GOP Debate #VASenate

The third and final debate for the GOP candidates for the Virginia senate seat was held last night.  The four candidates had their chance to make an impression on the voters of Northern Virginia.  For early Friday evening of Memorial Day weekend there was a pretty good turnout.  This was the smallest crowd of the four debates, but it was about 400 people.

The debate had a very simple format, 2 minute opening and closing statements with 90 seconds to answer questions.  Each candidate was asked the same questions.

The cast of characters were

George Allen, former senator and governor.

Jaime Radtke, former employee of George Allen and Tea Party activist

Bob Marshall, state delegate

E.W. Jackson, former marine and minister.

George Allen has been pretty much given the nomination by all media outlets.  Polling is being done between him and the dem candidate Tim Kaine.  So it is looked at as an uphill battle for the other three candidates.  Some have been surprised that Allen agreed to three debates.  But Virginia has a large geographic area to cover and it would be hard to find one centrally located area to give all the voters a chance to hear the candidates.  So the debates were divided up by regions of the commonwealth.

Allen’s plan was do no harm.  Which he accomplished.  I don’t think he did anything to help himself, but he certainly did nothing to hurt himself.  Allen also lives in this area of the state and has strong support here.  Most people I know are supporters* More on this later.

Jaime’s plan was a full frontal attack on Allen.  Which she did from opening statement on.

Both E.W. and Bob spoke from the heart.  You could tell they were not using prepared remarks and canned answers.

Here are some of the notes that I jotted down while listening:

Opening Statements:

E.W.

Virginia has to take the bull by the horns.  Bowing to none.

Jaime

If we don’t deal with spending nothing else matters.

Bob

Made many references to Jefferson and abortion.

George

Started by thanking the soldiers who died.  Talked about the legacy of freedom and America’s comeback.  He was trying to be Reaganesque.

Now Jaime talked about not allowing congress to pick winners and losers.  Which I found very interesting indeed.  Jaime backed Jeff Frederick for the State Senate last year.  Jeff Frederick used(s) minority status to get set aside contracts from the federal government.  So that is just hypocrisy of the highest order.  You can read about that here.

One of the questions was meant to Perryesque and the candidates were asked which regulations they would try to do away with.

E.W. being a Bishop talked heavily on the regulations being put on the Churches forcing them to go against their consciences.  He also brought up the federal real estate tax that is included in Obamacare that will be collected by the IRS.  He got a good laugh when he talked about how 90 seconds was not enough time.

Jaime didn’t really answer the question.  She talked about Dodd/Frank and closing down the depart of ed.  Which I agree with by the way, but it wasn’t really the answer to the question at hand.

Bob pushed a flat tax and spent his time talking about car safety and flat tax.

George talked about Obamacare and CO2 regs.  Which goes beyond cap-and-trade because of the all the power the EPA has taken for themselves.

I would have to say one of the most interesting parts of the evening was when Bob was talking about a conversation he had with Senator Mark Warner at a college football game about Obamacare.  According to Bob, Senator Warner was not worried about the constitutionality of Obamacare, or “not his first concern”.  Great.  We have a senator that doesn’t care if laws are constitutional or not.

There were asked about what they would do about some reforms to the healthcare system they would like to see done if Obamacare is rendered unconstitutional.

I would have to say that George Allen did have the best answer on this.  He was stressing HSA’s.  Which I am a huge fan of.  I had one for years and it worked very well.  HSA’s were done in Indiana on the state level under Gov. Daniels and reduced costs for the state and the employees were very happy with them.  It is also the type of plan that Whole Foods offered to its employees.  They work.  The rest didn’t seem to have great answers to this question, but did stress federalism.  Which I also am a big fan of.  Healthcare reform should be done at the state level, not at the federal one.

I have decided that I am supporting EW.  I made that decision long before last night.  But last night only solidified my belief that I am doing the right thing.  Hands down he won the debate.  He had the room on their feet by the end of his closing statement.  The only candidate that was able to accomplish that.

He also made some fans last night.  Three people who I know went in being Allen supporters and left saying they would vote for EW.  He is very impressive when you hear him speak.  He has the ability to inspire you.  His passion comes through.  Matter of fact, a friend of mine and I went sign blitzing after the debate.  We made sure that voters in Fairfax will be reminded of EW.

