Imagine this, the CNN post-debate 'spin room' interview with Ron Paul lasted longer than all of his answers in the debate combined! This is actually a very good interview (though the reporter was a little confused about his tax policy). You may be somewhat surprised if you watch this interview. Ron Paul can come across in the debates as cranky, contrarian, maybe some folks think a little kooky because his views are so different from the 'front-runners.' Here you see the Ron Paul most of his supporters know. A rather gentle man. An economist. And a man who seems to seize the opportunity to educate any time he is in the presence of a young person, like this young reporter. He really is more of an educator than politician. Check it out:
Thursday, January 31, 2008
But Who's Counting
CNN California GOP Debate on Jan 30, 2008
Total Talk Time:
Romney: 27:09
Mccain: 22:39
Huckabee: 15:16
Paul: 6:57
Total Questions for each candidate:
Romney: 15
Mccain: 13
Huckabee: 11
Paul: 7
Total Talk Time:
Romney: 27:09
Mccain: 22:39
Huckabee: 15:16
Paul: 6:57
Total Questions for each candidate:
Romney: 15
Mccain: 13
Huckabee: 11
Paul: 7
A Person Instead
According to Andrew Romano who blogs for Newsweek, “Ron Paul was the only one who sounded like a person instead of a politician–no small feat for a presidential candidate.”
He went on to write:
My favorite moment of the night? When Paul tsk-tsked Romney and McCain for sniping over Iraq strategy–an area where their positions are largely indistinguishable. “I find it rather silly, because they’re arguing technicalities of a policy they both agree with,” he said. “They agreed with going in; they agreed for staying, agreed for staying how many years? And these are technicalities. We should be debating foreign policy.” The other candidates–not to mention reporters–often dismiss the Good Doctor, but as the field narrows, I have to say: it’s fun to watch him give them a hard time. He was certainly talking sense tonight.
He went on to write:
My favorite moment of the night? When Paul tsk-tsked Romney and McCain for sniping over Iraq strategy–an area where their positions are largely indistinguishable. “I find it rather silly, because they’re arguing technicalities of a policy they both agree with,” he said. “They agreed with going in; they agreed for staying, agreed for staying how many years? And these are technicalities. We should be debating foreign policy.” The other candidates–not to mention reporters–often dismiss the Good Doctor, but as the field narrows, I have to say: it’s fun to watch him give them a hard time. He was certainly talking sense tonight.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Mora-esque
Do you remember that Coach Mora rant now made famous on a beer commercial? The one where he keeps saying, "playoffs?! playoffs??!! are you kidding me!?? playoffs??!!"
When Ron Paul speaks it's as though the other candidates and the Republicans in the audience are saying, "constitution??!! constitution?!!! are you kidding me??!! constitution??!!"
Poor Ron. He thinks the Commander in Chief is supposed to read and obey the Constitution. He hasn't the faintest clue that this election thing is about the GOP retaining control of the White House. That's all.
If he had just known better, he would never have said, "The Commander in Chief's job is not to move the troops around but to have the wisdom not to get us into these wars where we get trapped and have to stay for who knows how long...."
With half a wit about him, he wouldn't have thought of saying, "Yes, the President is the Commander in Chief, but he doesn't run the economy. The people run the economy. The government needs to give them low taxes and sound money and get out of their way. It isn't the president's job to run the economy."
Oh my.
Just send me my $800.00 check - include the illegal aliens in this handout too - and I'm sure that the economy will perk right up.
Constitution??!! Are you kidding me??!!
When Ron Paul speaks it's as though the other candidates and the Republicans in the audience are saying, "constitution??!! constitution?!!! are you kidding me??!! constitution??!!"
Poor Ron. He thinks the Commander in Chief is supposed to read and obey the Constitution. He hasn't the faintest clue that this election thing is about the GOP retaining control of the White House. That's all.
If he had just known better, he would never have said, "The Commander in Chief's job is not to move the troops around but to have the wisdom not to get us into these wars where we get trapped and have to stay for who knows how long...."
With half a wit about him, he wouldn't have thought of saying, "Yes, the President is the Commander in Chief, but he doesn't run the economy. The people run the economy. The government needs to give them low taxes and sound money and get out of their way. It isn't the president's job to run the economy."
Oh my.
Just send me my $800.00 check - include the illegal aliens in this handout too - and I'm sure that the economy will perk right up.
Constitution??!! Are you kidding me??!!
California GOP Debate
Here are my impressions of the CNN California GOP debate held tonight at the Reagan Library.
Mike Huckabee got a great photo-op with Nancy Reagan on his arm.
The Set - it looked cramped to me – the candidates were seated just a little too close together. Plus, seated is just the wrong format in general.
The cut-away - Ron Paul’s first answer was very strong – but the camera cut away from him on his last and strongest sentence. He was only asked two other questions the rest of the first hour as I recall.
The big lie – Ron Paul asked to be included in the discussion of who among them was liberal and who is conservative. All others had answered that question. He was cut off by Anderson Cooper who said he would be able to answer that if he would wait just two minutes – no just two questions – “I promise,” Cooper said three times. They never came back to Ron Paul for the answer to that question and he wasn’t included for many questions after that.
The Paulification of the front runners - in every debate, Ron Paul has stressed that our monetary policy is broken and our debts are being funded by borrowing money from China. They snickered at him. But tonight, for the first time, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and John McCain each said, “we have to stop borrowing money from China!” In fact, McCain said outright, “one thing I agree with Ron Paul about is that we have to quit borrowing money from China.”
