South Carolina GOP Debate Open Thread
**Written by Doug Powers
Tonight the Republican field faces off yet again, this time in Spartanburg, South Carolina in a debate sponsored by CBS News and National Journal.
The debate will be moderated by Major Garrett and Scott Pelley while Bob Scheiffer stands guard at the door to berate Mark Block whenever he ducks outside for a smoke.
The focus this time around will be on national security and foreign policy.
You can watch live here starting at 8 p.m. EST. Estimated time of arrival of Rick Perry’s first self-deprecating joke about brain freeze: 8:04 p.m. (Update: It took longer than that, but it did happen)
Here’s the latest Real Clear Politics national average:
Romney: 22.5
Cain: 22.0
Gingrich: 14.2
Perry: 9.8
Paul: 8.2
Bachmann: 3.7
Santorum: 1.5
Huntsman: 1
A new McClatchy-Marist poll of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents puts Gingrich in second nationally.
Here’s a snapshot of South Carolina. With the state’s primary just over two months away, the Herminator has taken the lead:
Cain: 25.5
Romney: 21.5
Gingrich: 13
Perry: 8.8
Paul: 6
Bachmann: 3.5
Santorum: 1.3
Huntsman: 1
Enjoy the night and weigh in with your thoughts on the debate. I’ll post updates along the way as the goings-on warrant.
Update: There will be two additional questioners:
Sen. Jim DeMint, a member of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Committee on Armed Services, will each ask questions at the debate.
Another note: The debate is only one hour long. Divide that by eight candidates and that’s only 7.5 minutes per candidate, assuming they’re fair on time. Take out the introduction, moderator questions, mid and an end station breaks, and we’ll get maybe five minutes from each candidate, if that. Not enough time considering the topics at hand.
Update II: Turns out there is an extra hour to the debate that will air in select markets. But if you’re in a place where it’s not carried it’ll be online here.
Update III: Here’s the debate in its entirety:
**Written by Doug Powers
Twitter @ThePowersThatBe
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SPG,
An acquaintance of mine once asked me if I was Libertarian or Conservative. I said Conservative. At least I can find a solid definition for that.
No – he’s Canadian, and who we vote for is none of his damned business anyway. Ignore the troll.
CBS has an article on their website (linked from Druge) about members of Congress getting huge profits from insider trading, because they voted NOT to include themselves in the law. Do you think perhaps CBS Evening News will have anything on this? HA!
PatGal, Thanks, but very little appeals to me less than libs / the msm trying to evaluate Rs / Cons values, policies or what they just said.
Is war with Iran inevitable? I say yes: it’s just a mateer of when and how bad will it be. Allow this lunatics nukes and it’ll be REAL BAD.
Ron Paul looks like Chamberlain reincarnated. We know how his story ended.
You’re absolutely right on that SPG. As I said before, these GOP candidates should just all decide together that all future debates until the primary will be on their terms only, i.e., they will decide on the venue and the moderators. If I were one of the candidates, I’d tell my campaign chairpeople to make it a priority. I am spoiling for a fight and I want to see the MSM crushed just as much as I want to see Obama out of the WH.
ch,
Ron Paul is near brilliant on economics, but otherwise, nat`l security incl. our borders and outward, he`s absolutely OUT TO LUNCH !
HA HA, PatGal,
Are you married or um uh, maybe … have a sister, just like you ?
Bruce:
Thanks for the advice. However, never loose the opportunity to educate the ignorant, the stupid or even the brain dead.
SPG,
As a matter of fact, I’m married and I am an only child. But thanks for asking [blush]
SPG:
Ron Paul isn’t out to lunch!! Don’t you see he looks like a scarecrow?? Or somebody who’s so dumb, he gives his lunch to someone else? When it comes to foreign policy or the use of force, THIS GUY IS CLUELESS!!!!
And thanks for the kind words, SPG. I’m flattered.
You think very much as I do It`s been fun.
A short story to explain the origin of this saying / question.
While working a race weekend in MI as tire fitter crew, a lady and her hubby came by the truck and looked at these portable bike stands we had for sale (racing sport bikes have no kick stands). She asked if it was a good idea to store a bike on them over the winter. As I explained their benefits, she dug out a photo of her house, picture window looking into a nicely decorated dining room, with her Honda sport bike inside, in the window. I looked first at hubby and said,”I like her !”, then asked her, “Do you have a sister ?”
He was all bored until then; that got a snicker.
LOL, SignPainterGuy. What a great story!
It has indeed been fun and I’m glad to meet such a like-minded person as yourself on this forum as well.
SignPainterGuy, that sounds like a George Jones song. I used to have one just like her….
PatGal,
Indeed, that`s what I LOVE about MM`s place. If you would like, drop by Doug`s place The Powers That Be and join the relaxed atmosphere there too ! Several of the same folks there ! You can come as you are, no dress code !
