Liveblogging: GOP Debate in New Hampshire

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7:01 PM Wolf just confirmed that we’re on the “honor system” again when it comes to talk time. Showing the most honor so far: Dodd, who’s given us another “Talk Clock.” He’s (Wolf) using the same script as last night.

7:04 PM Weird, random buzzing sounds?

7:05 PM Romney running through a check list on Iraq, apparently, if we hadn’t invaded Iraq, we totally wouldn’t have invaded Iraq. Math geek points for repeated referring to it as a “null set” question, though not clear he knows what that means. Rudy Giuliani, on the other hand, would invade Iraq again, right now, forever. Also, 9/11. 9/11, DAMNIT.

7:07 PM Cameraman is drunk.

7:08 PM McCain hit with a surge question: What if it doesn’t work? His answer: If we don’t win, they will follow us home. He’s the happy joy joy candidate! Applause for his line that parties don’t lose wars, nations do. And now we learn what President Thompson would do in that situation. Well, clearly, his hair is already in retreat.

7:14 PM Is Duncan Hunter the only person on stage who read the NIE? Phantom buzzer says yes! No whammies!

7:17 PM Say what you will about Sam Brownback’s belief in creationism and lack of visible eyeball, his tie is incredibly bold. Also, I think someone mentioned in the last few minutes something about how, what was it now…. oh, yes, the terrorists don’t like us.

7:19 PM Duncan Hunter would use nukes… but carefully. (Also is anyone else noticing how antsy Rudy looks? Pacing in place, shifty, pointing guy…)

7:20 PM Rudy gets the second applause line of the night in reminding people that, what was it now… oh, yes, the terrorists don’t like us.

7:21 PM I wish they had name tags. So far I can really only tell the frontrunners and a few others apart. It’s Rudy v. McCain v. Romney v. Thomgilcredopaul. And Huckabee.

7:24 PM Tancredo boldly speaks out against immigration. Here at a GOP primary debate. Gutsy! Also, Rudy says it’s a “typical Washington mess,” if by that he means, “doomed because it doesn’t sufficiently pander to either side,” well, he has a point.

7:26 PM “Well, he’s my friend.” Says Romney of McCain. I can see McCain scribbling notes on his podium as Mitt continues. I’m guessing they don’t read, “John McCain Romney” or “Mr. Romney-McCain” or “JM + MR = 2 good 2 be 4gotten.” That is what Rudy’s writing though.

7:29 PM Did McCain just get booed? Gah.

7:30 PM Romney finally offering something that kind of resembles an idea about immigration: Enforce the current law, he says of the 12m here now. He could probably say, “put them all in a clown car and drive it to Guadalajara,” and he’d still get applause. This crowd hates terrorists AND illegal immigrants. All the bad brown people.

7:32 PM Duncan hunter insults Wolf’s “wimpy” fence, touts his “big” fence, says anyone who gets across it, we enter into the Olympics. But playing for what country? And aren’t we boycotting that? Maybe we put a fence around Darfur? So confused.

7:35 PM FIRST RAISED HANDS QUESTION! McCain actually comes forward against English as official language… because he also supports the rights of native Americans. Wow, he really doesn’t want to actually win, does he?

7:38 PM Crosstalk craziness. Random buzzing. I just had a minor hallucination that Gilmore is a credible candidate. WHERE AM I?

7:39 PM AND NOW THERE IS NO SOUND. I’m glad that Rudy acknowledge the elephant in the room: GOD IS PUNISHING US.

7:43 PM Huckabee dismissive of the idea that it should matter whether a presidential candidate believes in evolution. I tend to think that presidential candidates should be able to pass a junior high science class. I’m happy for him that he believes in God, but I’d just like to know if he believes in, you know, facts. Rudy appears to be laughing at him. I’m sure he and his gay dogwalkers believe in evolution, no problem.

7:46 PM Brownback says that if “faith and science are at odds with each other, check your faith or check your science.” You can’t really “check” faith, which is kind of the point of faith, but whatever: the world is clearly coming to an end anyway.

7:48 PM Romney just said that he believes that Jesus is his personal savior — I’m not sure that’s the controversy about Mormonism (it’s the disappearing gold tablets and whatnot that raise eyebrows) though I’d welcome discussion as to whether belief in Jesus should be a point of debate for everyone.