Two conservatives – in a typically tacky CNN question, the candidates were asked, in front of Nancy Reagan and in the Reagan Library, if they would have appointed Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court. Huckster and McCain both said she was a wonderful lady and so forth. Ron Paul said, “no, I would have appointed someone who was a stricter constitutionalist.” Mitt Romney said, “I would have appointed people in the mold of Scalia, Roberts and Alito.” When you think about the next President appointing perhaps as many as three Supreme Court justices, I can’t think of a more telling moment in any of the debates so far.
Lifeless – Mitt, McCain and Huck each got to answer a question about abortion. Huck really touted himself as all but the singular champion of the pro-life cause. Ron Paul was cut off from answering the question. The OB-GYN doctor. The only GOP candidate that was in the Washington March for Life. The only candidate endorsed by the nation’s leading pro-life activist, Norma McCorvey. The only candidate who has introduced legislation that would negate Roe v Wade. He is unable to give a full answer to the question that others elaborated on. Ridiculous.
Food-fight – Hillary and Obama made themselves look juvenile during their last debate as they picked and sniped at each other. CNN was eager to get the GOP front-runners into a similar food-fight. McCain and Romney obliged. I think sneering and genuinely mean McCain came out the worst for it in flower-child California. He was booed. But Ron Paul nailed it when they finally asked him a question. He said all of this back and forth between McCain and Romney was just arguing over nuances of the same policy. What we should be debating is foreign policy itself – the big topic – not who said what first. It was crazy.
Huck shuffled – Huckabee was put at the far end of the table and he felt it. He complained several times about not getting his equal share of the questions. Ol’ Huck is being shuffled off the stage by the mainstream media. Ron can feel his pain.
Winners and losers. I think that Romney did well. McCain had one of his weaker showings and was in fact booed more than once. Huckabee was as folksy as ever but didn’t score in his brief appearances. Ron Paul was nearly non-existent though he did answer well when he was given a chance to answer (twice I think).
Mike Huckabee got a great photo-op with Nancy Reagan on his arm.
The Set - it looked cramped to me – the candidates were seated just a little too close together. Plus, seated is just the wrong format in general.
The cut-away - Ron Paul’s first answer was very strong – but the camera cut away from him on his last and strongest sentence. He was only asked two other questions the rest of the first hour as I recall.
The big lie – Ron Paul asked to be included in the discussion of who among them was liberal and who is conservative. All others had answered that question. He was cut off by Anderson Cooper who said he would be able to answer that if he would wait just two minutes – no just two questions – “I promise,” Cooper said three times. They never came back to Ron Paul for the answer to that question and he wasn’t included for many questions after that.
The Paulification of the front runners - in every debate, Ron Paul has stressed that our monetary policy is broken and our debts are being funded by borrowing money from China. They snickered at him. But tonight, for the first time, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney and John McCain each said, “we have to stop borrowing money from China!” In fact, McCain said outright, “one thing I agree with Ron Paul about is that we have to quit borrowing money from China.”
Two conservatives – in a typically tacky CNN question, the candidates were asked, in front of Nancy Reagan and in the Reagan Library, if they would have appointed Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court. Huckster and McCain both said she was a wonderful lady and so forth. Ron Paul said, “no, I would have appointed someone who was a stricter constitutionalist.” Mitt Romney said, “I would have appointed people in the mold of Scalia, Roberts and Alito.” When you think about the next President appointing perhaps as many as three Supreme Court justices, I can’t think of a more telling moment in any of the debates so far.
Lifeless – Mitt, McCain and Huck each got to answer a question about abortion. Huck really touted himself as all but the singular champion of the pro-life cause. Ron Paul was cut off from answering the question. The OB-GYN doctor. The only GOP candidate that was in the Washington March for Life. The only candidate endorsed by the nation’s leading pro-life activist, Norma McCorvey. The only candidate who has introduced legislation that would negate Roe v Wade. He is unable to give a full answer to the question that others elaborated on. Ridiculous.
Food-fight – Hillary and Obama made themselves look juvenile during their last debate as they picked and sniped at each other. CNN was eager to get the GOP front-runners into a similar food-fight. McCain and Romney obliged. I think sneering and genuinely mean McCain came out the worst for it in flower-child California. He was booed. But Ron Paul nailed it when they finally asked him a question. He said all of this back and forth between McCain and Romney was just arguing over nuances of the same policy. What we should be debating is foreign policy itself – the big topic – not who said what first. It was crazy.
Huck shuffled – Huckabee was put at the far end of the table and he felt it. He complained several times about not getting his equal share of the questions. Ol’ Huck is being shuffled off the stage by the mainstream media. Ron can feel his pain.
Winners and losers. I think that Romney did well. McCain had one of his weaker showings and was in fact booed more than once. Huckabee was as folksy as ever but didn’t score in his brief appearances. Ron Paul was nearly non-existent though he did answer well when he was given a chance to answer (twice I think).
National Taxpayers Union
According to a report released Tuesday by the National Taxpayers Union, Texas Congressman Ron Paul is the only remaining presidential candidate who proposes net spending cuts.
According to the report, Congressman Paul’s proposals would cut government spending by over $150 billion, a conservative estimate of the spending reductions Dr. Paul has proposed. The report concludes that the other remaining Republican candidates, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, have proposed spending increases of $19.5 billion, $6.9 billion and $54 billion respectively.
See their report at www.ntu.org
According to the report, Congressman Paul’s proposals would cut government spending by over $150 billion, a conservative estimate of the spending reductions Dr. Paul has proposed. The report concludes that the other remaining Republican candidates, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee, have proposed spending increases of $19.5 billion, $6.9 billion and $54 billion respectively.
See their report at www.ntu.org
Breck Girl
John Edwards is quitting his quest for the Democrat nomination. He announces his departure today in New Orleans, the city where his campaign was launched. The Obillary onslaught was just too much to overcome.
Here's one last tribute to The Breck Girl!
Here's one last tribute to The Breck Girl!
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