Monday, September 17, 2007

LIVE BLOGGING: VALUES VOTER REPUBLICAN DEBATE

Please pardon all of my typo's :)

My thoughts after the debate:
Gov. Huckabee didn't speak much during the debate and he didn't make any outlandish statements like Tancredo and others. He tried to stay balanced throughout. I think the Yes/No questions could hurt him. He can spin it later by explaining why he voted the way he did.
His concluding statement defined him the most. He communicated well, and he won this debate.
( My opinion on the debate changed after I heard Gov. Huckabee's closing statements)

My Thoughts during the debate: Absolutely boring and was uneventful. As a supporter of Gov. Huckabee, I don't think this will help him very much. It could on the other hand hurt him more in the general election.
You can stand for all these values and communicate in a unifying way. That's what Gov. Huckabee is very good at. When you have Yes or No questions telling you to choose (without explanation) why you agree or disagree, then it will make it tough for the voters to understand your thought process.
AFA hurt all of the republican candidates more than help with this kind of questioning. I am saddened. I agree with the values of AFA but not with their tactics.

Closing Statements:

Huckabee: Gets four minutes to speak. He jokes about taking an offering.
"I don't come to you, I come from you".He talks about his previous occupation as a baptist pastor, he holds it as a badge of honor. He talks about how he ran the state, which is the microcosm of the federal government.
People ask him can he win? If money is the factor then we are in a plutocracy. Values voters are important, and he asks the 'values voters' to stand with him.
Long applause. I think it was smart that he didn't use up his minutes earlier. He got a long 4 minutes to talk about himself. He probably won some values voters tonight. Good strategy. Whether it will hurt him in the general election is another thing.

Alan Keyes was absolutely horrible and he will be mocked big time for the way he spoke. John Cox says he will be the best candidate to counter Hillary Clinton. You gotta be kidding me.

End of Round 3

9:02 Question to Alan Keys about his support of the UN.

9:01 Ron Paul says if we regulate evil behavior, then that set's the stage to regulate positive behavior, religion etc.

8:59 Tancredo is walking along the line of being a racist and anti-immigrant.

8:57 OK, I didn't quit. A question was asked to Gov. Huckabee about increasing spending. He answered it pretty well and sold the fair tax idea.

8:41
Question to the empty podium
Abortion question to Giuliani. Silence. Why are they asking empty podiums?? This is dumb.
I quit live blogging this debate.

7:52 Round Two: Yes or No
There will be a Green light and Blue light. Can't choose both. ooo.. tough.
IM SURE YOU GUYS GET THE DRIFT AS FAR AS WHAT THE QUESTIONS WILL BE.

7:43
Gay Agenda
Keyes: Eh.
Hunter: Support the bedrock, the American family. He goes off on a tangent.
Paul: Its important to not legislate morality. Boo's and Applause.
Brownback: I fought for this in the Senate all the time. I stood up for General Pace when everybody else attacked him for making his anti-gay statements.
Cox: Agrees with everyone above. Supports school choice. We can't open up the floodgates to other kinds of sins.
Tancredo: It is constrained by the constitution. The president of the United States can't singlehandedly change the moral makeup of the nation.
Huckabee: The homosexual movement is strong because the traditional marriage structure is weak. If most of the marriages in the country end up in divorce how would the next generation know what marriage should be like.

7:34 North American Union
Huckabee: Thanked Phyllis Schafer for her book. He said that book inspired him to become a republican in a democratically controlled Arkansas state. We cannot give our sovereignty to any other nation.
Tancredo: Someone in mexico said, "where there is a mexican, there is mexico". He will never give up the sovereignty of this country.
Cox: Eh same thing.
Brownback: For free trade, for enforcing the laws and no to unions.
Paul: He wants us out of every international alliance. Not feasible and not smart. Lot of crazy fanatics in the audience.
Hunter: Same thing.
Keyes: Let's stop abortion. (Just kidding). He says the same thing like the other candidates. He said we are losing our sovereignty because we are not respecting God's sovereignty.

7:23
What is your personal faith
Keyes: God is why we do what we do. Politicians should have the guts to stand up to values.
Hunter: He doesn't belong to any organized denomination. He is a baptist (laughter).
Paul: I get to God through Jesus. Jesus is for peace, not for pre-emptive war. Nice faith.
Brownback: He looks constipated. Sorry, I had to say it.
The Lord grabbed him in a kansas farm while he was feeding the pigs. Think of the coincidence.
Cox: He was not raised with religion. Got saved on a commuter train.
Tancredo: We have a fallen side and another side that christ died for us. Is that biblical? Feed the spirit not the flesh. Lets feed the spirit everyday.
Huckabee: Christ changed his life around. Good answer.

