In an online world wrought with inane Facebook status updates, Chocolate Rain, TMZ, and the Friday Song, it can be problematic when trying to discern the fact from the fiction, the substantive from the silly, and whether or not whatever random weblink or news story is a worthy distraction from yet another round of Angry Birds or a fifteenth consecutive video viewing of a hairless cat, meowing to the tune of a Soulja Boy hook in 4/4 time.
Perhaps the worst offender in this cesspool of misinformation is the blogosphere, its seemingly endless legion of self-appointed journalists and social commentators, and their perpetual stream of ill-informed, unresearched observations on everything from porn to politics to the cover-up of Paul McCartney's apparent death in the late 60's.
So with all of that said and the internet being as it is... welcome to our blog, eh?! Honestly, with the textual assault on reason already in full effect, what's a couple more loons blogging? And what better way for said loons to pop the proverbial blog cherry than by making like John King and getting our debate on? Last night was the second in a series of primary debates between the prospective candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, and while it may have lacked the fireworks of past debates, Donald Trump and Sarah Palin were nowhere to be found, so things aren't all bad, right?
Submitted for your approval, here are some thoughts on the event as it unfolded, viewed through my unapologetically Libertarian-tinted shades:
It was disappointing that former New Mexico gov. Gary Johnson was excluded from the debates, but I can't fault CNN for having their criteria and sticking to it.
I know this is standard fare for these debates, but Herman Cain is a master of saying a lot, and doing so in a way that has people praising his "plain-talk, no-nonsense" approach, without really saying anything at all. The first question is from a retired college professor who asks what Mr. Cain, as president, would do to create jobs in this tough economy. The pizza mogul responds that the economy is like a train stalled on its tracks and that the private sector is the fuel that will get it going again. That's a cute little metaphor, and I'm one that thinks the private sector can do a better job than government in many instances, but no elaboration on what specifically would be done is offered.
After more wrangling about the economy, Michele Bachmann has the floor and announces she has filed papers to officially seek the nomination, with her formal announcement to come in the near future. In lieu of discussing the announcement of an announcement of a foregone conclusion, and putting aside some of her wacky ideas, I've got to say... in the right light, Bachmann ain't bad to look at. She has kind of a Lynda Carter thing going on. I'd take a ride in her invisible jet any time.
First audience laugh of the night comes when Ron Paul is asked if President Obama has done ONE thing right by the economy since taking office and is thoroughly stumped. He then talks about unwinding the Keynesian bubble that's been going on for 70 years, the need for sound money and shoots on the Federal Reserve. Paul has spearheaded the bi-partisan effort to audit the Fed (you go, girl!), so this is par for the course for the (ceaselessly awesome) Texas Rep.
In a backpeddle move, Tim Pawlenty is called out by our esteemed moderator, Mr. King, on his "Obamneycare" comments made the very day before the debate. With Mitt Romney now standing at a podium a couple of feet to his side however, TPAW is in full retreat mode, claiming the comment was a paraphrase of the President's statement that Romney's healthcare mandate in Massachusetts was one of the blueprints for his national healthcare plan. Yeah.... that's what you were saying...
The topic of Tea Party influence (and the ability of candidates to maybe filter it out at times for the greater good) comes up. Rick Santorum touts his record on big issues and goes on to commend the Tea Party as a "great backstop for America." Bachmann shares his enthusiasm and claims that the Tea Party features a "wide swath of Americans coming together," including disaffected Democrats, Independents, Libertarians, and Republicans. I'm not one to hate on the Tea Party, and it is true that all of those groups are represented in its ranks, but I'm not sure that "wide swath" accurately describes its membership.
On the audience-introduced topic of returning manufacturing jobs to the United States, Pawlenty takes the opportunity to inform us that he is from a "meat-packing town" and that members of his family belong to various Unions. This isn't the last time he'll utter these anecdotes in this debate, but he didn't sledgehammer them into responses quite as often as he did during last month's Iowa debate (which, in addition to back-peddling and flip-flopping on issues and pieces of legislation that he had previously attached his name to that are now politically damaging in the primary election, was how he directed most of his responses in that debate.)
During discussion about labor, Unions, and Right-to-Work legislation, Newt Gingrich hits the National Labor Relations Board for dictating where Boeing can or can't set up shop, keeping 8,000 jobs out of South Carolina where it had planned to build a new plant. I'll have to agree that this really is one of the most overtly egregious acts of this administration and is akin to fascism. Yes, I know.... it's Boeing with the stench of The W (of the presidential variety, not the so-so Wu-Tang Clan effort) and Dick Cheney still lingering, but c'mon now. We can't pick winners and losers in the economy and job markets.
And now for something completely different, the first in a series of silly, lightening-of-the-mood questions directed at each candidate. Leading off is Santorum and his question -- "Leno or Conan?" His answer? "Probably Leno." So let me get this straight - he hates gays, supports torture, AND picks Leno over Conan? I think we just hit rock bottom.
Romney is called out on a piece he wrote in '08 citing potential auto bailouts as death for the auto industry and the fact that since the bailouts actually happened, General Motors and Chrysler have both rebounded. He was right when he said it was a 17 billion dollar burden on American taxpayers that shouldn't have come to fruition, but clearly it wasn't the end of the auto industry. His statements were misdirected, but rather than cop to that fact or propose what would have been a better alternative, he stubbornly insists he wasn't wrong.
There was talk about TARP; Santorum and Bachmann fought against it. Cain supported it initially as a businessman, but disagrees with how the funds were distributed by the Administration(s). A lot of agreement here as was the case for most of the night. This debate was mostly about going after Obama. Candidates didn't really take each other on, which is unfortunate.
Question for Gingrich - "Dancing with the Stars or American Idol?" I'm probably not the only one, but I LOL'd when, without hesitation, he firmly fired back with "American Idol." I wonder if he voted for Sanjaya? After a commercial break, Paul was asked to choose between the iPhone and the Blackberry. I'm about 90% sure Ron Paul doesn't have the foggiest idea what these contraptions are.
The subject of Newt's initial criticism of the Paul Ryan plan (he called it "Right-wing social engineering.") and insta flip-flop only days later after criticism from mainstream conservatives was raised, and I just have to say... it's really a shame he backed down like that. Sure, you don't want to alienate your party during primary season, but his initial appraisal of the plan was accurate, and the whole situation has killed his campaign. It's too bad really; if you can get past the random acts of buffoonery and the fact that he wasted taxpayer dollars going after Bill Clinton, he has a good idea or two.
And thanks to the magic of DVR, I can pause here and go grab a giant, grease-laden burrito from one of Ray Beto's fine dining establishments (you can never say I hate illegal immigrants). Stay tuned for my thoughts on hour two, and welcome to the blog!
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