Ray,
I used to have one I “thought” thought like me, but I was wrong !
I thought she was gonna be Mrs. Right, but I was wrong !
I`m feelin` really wrong all of a sudden !
On November 12th, 2011 at 10:26 pm,
I will do that, SignPainterGuy. I was so glad I happened upon MM’s site last year when she had an open registration. Couldn’t believe my good luck, as I was only able to read and not contribute. I want to have the same good luck over at HotAir as well, but I seem to always miss their open registrations.
I’ll stop over to Doug’s, though. I like relaxed and casual, so I should be comfortable.
Thanks for the invite!
PatGal,
dougpowers.com/
See ya there !
The biggest loser in tonight’s debate was CBS. They only show the first 60 minutes of the debate on TV and then the last 30 minutes on their website with a bad feed? Really CBS? Pathetic. Pelley was awful.
As for the candidates, why is Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman there? Cain, overall did okay. He needs to do a better job of answering the questions more confidently and not pausing sometimes. Perry was better than his last debate. Newt, as usual, did the best and Bachmann was good. Romney and Santorum were all right, but not great.
See you there as well! Actually, I stopped by just now and am pleasantly surprised that I am already registered through Intense Debate. One less name and password combo to remember.
PG,
Great coolness of beans !
Hey, SPG…..
Just got home from spending the day with my Mother, I see I missed another great debate. /sarc
CBS Sucks.
Also found out sometime this morning, HillBuzz.org was hit with what appears to be an aggressive Denial of Service attack that wiped them out.
Kevin explains…
I can only guess that all of this happened because last night I announced on HB that Larry Sinclair will be a guest on The HillBuzz & Mrs. Fox Show on Tuesday night. A lot of strange things have been happening regarding computer and technical issues since I wrote on Monday about Barack Obama being gay and about how the Left aggressively targets people who speak the truth about him and his many secrets. This was an article meant to show the hypocrisy in the Left, since people like Sinclair have their lives destroyed for talking about Barack Obama’s hidden life, but those who appear to accuse Republicans like Herman Cain of anything under the sun are deemed courageous and heroic for doing so.
Read more http://hillbuzz.org/
GeL,
Yes, CBS-BS was all we`ve come to expect from the AmericanPravdaMedia, the technical quality was second to most !
Most of the candidates responded well, some great stuff from all but Paul and Mr Rogers w/ a voice ! It was fun here.
With Obummer`s internet spies I have little doubt that HillBuz was hit by “them” and I expect more to come.
Kevin knows that he’s on a touchy spot…or over the target.
He’s as prepared as he can be.
Mr. Rogers…perfect!
Thanks for the laugh, SignPainterGuy
Gel,
You`re welcome ! I live to serve !;-)
Paul’s view of the world and foreign policy apparently predates 610AD.
Cain for King! John Adams was right, we need a monarchy and nobility. Knights in shining body armor. We don’t need no steenking elections!
The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite held aloft Excalibur from the bosom of the water, signifying by divine providence that I, Cain, was to carry Excalibur. THAT is why I am your king.
Mitt Romney is like a big sheet of white paper. Blank. Just write on it what you want it to say and he will oblige. He is a great big ZERO. Plastic and have I said lately…SMARMY! Look it up. It describes him perfectly in one word.
Mitt just shows up for a few things and for some reason continues to be in the top three. He doesn’t seem to think he needs to work for the nomination, that he has it sewn up. What does he know that we don’t?
Personally, I think our ticket will end up being Newt/Cain. In that order.
Huntsman reminds me of Edward Fox in the original “Day of the Jackal” only not as skinny.
Why hasn’t the CBS email, which reveals the intention to limit questions to Michele Bachmann, not been discussed, or more appropriately, screamed from the rooftops?
CBS email
According to @TeamBachmann, there are reports of an emergency meeting 3 hours before the debate discussing the fallout of that email.
IMO, the left is more afraid of Bachmann than any other candidate. The fear is that she might gain traction, because she’s committed the unforgivable sin of sticking to her guns and opposing the left’s agenda without compromise.
Is there even a point to Santorum running? Just curious.
At this point, I am thinking the same thing. Also, Gary Johnson, and that Huntsman character who is actually a liberal. Ron Paul might as well drop out too. He just ain’t gonna get the nomination.
This is down to Romney, Cain, Gingrich with Bachmann and Perry trailing and probably toast too.
Now..Romney needs to make a major error. He is being so plastic and cautious, no one really knows where he stands on anything. I just don’t understand why he is still leading in the polls. Is it BECAUSE he hasn’t made any big gaffes? To me, that is because he is so rehearsed and tightly wound that there is no chance for a gaffe. However, he is wishy-washy and flip-floppy. We all know that. He puts his finger to the wind. I really can’t stand him. He is NOT genuine!
