Rate the Republicans' debate performance?

Question

Rank the Republican candidates based on their performance in the November 28th debate, from best performance to least. Feel free to explain or annotate if you wish.

1. Mike Huckabee - witty, well-prepared
2. John McCain - affirmed that he is the most moral, ethical Republican candidate in this race
3. Rudy Giuliani - bickering with Romney made him look petty; if pro-choice/pro-gun-control views get booed in Florida, doesn't bode well for the real Red States
4. Mitt Romney - bickering with Rudy made him look petty; comments on torture made him seem cold, especially after McCain's rebuff; comments on Confederate flag from a Yankee won't play well in Deep South
5. Ron Paul - didn't respond well to McCain's attacks; rant about North American Union conspiracy made him seem too bizarre/eccentric
6. Fred Thompson - not heard from very much, seemed poorly prepared and confused
7. Duncan Hunter
8. Tom Tancredo

Answer 1

I have to say that Guilliani looked awful. His "sanctuary mansion" comment was absolutely, positively awful. I don't like Mitt Romney, but Rudy looked very petty (and the crowd obviously agreed). I think, like you do, that McCain and Huckabee stole the show. The biggest area of concern i have between them is that Huckabee supports the national sales tax, something that I (as an economics teacher) worry would stagnate the American economy. McCain supports a flat tax, something that I feel is more plausible and less traumatic for the economy. I also felt that Duncan Hunter looked pretty solid especially with immigration. Thompson, in my opinion, did a little better than you have him ranked. I thought his campaign ad was HORRIBLE and made him look petty. Ron Paul is just plain out there. I understand what he said about the NAU, and the truth is that if the EU ever gets up and around we will probably see some sort of an NAU-like system, but it isn't some manipulative, skull and bones, evil empire plot... It would be a purely economic collaboration. The fact he is so fearful of "big brother" makes him look a little paranoid. He also needs to understand that our budget deficit and spending has been out of control long before the Iraq War. Sorry, RP, but pulling out of Iraq won't magically fix all of our problems. You need to offer some actual ideas instead of just "get out of Iraq."

1) Huckabee (because he was relaxed/witty)
2) McCain (A VERY close 2nd)
3) Hunter (making a strong push for a veep nom?)
4) Romney
5) Tancredo
6) Thompson (His ad spot made him look too petty)
7) Paul
8) Rudy (looked ridiculously petty)

Answer 2

We are pretty close!

1. Mike Huckabee - witty, well-prepared, and compassionate and would unite us! He is the man for the job! Death penalty skate, but I understand why!
2. John McCain - affirmed that he is the a well respected veteran and would Lead well.3
3. Mitt Romney - bickering with Rudy made him look petty; comments on torture made him seem wise and made McCain seem cold and on the attack! Comments on Confederate flag non-issue.
4. Ron Paul - didn't respond well to McCain's attacks; rant about North American Union conspiracy made him seem too extreme.
5. Duncan Hunter – Faired well, not much time, but all answers were good! He would be a great VEEP to Huckabee!
6. Tom Tancredo – Good on one issue: Immigration, but he ranks high on my candidate calculator, so candidate for VEEP too!
7. Fred Thompson - not heard from very much, seemed poorly prepared and confused. Not very articulate and disappointing. Sounded like he was trying out for VEEP.
8. Rudy Giuliani - bickering with Romney made him look petty, if I have to listen to his stats about NY one more time, I will PUKE!

VOTE TO KEEP AMERICA SAFE!

Answer 3

1. Mike Huckabee- Seemed to respond open, honestly, and mocked stupid question with hillarious answer.

2. John McCain- pro-war, anti-torture, he seems to really believe in his cause

3. Ron Paul- Honest to the grave even if it makes him look crazy.

4. Fred Thompson- brief answers, didn't bicker/ act like a baby

5. Mitt Romney- Acted slightly less childish than Rudy.

6. Rudy- Acted like Howard Dean, freak show, unpresidential, seemed like an attack dog not a candidate.

Answer 4

romney without a doubt. perry just does not have enough experience at debating and it is beginning to show. i would rather they spend more time on the economy and the failed obama economic policies, especially the repeat he is pushing for now as it is only a short term fix for union jobs. no growth in new companies or expansion of existing companies. the tax credits for small business will not do any good with obama care down the road and small business did not buy it in recovery summer and will not buy it now. raising taxes is not going to create jobs. don't you wonder why obama did not increase taxes when he had total control of both houses? no doubt because he would not be able to blame it on the standard blame bush or blame the republicans.

Answer 5

Watched a different debate apparently :P

1. Ron Paul- Stood up for himself fine. His answers to the few questions he was asked were rational and quite sane (you might need to go back and actually listen to his response to McCain and on the North American Union). :)
2. Mitt Romney- Did very well...spoke directly on the issues that are his strongest points. He however blew it on the homosexuals in the military question (handled it badly).
3. Fred Thompson- Not a great performance in the debate but his campaign commercial will be remembered for some time...and that has to earn one plus points.
4. Mike Huckabee- Needed to really stand out....failed. He did however avoid being adequately attacked on his poor views in support of illegal immigration. Give him 4 however in that people seemed to like his jokes.
5. Tom Tancredo- needed to stand out...also failed.
6. Rudy- Held his own fine, but it is becoming increasingly apparent that he is more of a Dem than a Republican. His arguments were not very good for his past stands (but he did go at it head on).
7. John McCain- His criticisms were silly and the same old crap he always pulls. Getting angry and resolute where no such thing was necessary. He came of rather unstable (and that was not the first time for him either). His comments, again, on his immigration bill not being amnesty sunk him...again...across America. Not the brightest guy in the room thats for sure.
8. Duncan Hunter- Said nothing new at all (in fact it was the same things he has said in each and every debate...word for word).

