New Hampshire Debates

[rain_gryphon]

I was using a hand mirror earlier. I set it down on the floor, and Flaster came over to inspect it. He spent a bit peering intently at the Qat in the mirror, then pawed it to one side, ignored it, and began sniffing busily at the floor where it had lain. He repeated this several times. I'm fairly sure he experienced the reflection as being behind the mirror, and isn't sure why there was just bare floor beneath it. Now he's trying to flip it over.

*****

So, tonight I made tofu tacos (amazingly good) and watched the New Hampshire debate. It's the first actual debate that I've seen in several elections. They set them all in a circle, the moderator asked a question, and away they went discussing it. It's a sharp contrast to the usual 'press conference' format, and generates much more useful information about the candidates.

Elephant Party:

Giuliani can almost feel his hands on the briefcase with the launch codes. It's so close. It calls out to him. It wants to be opened, to share its secrets with him. It promises to swing wide the gates of Hell against those people who hurt his city.

Ron Paul came across more as crotchety and peevish than anything else. I've seen him so much better. To be fair, the flow of the debate never came around to his strong issues, but still, it wasn't a good showing by any means.

Something was wrong with Huckabee (besides being an unprincipled scoundrel). I have no idea what, but his mind was elsewhere at times.

None of the other Republicans seem to like Romney. It seems personal. Nobody passed up a chance to take a shot at him. He handled himself well, though, and came off looking better than they did.

Fred Thompson has pretty much accepted that he's going to lose, I think. Perversely, that's made him a much better debater. Suddenly he's relaxed and having a good time.
McCain seemed uncomfortable with the format. He kept trying to fall back on his talking points and prepared jokes, and in consequence got his ass handed to him by Fred Thompson when the talk turned to illegal immigration. I voted for McCain in 2000. The old John McCain was plain-spoken and forthright, and would not try to dodge a question. This isn't him.


Donkey Party:

Holy shit, Edwards! @.@ The man was absolutely breathing fire against corruption and incompetence. I've never seen him like that. If he were like that every day, he'd be the clear frontrunner.

Bill Richardson could easily support himself as a standup comic. He seemed the most relaxed and certain of himself. He's almost certainly going to be asked to run as VP, whoever wins. He seems to have the natural instinct of a peacemaker, constantly trying to find common ground with his opponents, and calling for compromise in government. I'd never really given much attention to him before, but he'd not make a bad President.

Obama's demeanour reminded me more of a news anchor than anything. It's possible to be too professional.

Clinton got better as the night went along, but was never very strong. The air is slowly leaking out of her campaign, and she really doesn't have much of an idea how to pump it back up.

Fred Thompson and Bill Richardson have a career in talk shows waiting, if they get tired of politics.

Comments

[jordan179.livejournal.com]

Giuliani can almost feel his hands on the briefcase with the launch codes. It's so close. It calls out to him. It wants to be opened, to share its secrets with him. It promises to swing wide the gates of Hell against those people who hurt his city.

This is why I wish the Republicans would nominate him. He's highly electable and he would carry the Terrorist War through to victory. I am pretty sure he would strike Iran, and lean on the Pakistanis and Saudis. Unfortunately, the Republican Party seems more concerned with maintaining their hostility to homosexuals than with electing someone who would actually fulfill the obligations of the Presidency.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

I'm reasonably sure he's going to be elected President.

[spaceroo.livejournal.com]

Giuliani can almost feel his hands on the briefcase with the launch codes...

That's quite a powerful mental image you've crafted there. My Precious...

I've been studiously ignoring all things political so far, but I do sort of regret missing this debate.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

There are cities that seem to inspire love and devotion in certain people, and New York is one of them. The feeling I always got from Giuliani was that Mayor of New York was to him a bigger prize than President. The Arabs hurt his beloved city. He doesn't just want payback to any normal degree. He wants to be rock-solid certain that every single person in the Middle East who was happy about 9/11 ends by cursing that day as the blackest in history, as the day when their troubles truly began. Unlike Bush, he's not friends with a bunch of Arab rulers, so sympathy isn't going to stay his hand.

[spaceroo.livejournal.com]

Yeah. When thinking about Giuliani I find myself wishing either the terrorists had slammed their airplanes into some *other* city. Out of the rather poor lot of Republicans we have to choose from this year he'd probably be close to the top of my list. I have to like the fact that he's so, well, prickly. He'd take the job seriously, and if there were any corruption in his administration it'd be good quality New York corruption, not any of this second-class Arkansas hucksterism. The simple fact he's a Yankee is a plus. Two Southern governors in a row is enough, thank you. :^b But having a president with such a deep personal grudge would probably be a bad thing. Even 9/11 aside "Diplomacy" is the weak spot in Giuliani's resume.

I have this sick, sick feeling it's going to be Huckabee in the end. If that's what plays out I'm voting for the Worker's World Party. Feh.