Even though I am no fan of Bob Marshall I would have to say he came in second.   He had very good answers to most questions.  He spoke of following the constitution.

I can’t really say who finished last between Jaime and George.  George was overly cautious and I heard one person say that he seem “tired”.  Not tired today, but in general.  Jaime’s answers seemed canned and forced.  She stuck to talking points and you didn’t see her, if you know what I mean.  She had a game plan going in and followed it.  I just question if that was the correct game plan.

I will tell you if George Allen doesn’t get the nod, it will be national news.  No one is really paying all the much attention to this primary.  They may realize that they are making a mistake.   But I have to say the grassroots is split, so it will more than likely mean it will be Allen.  But I, and many other grassroots activists will be working hard over the next few weeks to show them not to take us for granted.  We have minds of our own and we can be very convincing.  This is race is far from over.

EW Jackson for Senate.  He is good and honest man.  We need more of them in Washington.  Or should I say we need at least one of them there.

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See Bloggers Do Make a Difference – FCRC Will Be Giving Free Tickets to GOP Debate

Yesterday I wrote about the local republican party here in Fairfax County, Virginia and the upcoming GOP debates for the open senate seat.  You can read that here, in case you missed it.  

The general gist of the post was that even though I received an email by the chairman of the party stating that the tickets for the upcoming debate in Northern Virginia would be free, the Fairfax County Republican Committee was requesting you volunteer for two hours in order to get your free tickets.  My point was that it was deceptive and wrong to handle it in this fashion.  

I not only blogged about it, but I also used my social networking connections to spread the word about this.  I emailed the Chairman.  I contacted larger blogs too.  Around noon time the head of the FCRC called my friend Phil to let him know that I would be getting my ticket without being forced into doing volunteer work.  

Great for me, but what about the rest of the people in NOVA?  This was never about me getting a ticket, this was about allowing the voters access to the candidates so they can make up their own minds who they are going to vote for.  

For those who don’t live in this area you may not be aware of the background.  George Allen is our former governor and senator.  He was the one that made that now infamous Mecacca comment six years ago, which played a part in him losing his re-election bid to the senate.  For some in the tea party and grassroots movement George Allen represents all that is wrong with the republican party.  He is conservative in many ways, but he also did some big government and fiscally irresponsible things during his tenure in the senate.  He is considered by some to be part of the good ol’ boys club of the republican leadership that is more interested in power than in conservatism.  They are looking for to elect another of the three candidates who are running. 

They feel very strongly that FCRC is in the tank for the Allen campaign.  Many feel that they were also in the tank for Romney.  While I do know that many are Romney supporters, I can’t say for certain that they are “in the tank” for any candidate.  I can’t get into the head of another person.  I just can tell you how other grassroots supporters are feeling and discussing with me among others.  

The post got enough of a response that emails and phone calls were flying this morning and this afternoon.  The bottom line is this.  All tickets will be free for everyone without any strings attached.  All you need to do is go pick them up at the FCRC headquarters in Fairfax.  

This is the best solution for everyone.  There are people who are not able to volunteer for the party as they are putting their efforts towards one of the candidates.  There are also people who may be elderly or handicapped, and can’t make it to the Fairfax office for two hours.  

This debate is for the voters, not for the party to use as some tool to force get people to volunteer for a few hours.  This came down from on high.  I am not sure exactly how high up in the party it went, but high enough that FCRC has backed down and tickets are available on a first come first served basis.  

For other bloggers out there, the lesson here is that no matter how small your readership may be, if they are willing to put actions to your words, you have accomplished something.  I want to say a special thank you to Smitty over at The Other McCain for helping get the word out on this.  

I am looking forward to hearing what the Bishop has to say in the debates.  Check out his website.  He is a good man and I think would make an awesome Senator.  

Can I just say that Smitty and I ROCK!!!!  

Thanks to the party for getting the message that it is about the voters, not the party.  We deserve the chance to hear the candidates in their own words so we can decide for ourselves who will represent us in November. 

And The Republican Party Wonders Why it Can’t Make Traction in Fairfax County Virginia

As many know, there is an open senate seat in Virginia due to the retirement of Sen. Jim Webb.  The GOP has four candidates running in the primary.  There will be a series of debates before the primary.  One such debate is in Northern Virginia.  For those who may not be aware, Northern Virginia is progressive central.  The reason that many here are unhappy with Obama is because he has not been left enough.  As you can imagine the republican party has a hard time gaining ground in this atmosphere.  

