I'm not a real big fan of debates but the GOP debates in New Hampshire have been a good showcase of Conservative thought. We don't have a perfect candidate, and we will never will. But the combination of Constitutional conservatism, economic savvy, historical context, and fresh Patriotic fervor is like a symposium on the role of government, and what it means to have faith in freedom and the free market.
Pawlenty seems a little stiff. Newt is still a great intellect and, although he will hang up his campaign coat soon, adds a comprehensive understanding of aspects of American government. Romney is a little redundant, rehashing many of his recent speeches. But he appears to be the solid "fix the economy" candidate. Michelle Bachmann looks strong. I would like to hear more from her. Santorum is passionate and unwavering, a fresh face. Herman Cain is an audacious advocate for capitalism. He has a certain "elder statesman" quality. He is the experienced one in the house. Cain has detailed ideas plans to answer the questions about Obamacare, Medicare insolvency, and jobs creation. Cain is unequivocal about his opposition to allowing Sharia law to influence American law.
The audience seems very in tune with the economic issues. The debt limit is being discussed in-depth. Every one of the GOP contenders has something to offer. And as Mitt Romney has asserted several times, "Obama has no plan." I feel proud as I watch this. This, as I said, is an imperfect field. There are a range of ideologies among the GOP candidates. But the quality of the debate has risen out of pop-culture, sound bites, and mainstream media news flashes. These candidates are debating with a depth of Constitutional knowledge that a few years ago was not present.
I give credit to the Tea Party for pulling our candidates back in the direction of our founding roots. I hope Americans, young and old alike, watch this and other upcoming debates. The GOP candidates are giving us a good education about limited government and its enumerated roles in the Constitution.
Comments
HI Marjorie,
Your observations are quite right on. The media would have Americans believe that all women are democrats/liberals, but you and the many others I've noticed here put that notion to rest of course. Yes, we will have an imperfect nominee but near perfect nominees are quite rare. Taking the mad Doctor Ron Paul out of the mix, almost any two of those people last night can beat Obama. You might get a smile or two, if you see my very brief analysis from a psychological perspective of the debates last night on my blog page. You've observed how each candidate is strong in one area. Ideally of course, we need a multi-dimensional nominee. Your observations of the strengths and weaknesses of them rings true. Romney is right out of Hollywood casting for U.S. President, and will probably be to gentlemanly come debate time against Obama, should he get the nod. Michelle looked so hot last night I wanted to grab her through the TV screen : - ) She and Rick Santorum and Romney to a degree are probably the most multi-dimensional. Would love to see Michelle at least get on as V.P. She's a great campaigner and will relate well.
One thing that I found fault with last night was all of the candidates merely said (when asked), that Obama's polices are a disaster, etc. This is what all candidates say when trying to beat their adversary. One or more of them should have casually said " Obama's abysmal performance can be expected given that he is in a position that is clearly over his head." Americans need to be cleverly told that his decisons have not turned out well because of bad luck, but because he is in way over his head as a president. If only the people could be told someway that he lied about attending Columbia University, and flunked out of Occidental which really takes a lot of mediocrity, so they can see the abscence of character he has. Let not your heart be troubled Marjorie, the UHAUL moving company here in Chicago is ready to move him out of the White House after the 2012 elections ....LOL
Have a great week,
Laurence