GOP debate: Claws out for each other…and Hillary
Update: Get your debate video fix here and here.
Looks like the GOP presidential candidates drank their Red Bull. Having one less person on stage (so long, Sen. Switchback) also helped. Recap here. And the best highlights were the one-liners against Hillary:
During the debate, the candidates took several opportunities to accost Sen. Hillary Clinton, either on her plan for health care, her late support for the Yankees baseball team and her proposed spending on a variety of issues, including last week’s budget amendment to earmark $1 million for a Woodstock music museum to commemorate the 1969 festival.
“I wasn’t there. I’m sure it was a cultural and pharmaceutical event. I was tied up at the time,” McCain said earning a standing ovation for the double entendre that referred to his imprisonment in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp.
“I’ve been very critical of her, but I want to tell her I agree with this one. Quote, Hillary Clinton, ‘I have a million ideas; America cannot afford them all.’ I’m not making it up. I am not making it up,” Giuliani said to laughter. “No kidding Hillary — American can’t afford you.”
Speaking of claws coming out, the London Times had fun with the saga of Socks Clinton:
AS THE “first pet” of the Clinton era, Socks, the White House cat, allowed “chilly” Hillary Clinton to show a caring, maternal side as well as bringing joy to her daughter Chelsea. So where is Socks today?
Once the presidency was over, there was no room for Socks any more. After years of loyal service at the White House, the black and white cat was dumped on Betty Currie, Bill Clinton’s personal secretary, who also had an embarrassing clean-up role in the saga of his relationship with the intern Monica Lewinsky.
Some believe the abandoned pet could now come between Hillary Clinton and her ambition to return to the White House as America’s first woman president.
Clinton has been boosting her prospects in the past week with some homespun references to her gender as part of a series of events with the theme Women Changing America, during which she chatted girlfriend-to-girlfriend and mom-to-mom with female voters.
The softening of Clinton’s image seems to be working. Her chief strategist, Mark Penn, predicts that up to a quarter of Republican women will vote for her. She leads Democratic rivals in the polls by 26 points and is scooping up more donations to her war chest from Wall Street and defence contractors than any candidate from either party – an unmistakable indicator of who they think will win in 2008.
Clinton’s treatment of Socks cuts to the heart of the questions about her candidacy. Is she too cold and calculating to win the presidency? Or does it signify political invincibility by showing she is willing to deploy every weapon to get what she wants?
“In the annals of human evil, off-loading a pet is nowhere near the top of the list,” writes Caitlin Flanagan in the current issue of The Atlantic magazine. “But neither is it dead last, and it is especially galling when said pet has been deployed for years as an all-purpose character reference.”
Another casualty of the Clinton machine.
***
Reader S.M. has a blast-from-the-past question: What happened to Kathleen Willey’s cat?
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- FOX Debate Questions? Yes, I Have a Few… - The Fighting GOP
- Take Our Country Back
- A Relevant Republican Debate « THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS
- Neocon News » Aww, yeah. GOP debate time.
- Girl on Girl Political Debate « Making Susan Proud
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Glad they are getting excited about something, but I just can’t get excited about any of them.
IMO, Socks is better off in the secretary’s home. Can you imagine having Hillary as your owner? ewwwwww
Well, there is only room in Hillary’s heart for one “socks”. It was a close call, but she decided to go with Sandy Berger.
I thought the debate was pretty good overall (after the initial Fox induced bait-fest). It’s way past time for Ron Paul to exit the stage, but Tancredo needs to stay to keep the immigration issue at the forefront.
Too, though it’s of no real consequence, I was glad to see that Mitt has started using smaller dabs of Brylcream on his hair.
I did not watch the GOP debate. I’ll vote for whoever wins the nomination but they are all long time politicians.
And Socks is better off with Ms. Currie.
John McCain brought up Hillary’s ear marks for a Woodstock Museum, he was one of the Senators, that voted it down.
McCain said, paraphrasing, I hear it was a music and pharmacutical convention…I couldn’t attend, I was tied up at the time…lots of applause that was one of the best lines of the night.
Hillary’s statement repeated “I have a Million Ideas, America can’t afford all of them” I know this is going to become a bumpersticker.
I could not believe how Fox decided to start out this debate. They spent the first 10 minutes trying to get the 3 front runners to do attacks on one another. It just showed me why I have no faith in the Media any more.
I will make my decision on whom to vote for a week before the election because right now I am burnt out with the debates and media on the election now.
The political season began far, far too early for me: I now try to avoid all discussions and debates about the Presidential election. I’ll vote in the general election, or on local matters in the upcoming November elections.
And Socks is MUCH better off with Betty Currie.
Great lines or no, I’m afraid McCain has burned too many bridges to get the GOP nomination.
He might be able to win the General, but he can’t get past the Primary.
socks? this is important why?
