCain.  Support eliminating income tax for the FairTax? 

No. Need a simpler tax.   He is taking on Ron Paul and the Paulites are booing.  McCain mentions that the troops that he just met want to win.

Ron – then why did I raise the most money from the military.  He is not an isolationist but is a non-interventionalists.

You know, Ron Paul just doesn’t get it….and his supporters are rude to boot whenever anyone seemingly "disses" their guy.  Haven’t they realized yet that they have really turned off the blog folks already and that this behavior does not sit well with the public at large?

McCain does a good job standing up for people like me who realize that we are in the fight of our lives with those that want us dead.  McCain understands, better than anyone else, we have to actively fight these folks with everything we have – and not just militarily.  In riding the bus with "Wings" McCain, you can tell that he is the real deal on this subject – and I will stand with him on this issue to the gates of hell and to the Pearly Gates.

He ripped Paul up and down – good for him. 

Q-Grover Nordquist to all.  Will you promise to veto all taxes as long as you are President?

Tancredo – yes   Huck – yes  Romney – yes  Rudy – yes  Fred – yes, but will not pledge  McCain – yes, but will not pledge.  Paul – I think he said yes.  Hunter – yes except due to national emergency

Q-farm subsidies – who will elminate them?

Romney – he supports the subsidies – new biofuel techs, we need our food supply here (national security to not rely on other nations) and we compete against others with high level of subsidies.

Rudy – agrees with Romney 

Both were well spoken – it shows that our guys can agree when it comes to some issues, especially that could be tied back to national security.

Q- what to do to keep toys lead-free, and get toys made back in the US again.

Tancredo, Hunter – they are basically cheating.  Protectionism being used. 

HAH!  Fred’s YouTube going out to a commercial (quoted Huck and Mitt saying non-conservative things)….Cooper Anderson stopped and asked Fred "what’s up with that"…the reply was "it’s their words.  It did force Romney to apologize – "I was wrong; Reagan was right".  Huck said that taxes could sometimes be good, but then had a lame quip about if you’re getting kicked in the rear, you’re still out in front.

I have the feeling that this was a setup once CNN saw the commercial and just used it as an excuse for gotcha time instead of commercial time.  

Once again, however, we see how the Internet is changing ALL the rules – no more hiding, no more equivicating, no more lying – you will be caught.  I actually feel sorry for these "transitional" folks – these "old" guys, unless they have been consistently on the same path, will be at a huge disadvantage for the near to mid time future.  For the "new" folks just starting out will understand the new rules.

McCain-Feingold wants to merely regulate the money in politics and I do hand it to McCain for doing the philosophically right thing for asking a 527/outside group to stop running ads on his behalf.  Yet, the better regulator over time I believe, will not be the attempt to take money out of the process but will be the New Media and the never-forget capability of the Internet of blogs, YouTubes, MP3s, and the like, patrolling who said what and when.  And with millions of us out there, I believe it will be a far more effective governor on political speech than anything else and keeping everyone honest. He may believe he was doing the right thing – I believe we on the ‘Net will supercede that bill and make it irrelevant.  As as conservative, I really dislike this law but with watching this election cycle, and knowing that people are scrutinizing EVERYTHING – that is the body politic protecting the body politic.

Missed a couple of questions, but that’s OK. 

Rudy’s 30 second commercial….it was great…I loved the ending.

Q-from a Muslim asking what they’d do

Rudy gave a good answer.

Once again, McCain approves of the Surge and that we have to fight them.  Closes again with "Let them win".

Hunter – I will never apologize for the United States of America. 

Q-Waterboarding?

Romney – KSM gave up info with waterboarding (inference).

McCain – taking Mitt to task for inflicking that kind of torture on anyone.   

Q-long term stay in the Middle East? 

Fred is saying that we have to stay as long as needed.  We are making progress and too many are invested in defeat; he is invested in victory.

Paul – best to give Iraq their country back.  Sadr is in charge in the South and the Kurds in the North.  We have to take care of America first.

McCain – taking on Paul again….we never lost militarily!  Points out that Viet Nam did not want to follow us home – read the OBL, Zarwarhiri, et al – they will follow us home.  

Paul – he believe they will come ONLY because we are in their country.

Tancredo – basically say Paul is nuts to believe that if we leave, they will leave us alone.

Q – for Rudy – using 9/11 to propel him into the
White House – defend against it.

Look at my whole record, including all that happened before 9/11 happened (like in Haiti) as a prosecutor and as Mayor. 

oooo 

Missed a few…. 

oooo

The Brig. General – this was a plant by CNN, IMHO.  While I respect and thank him for his service, I take umbrage that he didn’t get an answer.  While Cooper Anderson badgered Romney about an answer, the others DID give an answer.  Sorry General, you GOT answers.  To say that you DIDN’T does you and your agenda, to allow gays serve in the Military, no good.

oooo

I’m done.