7:15
War on Terror/ Radical Islam
Huckabee: The threat we face is not one that many Americans understand. It's a theological war. War is about will. Whoever chooses to leave, loses. Doesn't provide many policy details, but good explanation of the threat we face and what we should do (the big picture).
Tancredo: Agrees, talks about borders.
Cox: Spread prosperity. We have to replace evil with Good. The War on Iraq is about oil.
Brownback: He has a very cocky persona. The next president should have some foreign policy experience.
Paul: They kill us because we occupy their lands. The attack on Islam could backfire on us Christians.
Hunter: Ron Paul, the last two nations we have freed were muslim nations. Don't blame America first.
Keyes: What is he saying?? Prevent abortion.

7:06
ABORTION
Shows an ultrasound of a baby in the womb.
Keyes: Amendment to the constitution that defines life and says that all life should be respected.
Hunter: Pass the Hunter Bill that states that life begins at conception. Will use a litmus test.
Paul: Life begins at conception, and as a doctor he knows what he's talking about.
Brownback: He wants to appoint the justice who can overturn Roe v Wade. The constitution does not sanction abortion.
Cox: It's about taking responsibility.
Tancredo: Appoint judges that would repeal Roe v Wade. He will have a litmus test.
Huckabee: All of us are pro-life. Theres a good reason why there are 4 empty podiums. He got into politics because I am pro-life not the other way around. We should value every life at every stage.

Questioning Round

6:57: MARRIAGE.
Huckabee: Will do same things as he did in Arkansas. Define marriage in the constitution. Will support and lead for an amendment to define marriage.
Tancredo: Will support the amendment.
John Cox: Happily married. Marriage is about protecting children. Is it?
Brownback: He carried that amendment through congress. Bashes bush for not following through on marriage.
Paul: Set a great example. No need to define marriage, look it up in a dictionary. No need of state to define marriage, its a church issue.
Hunter: Tries to correct Paul, but didn't really do a good job of it. Says a long story.
Keyes: Attacking Mitt Romney for redefining what the court had decided in Massachusetts.

6:48:
Opening statements by candidates.
Alan Keyes: Biggest problem of this nation is the eroding moral values. He was too dramatic.. what was that all about.
Duncan Hunter: Building borders, believes God still loves this nation.
Ron Paul: Promise to obey the constitution. Long winded answer but it made sense.
Brownback: Get back to the basics. Invoked Mother Teresa.
John Cox: Should I waste time on typing what he says?
Tancredo: Degredation of Society. Trashed Bill Clinton.
Huckabee: Praises the forum for starting with prayer. Makes a joke on Chris Matthews. We need vertical leadership not horizontal.

6:37:
There is a choir singing a beautiful song. I feel like I'm in church. ( I like it, don't get me wrong). Imagine seeing this on CNN, man.. those liberals would have a fit.

6:34:
Introduction of Candidates

6:29:
I have a bad feeling that the AFA servers will shut down.

6:15:
Singing of the national anthem.

It's 6:00 pm CT and I'm waiting.. Hopefully I will be able to watch through the entire debate.

2 comments:

pebspicks said...

justin,
great blog!

i agree with you regarding the 'yes/no' questions. i don't think that was the greatest format to do the canidates' views justice. the questions were loaded with emotion and personal experiences. it's tough to give a simple pat 'yes or no' to something that can be potentially more complex, given the specific situation. although, huckabee did very well!

enjoying your blog, keep up the good work!

Editor said...

http://illinois4huckabee.blogspot.com/2007/09/its-time-for-brownback-to-back-out-and.html

On August 20th I wrote:
Senator Brownback is an honorable man and if not for the presence of Mike Huckabee, he would have my support. The Senator is taking a five day vacation.


I hope he spends the time in prayer and reflection. Then, I encourage him to step down and support Governor Huckabee. This would be a selfless and courageous act and one that would give strength to the causes he believes in. I see him as a great leader in the Senate during the Huckabee administration.


Again, Senator, if you want to win on the issues you hold dear; If you believe what you say; there is something you can do to move our cause forward: Join Team Huckabee!