I’m a Fred Thompson fan and I think he handled himself pretty well tonight. I particularly liked how he responded to charges of laziness by citing a list of accomplishments beginning with working his way up from a poor factory worker and ending with guiding John Roberts through the Supreme Court confirmation process. He said “If that’s laziness, I highly recommend it.”
John McCain did have the best line of the night with his comments on Woodstock. And I agree with ShoreMark (#3), it’s past time for Ron Paul to exit the stage.
Burnt out from attempting to follow what each are saying/promising/wishing and hoping for, and way too tired hearing about what each think of Shrillery. Shrillery hated the dang cat. Didn’t think much of the dogs either. Her dislike of anything alive is pretty clear. Now, McCain was pretty funny with his line of being tied up. RP suffered a meltdown, and please Thompson - spare me the details of how you woke up with all those little ones running about the house.
Huckabee won hands down!
hey MM, hope you had a good vacation.
Agreed pain, Huckabee did win, and he’ll probably win the nom although the right media wants Rudy to win.
The Republican party should encourage RP to run on a third party ticket. His stance on the war would take half of the Democratic votes for Hillary.
If there is anyone who has less sense about foreign policy than the democrats, it’s Ron Paul.
That verbiage by McCain was SPOT ON!!
I, er, uh, remember Woodstock. And it was a pharmaceutical event for sure.
We went there to trounce trolls when trouncing trolls was frowned upon by our elders.
Hilly is so confident of her nomination that she can ignore Obama and spend her leisure time twisting her real persona..glacial maximum, into Momma (Mao Tse) Pres.
Folks are just having a little fun with this story, Scooter -
Ouch! Hillary Clinton’s softer image is clawed over dumped cat
When did Fox decide to follow the same sad model as the other MSM television? Once upon a time, it seemed they were a little more objective. Guess somebody thought fair and balanced meant idealized and nuts.
#10: Socks is important because it once AGAIN demonstrates that with the Clintons, EVERYTHING is a prop. There is no core there - it’s all facade.
Further, it seems whenever the interior is exposed a little for what it really is, there are “accidents”. I’m a little surprised Dick Morris is still walking.
I want to know why FOX didn’t even discuss illegal immigration.
Seems to me that is one of the MOST important issues concerning our citizens.
Is that a topic that is off limits?
If so, why?
I know that Tancredo mentioned it, but the others were completely silent…deafeningly so.
Until there is a front runner that confronts this issue, I won’t vote for anyone.
On October 22nd, 2007 at 7:07 am, gayle said:
I know that Tancredo mentioned it, but the others were completely silent…deafeningly so.
Until there is a front runner that confronts this issue, I won’t vote for anyone.
Right there is reason enough to vote for Tancredo. Tom has not only been furiously against illegal immigration (unlike “sueing-feds” Rudy, opportunist Romney and slimy Hillary) but Tom has called the real enemy of USA, “radical Islam”. Tom has visited Beslan and has articulated the dangers America is in his book “In Mortal Danger”: http://www.ontheissues.org/Mortal_Danger.htm
Take a close look and Tom Tancredo stands out as a patriotic statesman, among opportunist politicians. His record speaks for himself: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/bio/sponsortrack/?id=685
For more about Tom Tancredo: http://www.teamtancredo.typepad.com
With Tom Tancredo, America cannot go wrong.
At least the cat didn’t wind up in the park with Vince Foster…
I would vote for Tancredo, but he won’t be nominated unfortunately.
Now what?
a gaggle of cackling midgets.
ronald reagan where are you? goldwater? Nixon, wallace?
and how is it that ron paul keeps winning the online polls hands down?
do mormons use the internet?
I enjoy watching them attack Hillary as much as the next but I also feel Romney and Rudy need to stop making this a two man race, we haven’t even picked out candidates yet. I want to see more time given to Huckabee, Tancredo and others to talk and less time for Romney and Giuliani to further alienate our own candidates so they can attack Hillary.
Game Seven of the ALCS,Sunday Night Football or Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah???? Gee, Tough call.
and the Puddy was lucky it made it out alive.
We did not watch this one, but having listened to Glenn Beck one-on-one w/Huckabee for an hour, the former governor of AR was impressive. Reading about Socks and Woodstock was funny…too bad Kathleen Willey’s cat suffered a fate similar to Vince Foster (and where is the missing piece of his suicide note - did it ever show up like the Rose firm billing records?)
I thought it was ridiculous to start out the debate trying to get the men to put each other down. Before the debate begain I said whoever claims to “respect” Hillary is well, you know, is it called crazy or full of it. How anyone can say they respect her, is beyond me.
I still think it’s very unfair that the candiadates don’t get equal time, Tancrado and Hunter were practically given no questions. That system should change. I’d like to hear them all speak, this is very unfair.
