Republican Debate, September 12, 2011 What Happened
Posted: Tuesday, September 13, 2011
by Judge Dred
On September 12, 2011, eight candidates for the Republican nomination for President took the stage at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida. The debate was co-sponsored by CNN and the Tea Party Express. This event gave seven of the candidates a chance to slow down the momentum of the current leader of the race, Texas Governor Rick Perry. Everyone had the chance to distinguish themselves from the other participants in terms of policy and qualifications.
Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum, and to a lesser extent, Jon Huntsman, went after Perry on everything ranging from Social Security to immigration. Romney took on Perry’s “Ponzi scheme” and “failure” statements about Social Security. Bachmann attacked Perry’s anti government intervention stance by introducing his 2007 executive order mandating that girls 11 and 12 years of age receive a vaccination for HPV. She tossed more fuel on the fire by insinuating that Perry was bought by Merck, the company which makes the HPV vaccine.
Perry answered with” If you are saying that I can be bought for five thousand dollars (the alleged amount of a Merck donation), I’m insulted”. It leaves one to wonder, if five thousand won’t “buy” you, Mr. Perry, then name the number that will. Bachmann shot back with, “I’m insulted for all the little girls that had to get shots and their parents”. Rick Santorum took a swipe at Perry when he stated “I didn’t have to change my politics or party to win”, taking aim at Perry’s conversion from Democrat to Republican in Texas. He also played to the crowd by saying “the Obama economy would have to improve to be a disaster”.
Jon Huntsman looked out of sorts on the stage. He tried to punch holes in Perry’s job creation record by saying that Utah (he’s a former governor) had a better job creation record than Texas. In what was possibly the most unintelligent statement of the night, Huntsman said,” For Perry to say we can’t secure the border is a pretty treasonous statement”. Well, you could have heard birds chirping in the building after that. Huntsman looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock.
Is Perry the consummate politician that some say he is? He did not backtrack; he sprinted away from his position on Social Security, which is in black and white for all to see (in his book, Fed Up). He stated that he now wants to reform it because it’s a “broken system”, so that it will be there for the young people of today when they need it. He stated that he “Is proud of and stands by his decision” to allow children of illegal aliens to pay in state college tuition in Texas. His immigration stance (being on good terms with Mexico) did not earn many brownie points with the Tea Partiers.
In conclusion, there does not appear to be a significant change in front runner status for Rick Perry, but as we learn more about him, this may change. The rest of the field did not distinguish themselves at this debate, due to the “knock Rick off of his perch” theme. Opinions on each candidate:
Jon Huntsman – Looks to be completely overwhelmed by running for President. Ill prepared and out of his league. He should drop out of the race immediately.
Herman Cain – The self proclaimed “Only Non Politician” in the field is living in a fantasy world. Despite his business experience and ideas (the 9-9-9 tax plan), he will not last much longer. He has to realize that only politicians are elected to the highest office in the land.
Ron Paul – The Texas congressman will not be elected. He can probably hang around a little longer, but his best chance is to continue his work in Congress. Got into trouble with his stance on the reason 9/11 occurred. The Tea Partiers did not agree with his point of view.
Newt Gingrich – It’s a surprise that he has stayed around as long as he has. It’s only a matter of time before his extra marital troubles and hypocrisy during the Clinton impeachment trials are thrown at him. He should leave the race before his problems magically reappear.
Rick Santorum – The ex-senator from Pennsylvania loves to proclaim his Italian heritage. This does not make him an expert on immigration, nor does it qualify him to be President of the United States. Having the bravery to stand up in the 1990’s and state that Social Security needed to be fixed doesn’t do it either.
Michele Bachmann – The Minnesota Congresswoman is truly delusional. She believes that by pandering to her Tea Party base, she will win the Republican nomination. Sorry, the answer to each question asked of Bachmann should not be answered with “We must repeal Obamacare”. If this is her reason for running for President, she should run right back to the Tea Party Caucus in Washington. And there she should stay.
Mitt Romney – He is running for President while publicly stating that he wants to at least double the size of his existing home. Romney does not live in a 1200 square foot home, by the way. Did he think about how this sounds to millions of Americans who are in danger of losing their homes? The attempt to appeal to middle class and poor Americans will not work, coming from a multi-millionaire businessman.
Rick Perry – Beware of the man in the finely tailored suit bearing gifts. His Merck connections, stance on immigration and in state tuition for children of illegal immigrants will pose problems for him. Also, one must ask: Is he truly the states rights proponent that he wants everyone to believe? The Federal Government is only “inconsequential” when he can score political points. Look at his record in regard to Federal stimulus funds. If he’s not truthful about that, then what else is he not truthful about? (Hint: He privately asked for them) Remember, where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
If this is the best the Republican Party can do in the way of candidates, I will say this now. The Democrats (read Obama) will retain control of the White House in 2012. That’s the way I see it. There is no need for any other Republican debates. Maybe they can play a hand of poker, winner take all. But 4 aces will be required for victory.
Until next time.
JD
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Interesting, JD. I didn't watch the debate. I can't stomach it anymore. These are people seriously being consider to run our Country? Egads, what have we come to?Hi Bruce,
If someone repeats misinformation long enough, they will begin to believe it. That's the story of the Republican debates so far. Whether it's Social Security, treasonous statements or "Obamacare" being their theories why the economy is in a mess, I would not trust any of these candidates with fifty cents, much less running the country. Thankfully, the loonies in the Tea Party are not a majority of the American population. Lets hope common sense prevails. Thanks for reading and commenting.
well written. I think the biggest question about qualifications and ability is in the job now, though.
Please continue to submit to the Story Tellers group.Hi Jack,
I don't think any of the current candidates are qualified. I believe they all have a special interest pushing them. Let's continue to watch as they go forward. It will get more and more interesting. Thanks for reading and commenting.
This analysis is right on target. I watched most of the debate and agree. The Republicans did not have a viable candidate last election and they are having serious trouble getting it together in the upcoming one, I'm sorry to say. I will watch your stories with interest.Hi OGM,
Thank you for your kind words. At this point, as bad as the unemployment figures are, as rotten as the economy is, and no matter how much the Tea Party dislikes the current President, it seems that the GOP platform for 2012 is to get Obama out of office. It does not look like they care about the average American. I think this will backfire on them. The candidate that wins the GOP nomination will not be a shoo in for President. Thanks for reading and commenting.
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