This race is said not to be all that competitive, George Allen is expected to win the primary handily.  But, the “experts” have been wrong before.  I like George Allen, but there are few other interesting candidates as well.  So I was really looking forward to hearing the debate before making up my mind who I was going to support in the primary.  

As some may know, I no longer can drive for health reasons.  So I have to take the bus to get anywhere during the day.  For those who have never had the pleasure of taking mass transit, the buses don’t exactly run the most direct route.  You can go all over kingdom come to get to your final destination.  The bus I needed to take to the Fairfax County Republican Committee office is one such bus.  It is maybe 10 miles, but it takes more than hour to get there.  I then have to walk about a quarter mile to get to the office.  

Today is the day that the tickets are supposed to be available.  Here is a portion of the email that I received, you can read the entire email here:

The third debate will be held on Friday May 25^th at 6:30pm at the Fairview Park Marriott located at 3111 Fairview Park Drive – Falls Church, Virginia.  Free tickets to the Northern Virginia debate will be available beginning on April 20^th at the Fairfax and Loudoun GOP Victory Centers.

I take two hours out of my day to get to the office to pick up my “free” tickets.  When I get there I am told that I have to volunteer for two hours.  Hmm, here is the definition of free from dictionary.com:

Idioms 44.for free, Informal . without charge: The tailor mended my jacket for free.

 Now, is it just me, or is asking someone to perform two hours of “volunteer” work a form of payment?  So lets go back to dictionary.com and find out what volunteer means:

vol·un·teer

noun1.a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for aservice or undertaking 2. a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.

yeah, I think it is a form of payment.  Which means that the tickets are not free.  So I said to the women at the office today that I thought the are free.  She said they are.  Really?  How so?  She then tells me that the email from the Chairman said that volunteer work would be required to get the “free” tickets.  Uh, no it doesn’t.  

So I wasted well over two hours of my time and have no tickets to the debate.  When I got back home I sent  the following email to the Chairman:

I am writing to tell you how deceptive the FCRC is.  The below email says that the tickets for the debate are free.  I no longer drive for health reasons, so it took me two hours round trip to get to the office today to pick up my “free” tickets.  Come to find out according to them free means that I have to do two hours of volunteer work.  I even inquired on why the email said that the tickets are free, she said they are free.  How exactly is something free if you are required to work for two hours?  I was told that your email said that they were looking for volunteer help in exchange for the “free” tickets.  Unless I am missing something the below email says nothing about volunteering.  

I have given money and volunteered in the past.  No more.  The RPV will never get another dime or one bit of help from me again.  This is why you can’t make traction in Fairfax County.  No one wants to deal with people who are purposely deceptive.  

There is no way for me to get to the office in Loudon County to get my so-called “free” tickets.  So I guess I won’t be going to the debate.  But I can guarantee you what I will be doing moving forward for the RPV is a big fat zero.  Never again will I do work for them.  I will not phone bank nor will I give money.  It is not like I was some huge donor by any stretch of the imagination, but every dollar helps when you fighting an uphill battle in a county such as this one.  

Thanks for nothing FCRC.  Lets go back to dictionary.com one final time:

de·cep·tive
adjective1.apt or tending to deceive: The enemy’s peaceful overtures maybe deceptive.2.perceptually misleading: It looks like a curved line, but it’sdeceptive.

   [dih-sep-tiv]  Show IPA

Yeah, I would say that about covers it.   

This isn’t so much that I am not willing to do volunteer work.  I have done plenty.  I can list plenty of examples of work that I have done.  Matter of fact I was at the FCRC’s office not all that long ago doing data entry work for the delegate conventions that are coming up.  This is about principle.  If you are going to send out an email saying that the tickets are free, they should actually be free.  

The CNN GOP Debate

CNN held another debate last night in Washington, DC just a short walk away from the White House.   The topic was foreign policy.

We all know that Herman Cain has a real weakness on this topic, and unfortunately for him that did show.

Newt showed his knowledge of history and world events.  This is his strong point.

Romney had his weakest performance yet.  He had moments of where his temper showed and his usual unflappable demeanor became flapped.