And as far as laziness, Thompson is once again not telling the truth about things and I still consider him at the bottom of my list. So he has little ones, yes, he married a young woman, and had children, that makes for a great President.Though I totally don’t agree with Paul on the war and missile stance he takes, at least he’s honest and believes what he says. I’d never vote for him but he gives some good original points unlike Thompson. Rudy always wins, as far as I’m concerned but anyone besides Thompson and Paul would be better than any democrat and all did well. But McCain respecting Hillary, is ridiculous. There’s books out there are on the Clintons misdeeds.
Duncan Hunter’s reponse to Romney’s health insurance plan for Mass., while he was Governor. Did anyone catch the part about the mandates in the health plan? Hunter said something to the effect that mandating birth control and that 90 year old women probably wouldn’t be using it but that he appreciated Romney’s optimism of people still re producing at that age SMILE. Romeny came back with, I tried to take all the mandates out….BUT you didn’t did you Mister, I got the Plan.
It is always the same three.
Hunter
Huckabee
Tancredo
McCain can remain as respectful as he wants remember what happened, when he was running against George W Bush. Why would he expect anything else from the Clintons?
Somethin confusin happenin here….
conservativesRus is different than Conservatives R Us
Good to know…
OT-
#32, That bites, try putting you’re initials after posts.
aj.
That was the best debate quote of the night. And that ain’t saying much.
That’s the best quote of a HotAir thread. And that is saying a lot. There is no constitutional provision for popular presidential elections and we’re not going to survive as a republic if the people do nothing but clamor for a 4 year ‘king’ to fix us as a nation. Not possible, and horrible short sighted and immature.
Unless & until ‘we the people’ return to a ground swell, grass roots, from the state house up to congress government ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people’ we will become enslaved to an elected king transforming into a dictator (see germany - 1933) on the promises of ‘free government provided fill-in-the-blank’ to cure all your personal problems.
~I blame govt. schools.
Are you talking about the primaries or the General Election? In the primaries and the convention, someone will become the Republican nominee whether or not you vote in your state’s primary. In the general election a vote for no-one is a vote for Hillary.
I’m sure Gayle has every intention to vote and was just venting.
I thought it was by far the best debate yet. I don’t think there was a clear winner. I think everyone did relatively well and they saved their most vicious shots for Hillary where they belong. I don’t think this debate will change the dynamics of the race. With everyone get their licks in I don’t think anything will change I do think it was quite entertaining though.
Fred! is gonna git dhem librals.
Gewls and Mitt are donks in elephant clothing. Fred! is the real deal, peeps.
I thought the debate was great as well but like Mike didn’t see a clear winner. Old Ron Paul was a treat though, especially when he was boo’d.
Is that Socks on the front? Funny, is he still alive? I know he was given to the secretary (sorry can’t remember her name right now) and of course we all know what happened to Buddy, God rest his doggie soul.
Hillary can’t take care of a cat, but she can take care of America?
Her Pu$$y was no longer useful, kinda like her now.
aj, mine got deleted…I said she got tired of Bill saying, “Here P^$$y, here P^$$y”…
Huckabee didn’t win folks, sorry, if for no other reason than, he didn’t get enough time to speak.
I thought it was bogus that Hunter and Tancredo didn’t get more time, but then again the are one trick ponies. All Tancredo does is relate every question to immigration, while Hunter does the same thing with national security.I don’t mean to say that those issues are important, but there have to be other things crafted into their policies as well, and they never seem to articulate it.
I’m also growing tired of Huckabee. I’d liked him for a while, but he seems to be too focused on one liners (It’s not a health care system, it’s a health care maze). It kind of reminds of a Simpsons halloween episode when the aliens are running for president.
The GOP still doesn’t have a good health care position. HSA’s aren’t enough and still give the gov’t too much control (since they’ll be the one’s setting the premiums for catastrophic coverage), and Mitt’s plan stinks (It’s not free market if you force people to buy something they don’t want). We really ought to make it more like auto insurance, wherein you can pick and choose the coverage you want.
Romney brings up Reagan way too much. He’s not Reagan, he can’t be Reagan, so he needs to stop acting like he will be Reagan.
I think Fred did better than last time, but it still looks like he has too many notes.
/half-arsed analysis
As with everything Hillary, even her ’softening’ is a farce. She ruled over a very ‘eclectic’ White House.
Whomever will be the Republican candidate, the first time he attacks Hillary, she’ll be able to play the gender card. Once that card falls, the election is hers. “That mean man attacked me because I’m a woman!’
Take it to the bank.
…in late breaking news, Socks the cat was found today in Ft. Marcy Park, the apparent victim of a suicide.
When asked for comment, the former first lady said, “I loved that cat like he was my own law partner - I mean, like he was a New York Yankee, and to honor his memory I am not returning the hundreds of thousands of dollars he donated from all those feral cats in New York. I want to be President of all the animals.”
Hitlery was kicking Sox and yelling
Shoo ! Shoo ! Then Hsu came along and accepted her ‘gift’ which he thought was
in return for his favors and took him
home and made Chow-Mein.