Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr
3:59 / 9:59 — And that's it.
3:53 / 9:53 — I find it rather hard to believe the extreme rhetoric regarding Obama. Romney returns to his penchant for American exceptionalism; the audience laps up his Reagan reference. Why does Santorum bother?
3:39 / 9:39 — Okay, okay, we get it: you're all pro-life. Can we move onto something a little more contentious now? It's becoming like pro-life one-upmanship. Dr. Paul needs to have his turn, too.
3:39 / 9:39 — The discussion about abortion has been rather uncomfortable.
3:27 / 9:27 — Gingrich: "We make it too difficult to come here legally, and too easy" to come here illegally. Agreed.
3:24 / 9:24 — Mitt Romney focuses the debate again on Barack Obama. Wrong! Santorum says he wouldn't change anything about his campaign. I've got a better idea for his campaign: perhaps he could have actually made himself look remotely okay. Ron Paul gives the best answer.
3:16 / 9:16 — Okay, SOPA, here's a good question. Gingrich has finally said something right; Romney agrees; Paul of course, being the internet homeboy, stands beside the internet; Santorum's comment is idiotic, but nonetheless agrees, even if he takes it from an angle that appears to be different. The idea that 'anything goes'? Yeah, it came from the people who invented the internet. Okay, so the question was less interesting than I had anticipated.
3:07 / 9:07 — Santorum would have us believe that it's because of Obama that Apple is making iPhones in China. Does he even understand his logic? Paul makes an excellent point; that's not the number they ought to be concerned about. He's right.
3:06 / 9:06 — "We are one nation under God." Disgusting, but to be expected. American presidential candidates (and, indeed, American presidents) have often shown great lack of understanding on the secularism that was intended for the United States. When will we move on from this childish silliness? God knows.
3:04 / 9:04 — "I'm not going to apologize for being successful...I know that the Democrats will go after me on that basis." Ooh, don't mention Mexico, Mitt, your constituents won't like that.
3:02 / 9:02 — When the attacks on Obama reach his enjoyment of golf, you know they're scraping at the very bottom of the barrel. Waiting for Romney to make another uninformed and historically-incorrect Antoinette reference.
2:55 / 8:55 — I can't help but think that the candidates seem to forget who they're up against: they're supposed to be waging a war against each other, not Barack Obama. Someone needs to remind them that they're not actually debating the president yet. All the inane attacks make our side rather irate (whatever 'side' that is). Gingrich isn't quite the Republican intellectual he seems to think he is, and the "grandiosity" to which Santorum alludes is as elusive to me as Santorum's grasp on civil rights. I just don't see it, sorry.
2:43 / 8:43 — "Mildly amazing." Almost like 'eighty-percent pure'.
2:36 / 8:36 — Santorum makes a good point, and the pigs have flown.
2:33 / 8:33 — Such a pity that the most entertaining drama of the night took place at the very beginning of the debate. It might have been better had they left the more provocative questions for later.
2:24 / 8:24 — Good move on Paul's part for linking himself so closely to the military. Although, "a lot of medical help" is going to come from...who? Not the government, obviously. The question gets thrown to Santorum, but he turns it into a criticism of Obama. Typical. "That's disgusting." Apparently a big applause requires a big criticism of the President, and that's it.
2:24 / 8:24 — Isn't it just a little bit disturbing that Gingrich might win South Carolina because of his infidelity. "...Shove it down his throat." Quote of the debate, no doubt.
2:21 / 8:21 — First mention of Adam Smith. We haven't had a Friedman reference yet, though. Still to come, no doubt.
2:18 / 8:18 — Talk of crony capitalism again. I didn't know that Mitt Romney had suddenly turned into Bachmann! Best tweet on the matter: "Part of me is pleased that candidates are now expected to attack crony capitalism. Part is disgusted that a guy like Romney tries to do it." Romney could just give the numbers on Bain's job creation; but perhaps it's better politically to veil it in prattle.
2:15 / 8:15 — I don't know that I agree with Paul on the matter of getting the government out of the way. But it's exactly what we've been hearing from him for years, so it's nice to see some consistency. I can sense that this debate will be entertaining.
2:11 / 8:11 — "No, but I will." Huge applause. I can't believe the non-response that Gingrich gave to this. In the face of accusations such as these, it is important that the person who wants us to make him president will actually defend himself. "I am frankly astounded that CNN would take trash like that and use it to open a presidential debate." Really? Why do I doubt that? Please don't make it about Obama. Do yourself a favor.
(Image via CNN)