Santorum got much more face time than in previous debates, too bad he was unable to use that to his advantage.  At one point he called Africa a country on the brink.  (And Cain seemed to agree with him).  Does he realize that Africa is not a country?   He did well for the most part, but not well enough to change the fact that he will not be president this cycle or any other for that matter.

Ron Paul had some very good moments.  One thing he did skillfully was bring the conversation back to finances.    He got a great deal of support from the crowd at different points throughout the debate.  There is no way that Campaign for Liberty was able to get a large amount of tickets.  There were very few available for the general public.  You had to have connections to get in.

Michele Bachmann also had some good moments.  Again, too little too late.

Perry made some red meat to the base comments on different issues, such as Iran and Israel.  But it is doubtful it will take his numbers out of the tank.  He has money so that will allow him to stay in until South Carolina I would think.  I guess if he can get good numbers in Iowa or New Hampshire you never know what could happen from there.

The biggest surprise was Huntsman.  He came across as very knowledgeable on foreign policy issues.  He did himself some good last night.  Not with the conservative side of the party, but with the moderate/independent types he gained some fans last night I am sure.  I won’t vote for him, but I think he made himself look much more credible.

Now, onto Newt’s immigration statements:

I happen to agree that is highly unlikely (virtually no chance) that we will round-up every illegal in this country and deport them.  I don’t think we have the money, the manpower, or the will to do so.  I think what Newt says makes sense in some ways.  But, without securing the border first, he will not get support from the right.  He won’t get support from the far right at all.  They want them all deported.  But, I personally believe that IF they secure the border first and keep it secured the country will accept some sort of visa program to people who speak fluent English, have no criminal records, are willing to pay back taxes and a fine, and go back to their country of origin to apply. This is the reality, we are not deporting these people, so we should get them on the books and have them paying the full taxes that the rest of us are paying.   But unless the border is secured it is all academic.  Newt did not go as far as Perry did and call people heartless for not wanting to give illegals in-state tuition.  So we will see how much this hurts him moving forward.

 

CNBC GOP Debate

Well I think it is only fair to start with the moment that everyone is talking about today, Rick Perry’s brain fart.  He couldn’t remember the name of the third federal agency he wants to see dissolved.  It really isn’t a big deal, we all have things like this happen from time to time.  The problem is it is just another reason to not want this man anywhere near a debate with Obama.  I realize that people have very strong feeling about Perry, going in both directions.  I personally am wishy-washy when it comes to him.  There is good and bad.  But for me the death knell is his inability to put more than a few coherent sentences together in a debate setting.   Had he gotten it after making a joke he would have been OK, but ooh.   Not pretty.  I feel sorry for him.  It was very embarrassing.

Herman Cain came out prepared and on fire.  The audience being behind him when the questions of the sexual harassment charges inevitably came up certainly helped him.  He did what he said his campaign wanted to do; get back on message.   His zinger about princess Nancy was priceless.  Sorry unable to find video.

Michele Bachmann had a great performance.  I am not sure it will do any good at this point.  But she has shown that she understands tax law very well.  Her tax attorney training shined.

Newt was also on his game.  He is a master debater and by far the smartest on the stage.  His questioning of the media about Occupy Wall Street and the economy was a sight to behold.

Romney did his job, he did no harm.  Which I believe to be his plan.  He is still polling well and has plenty of money behind him.  He just needs to make as few mistakes as possible and he could do just enough to get the nomination.  Or  at least that is his team’s hope.

I don’t understand why Jon Huntsman is being included in these debates and Gary Johnson is not.  Both of them are polling horribly, but it doesn’t seem fair to include one and not the other.

I actually liked the moderators.  They pushed them to answer the questions and that is a good thing.

The winner of the debate to me was Newt, with both Bachmann and Cain slightly behind him.   Most talking heads are putting Romney in that list as well, but I don’t think just because he didn’t hurt himself makes him a winner.  Isn’t that the same as everybody gets a trophy?

Paul also helped himself.  Economic issues are his strong point and that showed.

The clear loser was Perry.  Even if you are big fan, you had to see how much his gaffe is going to hurt him.

I also think that it is time for Santorum to go.  He is a bleep on the radar and just taking more time away from the candidates who have a realistic shot at the nomination.  It is time we start winnowing down the field.  No more invites for Santorum or Huntsman.  You may want to include Bachmann in that as well.