Answer 6

I agree with your ranking, but persoanlly I felt Huckabee is really contrived when he speaks "passionately", almost to the point of making me gag. It just seems like total BS to me, but I agree it works well on most of the people.

Also, I think Romney's attention made him 4th, but actual substance was dead last. He doesn't seem to know how to answer anything. He always says he'll consult with someone else about something. Plus, Giuliani really schooled his *** I felt.

Ron Paul is my favorite but these 30 second answer forums make him look bad. He has a real take on things,serious things that need more than a minute to expound on. When I read the full essays of his standpoints they are 100% sound. To me, the fact that we base decisions on short answers is a inherent flaw in our system.

Answer 7

I thought they were ALL lacking one important element; the Stature of a President. Put Hillary in amongst them, & they look like Snow White & the 7 Dwarfs (with a Huckbee thrown in- for good measure! :) ! Maybe we're all just getting alittle tired of the SAME cast of clean cut, white, American male REPUBLICANS- election after election... Sure they're all "Moral" enough... -but so was Bush... -And maybe THAT'S where the problem lies... :)

Answer 8

3rd party no matter what is all that actually matters.
Both dem and rep parties are tugging each other under the table, it makes me sick...Please everyone, for the sake of our country, vote 3rd party no matter who or what happens, we all know they won't win anyways....but to make a 3rd party viable, will make a huge difference, in the attitudes of Dems and Reps. (as is harder and harder to distinguish between the two, once in office). No matter which of the 2 parties win, they will at least know that a large enough percentage want control brought back to the people. They both have gotten too good at, sneaking in pork belly, corrupt, favoritism pandering. Putting both on notice or "watch" will give the(shrinking into poverty) middle class an honest chance at a life. The whole conservative vs liberal ideology is just so much baloney when you think about it. Isn’t it like saying "change" vs "do not change?"... and how can either say they are not adding more laws, just to sneak in their pet payoffs. Its is almost impossible to get a business going, "completely by the book", (with the Federal and State requirements) unless you have some kind of "in" "special deal".... which is why there are so many "under the table" workers. Both parties have "cut their noses off to spite their face". They think they are creating tax revenue, but by making it too hard to compete with those pandered companies, they end up with "rogue" "zero ethics" flippant businesses, with so many people "temped", they not only deepened the health care problem but have dissolved the tax revenue they could have had if there were proper "check and balances" in place. Remember how Bill Clinton disallowed homeowners to claim home repairs as a tax writeoff? Did that bring tax revenue...no the contractors just didn't file on most of the jobs they did, because they knew there wasn't going to be a 1099 to even know what they actually made. And giving welfare moms, jobs going after "deadbeat dads" seems genius on the surface.....except for one very important detail....They are not bounty hunters! All they did when they needed more money to get their girlfriends in, was "triple bill" the stand up guys who took the responsibility for their kids, after all they knew where they were, by the "payoff support paid in full" records on their computer. You haven't saved the children or the moms (your daughters) if 1/2 the pool of men to choose from are downtrodden, basket cases, living in silent desparation over lopsided parent rights, and family court judges who (in the 80's when in CA every guy was labeled a molester during a divorce) didn't have the discernment level of a "crack whore on LSD" .This continual "what they want to hear" speech repertoire, billions for education,... what they don't tell you is "the nothing on the other side" part, and the "whoever falls through the cracks", just "hide em on some campsite". And I will for sake of our troops, stay completely off the subject of the war, (as we were not in Iraq before 9/11)..Bush was taliking out the side of his neck when he spoke about getting USA off the need for oil with alternate fuels, he obviously did nothing to enforce auto makers to downsize their designs, most new vehicals on the road today are gas hog trucks and SUV's, and all the BIO fuel advanced production does nothing when the oil companies control the gas stations, and don't make the supply availiable...Just over and over favortism pandering, makes me puke to think about it. Both parties have proven that they are either, void of understanding planning and executing logical solutions, or frustrated by the bypartisan power parades, subsquently resign to thinking, all they need to do is "business as usual" smile, pretend to care...and then float through their term, by passing the buck round and round. Without a 3rd party, set up for at least, the election "after" this one, or country will be toast...and that is IF we can light this fire under demreps butts right now by sticking to 3rd regardless of all the worthless hype,of paid for (with secret kickback) media propaganda!
Whenever a group gets together and makes a stance for all the rest, its human nature for an equal and opposite one to rise against it, because freedom means We dont want to all be forced one way, we want to choose as we go. So the liberal, conservative, democrate, republican, name tags are just letters in a row. Be sensible, bring in a 3rd party or be partly culpable for the demise of this once great nation, I now am too ashamed to put out my flag for anymore.