Florida Republican Presidential Primary Debate

Republicans debate in Florida- a state where Democrats are banned.

US Republican presidential candidates (L-R) former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, US Senator John McCain (R-AZ), and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani stand before the MSNBC Republican presidential debate at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, January 24, 2008. (REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

The energy is low at the debate…
So far the debate has been low key and there has been nothing that would give any of these candidates an edge.

Tim Russert blasts Bush’s record on the economy- despity the Clinton Recession, 9-11, corporate scandal, and Hurricane Katrina.
Governor Huckabee continues to sound like a democrat blasting “trickle down economics.”
Rudy Giuliani gave a nice answer but if he does not put any fire in his message he is through. His answer on turning NYC around was terrific, though. Rudy actually has a tremendous economic record to speak on.

It would have been nice if one of the candidates could have had a few economic statistics to throw back at Russert like the fact that unemployment is lower under Bush than it was under Clinton or the record productivity and growth in GNP.

Senator McCain asks the moderator where he got the quote about him not understanding the issue of economics.
Here

Sen. McCain: “The Issue Of Economics Is Not Something I’ve Understood As Well As I Should.” “Like Mike Huckabee, who joked recently that he ‘may not be the expert that some people are on foreign policy, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night,’ McCain suggested to reporters Monday that American consumer culture offered a short cut to expertise. ‘The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should,’ McCain said. ‘I’ve got Greenspan’s book.’”

What a sad debate– the questions are sooo depressing.
Senator McCain just gave an excellent answer to the question on the Iraq War.
McCain blasts Rumsfeld again and again.

Michelle Malkin is liveblogging.
So is TigerHawk.
Stephen Green is also liveblogging.

Governor Romney blasts democrats for choosing to get out of Iraq rather than win the war in Iraq– blasts “General Hillary” for taking credit for winning the war.
Here’s the “General Hillary” line:

Mitt Romney:

“What an audacious and arrogant thing for the Democrats to say as Hillary Clinton did that they are responsible for the progress that the surge has seen by virtue that they are trying to pull out so quickly. Look, the success over there is due to the blood and courage of service men and women and to General Petraeus and to President Bush and not to “General” Hillary Clinton.”

The audience is antiwar(?) Clapping for antiwar nutty Ron Paul and his antiwar lunacy.

Rudy Giuliani gave a great answer on energy independence- making it a national campaign like sending a man to the moon.
John McCain talks acid rain and a global agreement on greenhouse gases- Climate change is real(?)
Senator McCain voted for higher taxes more than 50 times.

What a HORRIBLE question by Tim Russert– Cornering Mitt Romney on how much of his own money he has put into his campaign which he answered correctly that it will be released as required by law.
Now- they nail him on being a Mormon.
Thank you corrupt media.

Governor Huckabee has a great line on Chuck Norris about not disagreeing with Chuck when they are sharing the same stage.
Governor Huckabee gives a good answer on his faith and being an American where historically faith has been an important part of this country’s history.

MORE… Michael Graham at The Corner gives the debate a failing grade.

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Jim Hoft is the founder and editor of The Gateway Pundit, one of the top conservative news outlets in America. Jim was awarded the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award in 2013 and is the proud recipient of the Breitbart Award for Excellence in Online Journalism from the Americans for Prosperity Foundation in May 2016. In 2023, The Gateway Pundit received the Most Trusted Print Media Award at the American Liberty Awards.

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Thanks for sharing!