 

GOP Bloomberg/Washington Post Debate

I personally really liked the format.  The candidates seemed much more human in a way.  It seemed much more like a conversation this way.  After all, we are trying to decide who will represent the party and run for the presidency.  Americans want someone they feel like they can relate with to a certain extent. 

Jon Huntsman is a very rude man.  I really didn’t like the dig to Perry on the Mormon comments.  While I understand that since he is a Mormon, he felt disrespected by the comments, but Perry did not make them.  It made him seem small and petty. 

Gov. Perry had the perfect opportunity to hit Romney on Romneycare tonight and punted.  He still seemed out of it and was far too defensive.  He had to hit it out of the park tonight and barely got up to bat.  Where’s the fork?  He is done. 

Romney really interested me tonight.  When they had the chance to ask questions to the other candidates I was very surprised by him choosing Michele Bachmann.  You would think he would go after Perry or Cain.  Voters that are partial to Bachmann are not going to vote for Romney in a primary setting.  As usual, he did no harm and kept most of his attacks towards Obama. 

I thought Cain did damage to himself tonight by choosing Alan Greenspan as his model for Fed Chair.  Greenspan?  I have to fully agree with Ron Paul on this one; disaster.  Many of Greenspan’s policies helped lead to the financial meltdown we are having now, he kept the interest rates at artificially low rates which was a contributing factor to the mess we are in.  He was the biggest target tonight and handled it pretty well.  A few stumbles, but overall he did OK, although his defense of TARP is not something that most conservatives want to hear. 

Rick Santorum didn’t get enough talking time.  But he isn’t a realistic top-tier candidate at this point. 

Michele Bachmann did a better job tonight, she seemed focused and stayed on point.  Although, I think she needs to stop bringing up her 23 foster children so often.  It seems like she is trying to use to score points.  For some reason it doesn’t sit well with me.  She didn’t do enough to revive her campaign, but she will probably last until New Hampshire.  She will more than likely be on a few short lists for VP, although I find it unlikely she will get it. 

Newt was the grown up in the room.  Again, he kept his focus on Obama and his policies.  I recently read a post on Legal Insurrection saying maybe it is time to give him another look.  The professor may be correct.  There are many things that I don’t like about him, but he has big ideas.  He is big picture guy and that may be what we need right now. 

Ron Paul was Ron Paul.  Nothing really loony and some good points about the financial mess. 

Overall, I would have to give the win to Romney.  But he has been running for president since 07, so he should be winning. 

Biggest loser: Charlie Rose.  Does that man get enough sleep? 

 

 

The GOP Fox News Google Debate

Ok, first, the debate was way toooooooooo long. 

I personally feel that Perry did better.  I am not sure that is a popular belief though.  He still did some damage to himself tonight with his answers on in-state tuition and immigration.  I feel that as a governor of a border state his view is different from others.  He has a very long border with Mexico and the economy of his state is very intertwined with immigrants be it legal or illegal.  I do not agree with in-state tuition for illegals.  Is it a deal breaker? Not really because that is not a federal issue, that is a state issue.  So as president it wouldn’t have anything to do with him.  I also do agree with him that the policies that will lead to fixing our porous borders have to be done on the federal level and will require boots on the ground. 

Newt is a smart man and a good debater.  But I do feel this was his weakest performance yet.  He could potentially be a good VP candidate.  Can you imagine him debating Joe Biden?  That would be classic.

Michele Bachmann did a better job with her answer on Gardasil this time around, but too little too late.  She did nothing to help herself today and her candidacy will not lead to the nomination.  She does look fabulous in red though. 

Ron Paul did a very good job tonight.  I agree with him on many fiscal issues and the rights of the states.  He didn’t answer many questions on foreign policy so that is a help with many in the republican gop base, as that is where he loses much of his support. 

Rick Santorum is another very good debater.  He also would make a strong VP candidate.  But he did nothing that will bring him to the upper tier of candidates. 

I was happy to see that Fox decided to include Gary Johnson.  I have felt is was very unfair to include Huntsman and leave out Johnson.  He did nothing to help himself.  He will fade into oblivion after Iowa, if he makes that far. 