It is still too soon to be winnowing the field down to three, Happy. The first few primaries/caucuses could overturn the chess board. They often do.
If I was one of the candidates now, even Santorum, I wouldn’t seriously consider dropping out before the starting gun fires.
Thanks for linking the debate video. I missed it last night (not, y’know, a lot) and appreciate that I got to see it today.
So…you actually believe that Johnson or Huntzman has a chance? As for Santorum, he has been in the bottom 1% the entire campaign. What makes you think he would move up the line now? Nothing has changed.
I don’t count Bachmann totally out, but she is badly flailing. The first primary is in January. That is coming up FAST!
NO offense intentended but, in reference to your comment: The first primary is in January. That is coming up FAST! It’s only the 1st as you said now let’s have the people decide in the primaries, that need to be reformatted which the (RINO) GOP in some states won’t do.
I’m with you, notice how that clown, liberal, moderator from C(commie)BS wouldn’t allow her to retort with her opinion as to whether water boarding is torture or not?
———————
Sounded like their was alot of college kids there, or should I say Paulites?
No offense taken! But I don’t understand what you are getting at. The primaries are what they are. With only a couple months left until the first one, do you think Santorum or Bachmann can move up high enough to have a chance? We’ll see. I have serious doubts. If they aren’t polling at all well now, why would they all of a sudden have a chance?
Screwy, unpredictable things always happen. Sometimes they are enough to overturn the apple cart.
Moreover, they don’t have to be in it just to win. They can be playing the role of a stalking horse, or they can be trying to sabotage a particular other candidate, or they can be just waiting for the most opportune time to drop out and throw their support to the candidate they want to win.
Sometimes, though, they stay in just because they cannot believe the People could be so dense as to not realize what they are passing up. It seems to me Johnson (is he still in?) and Santorum both fall under that category.
Also, candidates get a lot of free media exposure just by virtue of being candidates, so as long as someone, somewhere, is still taking them seriously, why on Earth would they drop out?
Um…money, maybe??
That can make the media stop taking them seriously, but as long as the leading propagandists of the LSM still jump to get their calls and still put them up on the stage, a candidate would be foolish to give up the free publicity for nothing, even if they are flat broke.
Same reason not to run as independents after the nomination.
All true conservatives are at least somewhat libertarian in their political philosophy.
Stranger things have happened, I believe Reagan wasn’t favorite going into ’80 either, the Repukes were pushing GHW.
I’m finding this very hard to pick at this point, I do have a favorite, there are alot of the others that have me confused. Like that Gringrich guy, he is smart but, has done some really dumb things in the past, admitting them doesn’t erase history.
I believe there is a 12th Amendment problem with that theory unless one of them has left GA and is a resident of another state now.
Gingrich now lives in Virginia.
Oh, wow, floridaobserver! I love that film, but I despise Edward Fox. The film only works because his role — being that of the lonely hunter — has very little dialog. Even though Fox was playing somewhat of a bad guy (if you can consider anyone trying to kill De Gaulle as a “bad guy”), I don’t think he was intended to be unlikable in the doofus way that he was; I think he was intended to be somewhat of a James Bond from the dark side. In fact, it was as ridiculous as Huntsman with a gun or Dukakis in a tank.
Much fuss is made about Romney pulling a strong first in NH ahead of Cain as though that is some kind of bellwether for the remaining states. It only shows Romney has juice in the NE, and perhaps only in two, maybe three, states. Let the other states have a say as well.
The daily liberal talking point “meme” is that “this field is soooo weak” – looking at the last three Democrat presidents and saying this with a straight face would be a mind blower for any thinking person.
I’ll vote with confidence for six of the eight…you can guess which two I’d disqualify.
Yeah, and that should be all states. Not just Iowa, NH and South Carolina.
Well, Reagan certainly wasn’t the favorite of the GOP leadership who promoted GHW. Alas, Reagan’s popularity was with the public and he beat GHW in the primaries. THe GOP stuck Reagan with GHW as his VEEP, though, as a consolation prize.
Oh yeah, and Democrats should not be voting on the republican nominee. The fox guarding the henhouse.
But as Ohio just showed us in the Union vote last week, the only way we are going to get Obama out and get conservatives in is voter turnout in the primaries and on election day. The unions turned out more than the republicans in Ohio and voted to give themselves everyone elses money.
How nice of them. That won’t stop unless Conservatives and Republicans show up at the polls. The OWS people will be camped outside the polls waiting to vote to give themselves everything we don’t have.
If Romney is nominated, many conservatives will sit out the election and Obama will be elected with a majority Senate and /or Congress. That will be game over for life as we know it.
Government control and redistribution will be right around the corner and once they start giving out huge chunks of other peoples money, it will be tough to get back to freedom and personal responsibility.
We already have that, it’ll just get worse and be permanently entrenched.
Virtually impossible, without a great deal of conflict.