First debate I've watched anything other than clips of, unless you're going to count that first thing back in May where they only had like five people. Random musings:
Who gives a shit about word clouds? Or "real time polls"?
Wow, is Rick Perry terrible.
"Governor Perry, what would you do about jobs?"
"I'll tell you what I wouldn't do, be Mitt Romney."
"Governor Perry the budget deficit is huge, how would you shrink it?"
"You know, I was reading Governor Romney's book and man, does he suck! He even changed things between the hardcover and paperback! What a dick!"
"Governor Perry, any education plans?"
"These ideas we just heard like uh, a department of Education and ideas are good. But you know what's not good? Governor Romney."
He sometimes sounds like Al Gore to me if you're just listening, it's usually when he's trying to figure out what he intends to say and doesn't have a prepared answer. His best line was repeating "you put the boots and aviation assets on the ground" against Santorum's whining then staring into the camera forcefully as if it had made sense and literally vaporized Santorum off the stage.
Put some of my ramblings about Romney and Cain behind spoilers so nobody has to see it:
spoiler (click to show/hide)
I like Romney's whole "say tons of random things that sound related and get applause but don't make any sense or respond" strategy:
Do you, Governor Romney, believe that President Obama is a socialist?
ROMNEY: Let me tell you the title that I want to hear said about President Obama, and that is: former President Barack Obama. That's the title I want to hear.
Let me tell you this. What President -- what President Obama is, is a big-spending liberal. And he takes his political inspiration from Europe and from the socialist democrats in Europe. Guess what? Europe isn't working in Europe. It's not going to work here.
I believe in America. I believe in the opportunity and in the freedom that is American opportunity and freedom. I believe in free enterprise and capitalism. I believe government is too big. It's gone from 27 percent of our economy in the years of JFK to 37 percent of our economy. We have to rein in the scale of government or we're not going to be -- continue to be a free economy.
I love this country. I spent my life in the private sector, not in government. I only spent four years as a governor. I didn't inhale.
I'm a business guy. I'm going to get America working again, because I believe in the principles that make America the hope of the Earth.
Didn't inhale! Like Clinton! Remember that guy! Cigars! Did you see this stain?
What's with the kitchen table fetish that politicians always have:
ROMNEY: All across America, you've got families sitting across from their -- sitting in their living rooms and their kitchens, sitting at that kitchen table, with a calculator and a checkbook, seeing if they have enough money to make ends meet for the month or the week.
You've got people who are sitting at that same table filling out job application forms, knowing that there are hundreds of other people that are doing the same thing for the same job.
These are tough times for a lot of people in this country, but we are a patriotic people. We place our hand over our heart during the playing of the national anthem. No other people on Earth do that. And if we're led by a leader who draws on that patriotism, who tells the truth, who lives with integrity, and who knows how to lead, America will remain the hope of the Earth and the strongest nation in the world.
I'll do it.
I'm not sure if it's better than Herman Cain's general strategy of "I'll ask the experts" or "let me explain by restating the question":
WALLACE: Mr. Cain, I want to follow up on your 999 plan for economic growth. That's a 9 percent...
(APPLAUSE)
Well, they seem to already know what it is. But for the few who don't, it's a 9 percent flat corporate tax, a 9 percent flat income tax, and a new 9 percent national sales tax.
Now, conservatives usually say repeal the income tax before you impose a new tax. Isn't there a danger with your 999 plan, with these three taxes, that some government down the road after President Cain is going to increase three forms of taxation on Americans?
HERMAN CAIN, FORMER CEO OF GODFATHER'S PIZZA: No, there's no danger in that. And first, let me answer Dave's question with the 9, 9, 9 plan. Unfortunately, nobody up here answered his question. He wanted to know as a small businessman what are we going to do to help him as a small business person? I have walked in Dave's shoes.
This economy is on life support, that's why my 9, 9, 9 plan is a bold solution. It starts with throw out the current tax code and pass 9 percent business flat tax, 9 percent personal income tax, and the 9% national sales tax. This is the most important part, it eliminates, or replaces corporate income tax, personal income tax, capital gains tax as well as the estate tax.
Then it treats all businesses the same. And the people who are paying only payroll tax, 15.3, that 15.4 they don't have to pay, now they only have to pay that 9 percent.
Of course there's no chance! Have you heard about it though? It's a 999 plan! 9%! NINE! NINE! NEIN! NINE!
He should stick to that though because when he tries to really answer it doesn't work so well:
CAIN: The reason I said that I would be dead under Obamacare is because my cancer was detected in March of 2006. From March 2006 all the way to the end of 2006, for that number of months, I was able to get the necessary CAT scan tests, go to the necessary doctors, get a second opinion, get chemotherapy, go -- get surgery, recuperate from surgery, get more chemotherapy in a span of nine months. If we had been under Obamacare and a bureaucrat was trying to tell me when I could get that CAT scan that would have delayed by treatment.
My surgeons and doctors have told me that because I was able get the treatment as fast as I could, based upon my timetable and not the government's timetable that's what saved my life, because I only had a 30 percent chance of survival. And now I'm here five years cancer free, because I could do it on my timetable and not a bureaucrat's timetable.
Dude, you were a millionaire CEO under 65, I'm pretty sure your insurance plan wasn't Medicare or Medicaid and you would have it even if ObamaCare was establishing the NHS.
The biggest dick is still Rick Santorum, I love how visibly angry he gets when someone argues with him. He must really hate his daughter. Amusing when he said he doesn't believe in things dictated from on high while pointing upwards.
I think Gary Johnson actually got more questions than Bachmann or Ron Paul. I forgot she was even there for like a half hour until she butted in randomly about Cuba since she wasn't even in any of the side shots of others like Paul was. Hoards of people were trying to get her autograph afterwards before FOX kicked her off the stage.
The best part was the Vice President question, Jon Huntsman tried to pick Chris Wallace then started rambling about how he and Herman Cain had the same color ties before going for an awkward planned hand shake.