Romney again proved that he can debate on the issues.  I don’t like his answers on Romneycare, mainly because they are not even truthful.  To me he really hurt himself with the GOP base by going back to his answer about an executive order to give waivers on Obamacare.  That will not solve the problem.  It must be repealed on the legislative level otherwise the feds will still be required by law to fund it.  But part of his plan in these debates is to do no harm, and he did accomplish that. 

Huntsman gave some good answers, but he does stray from conservative principles and that is a deal breaker for me.  But he held his own tonight. 

Hands down the winner of tonight’s debate was Herman Cain.  He sharpened his answers, he has done his due diligence on the issues and his 9-9-9 plan is something that I could get behind.  I don’t like everything about it, but it is a start.  He will get more people to notice him and will more than likely drive some cash flow to his campaign.  He is a likable man and has a compelling and very human life story.  General election voters like that.  I looked up the stats on the blog and see that some hits have come in where he stands on the issues, so he did himself some good tonight.  I personally believe that the best he can hope for is the VP slot and I do believe that he would fill that role well.  I firmly believe that the job of the VP during a general election campaign is to be the attack dog, and he will do that very well.  He is an articulate man who can draw a crowd in.  I have seen him speak three or four different times and it is something to watch live.

The GOP Debate – My View

Most people more than likely could care less what I think, but since I blog I am going to put it out there anyway. 

The overall grades –

A- to Rick Santorum.  To me hands down he won the night.  Now, I don’t think it will change the fact that he has little to no chance of getting the nomination, but he did very well.  He can very proud of his performance. 

B+ Mitt Romney.  He walked away unscathed, which I am sure was his goal for the night.  Iowa is going to be very difficult for him to win.  But I am going to downgrade him to a B- because the truth is he didn’t answer many questions, he did a great deal of evading.

B- Herman Cain – I think Herman did very well through most of it.  He got a little defensive with Chris Wallace when asked about some of his Fox News Sunday appearances.  But, he laid out some specifics on certain things, something he has not done much of in the past.  But he needed to hit it out of the park to give himself a better chance in the Straw Poll on Saturday.  He did not accomplish that. 

C Michele Bachmann – She didn’t do as well in this debate as she did in the last.  She too was a little defensive on certain items.  The back and forth with Pawlenty I think actually hurt her.  She should have taken the high road and instead punched back.  Some found it refreshing, I personally found it rude.  She was asked a question about her husband’s role in her White House.  Many found it to be unfair, again I am in the minority and didn’t find the question unfair.  It wasn’t all that different from the questions we were asking about Bill Clinton’s role in a Hillary White House.  Spouses talk to each other about their jobs, it isn’t unreasonable to question what type of role that spouse will play.  I personally don’t want an activist spouse, as they were not elected. 

C Tim Pawlenty Pawlenty was another one that needed to hit it out of the park and did not.  I personally find Pawlenty to be a good general election candidate, but the primary is going to be a little difficult for him.  He is the Anti-Obama in certain ways, that I think would translate well with independents, but not very well with GOP primary voters.  He must do well this weekend in the straw poll, or his candidacy is all but over.  I think he will be one of the first to drop out. 

C- Newt Gingrich Newt found a way to look like a brilliant strategist and all out bafoon all in one evening.  He came across as angry and defensive.  He called out Chris Wallace for asking “Gotcha” questions.  Sorry Newt, but if you can’t run a campaign you certainly are capable of running a super power that is in major crisis.  I think he won’t be too far behind Pawlenty in dropping out.

F John Huntsman  He barely answered the questions.  He kept referring to his record as Governor of Utah.  Excuse Mr. Huntsman, but I don’t live in Utah and don’t know what the record is.  If you want me to judge you on that record, the very least you can do is tell me what it is. 

F Ron Paul I would give him a lower grade if one existed.  While I agree with Paul on many fiscal issues, his answer to Iran was downright scary.  A person who believes that a nuclear armed Iran is not a danger to the United States cannot be president.  Doesn’t Iran call us the Great Satan?  I think they do.  Some of the extremist Muslims in Iran have no respect for human life, Jihad is a great calling as far as they are concerned so killing large groups of people is nothing to them.  One of the main jobs of the President is to provide national security to the country.  A Paul presidency would embolden our enemies and make us a target. 

Here is a good clip on Iran.

This was classic.  Paul fans think he got the best of Santorum on this, I don’t happen to agree.