7:52 PM Everyone loves nuclear power.

7:55 PM Ooooh, a “don’t ask, don’t tell” question! And, uhm, wow, Huckabee seems to be arguing that gays and lesbians should be allowed to serve openly, if they obey the Universal Uniform [thanks, brian!] Code of Military Conduct — which is the position that the Democrats embraced. “It’s your behavior, not your attitude,” he said. Rudy says “it’s not the time to raise these divisive issues,” yeah, because it’s not like we need more people in the military right now or anything. Romney says “don’t ask” is “working.” Except for the whole losing people who speak the languages of the people we’re fighting against thing. McCain: “It would be a terrific mistake to even re-open the issue.” I’d ask those who want to serve who can’t but the TERRIBLE LIGHTNING AND THUNDER SIGNIFYING THE END OF WORLD MIGHT PREVENT THAT.

8:01 PM Thompson would send George W. Bush out on a lecture series. Yeah, maybe on ethics or diplomacy… Oh, wait, he’s serious?

8:05 PM Tancredo wonders why it is that you have to show and ID and take off your shoes to get on a plane but not to cross the border. True, but you also can’t bring any liquids over 3 oz.

8:06 PM Cameraman TOTALLY DRUNK.

8:07 PM Rudy bogarting the Libby question. Everyone missing the point on why Scooter got 30 months: Right, the underlying crime wasn’t proven… and the point of prosecuting obstruction is to punish those that keep the government from being able to prove a crime was committed. Sigh.

8:09 PM Opening wine.

8:16 PM Told an operative I couldn’t tell all the white men in dark suits apart. Said operative: “Neither can they. I bet they call each other by the wrong names backstage.”

8:16 PM Hunter tells woman who lost her brother that it was “worth it.” What’s the “it” in that sentence, really?

8:18 PM McCain stands up… to prove he can? Nice answer though, at least sort of genuine sounding. Operative says: “Oh please, he looked like he just got dumped in the Wal-Mart parking lot.”

8:21 PM OKAY NOW EVERYONE IS GETTING UP. What is this, the local news?

8:22 PM A McCain person writes to say that McCain did not get booed, “it may have been the thunder.” Yes, the APOCALYPTIC THUNDER. In other words, it wasn’t the audience booing, it was God.

8:23 PM Gilmore ALSO STANDING. Mitt Romney totally flummoxed, can’t remember what polling said about standing versus sitting.

8:26 PM Rudy: “Free market principles are the only things that will bring down prices and improve quality” in American health care. Uhm, right, that’s exactly how it’s worked out so far.

8:27 PM Huntredopaulbackson totally against socialized health care also.

8:29 PM Tommy Thompson and his Hitler hair STRIDING FORWARD! Wellness system not health care system! Tobacco bad! We’re too fat! Go paperless! He’s totally making sense but he is SHOUTING. Which, as loyal readers know, BOTHERS ME.

8:31 PM Romney’s decided to stand. He’s not going to apologize about becoming pro-standing. He’s been standing, in his heart, for a long time. Really, he’s a lifelong stander. Small varmint standing, mostly.

8:33 PM Huckabee totally nice pastor guy with enormous tie. If only “nice” mattered. I believe that he prays. Giuliani, on the other hand, shakes his fist and curses the skies.

8:36 PM Ron Paul: our most pressing moral issue is that we’ve accepted the principle of pre-emptive war. He’s sort of in the wrong party. Not that he’d be welcome in the other one.

8:37 PM Brownback is “whole life.” I am Harris Teeter. You are Trader Joe’s.

8:39 PM Mitt Romney wants immigrants to vote for him. Absentee, after he’s deported them.

8:41 PM Tancredo would not advertise in Spanish, which, honestly, just seems like a smart cost-cutting move. It’d be like the Nazi party spending money on ads in the Forward. Just pay people to vote for you if it comes to that.

8:43 PM McCain references the green card holders who serve in Iraq, thus figuring out the one way to get this crowd to applaud immigration.

8:45 PM GOP lost in 2006 because of spending, says McCain… sitting. And now… EVERYONE SITTING. So tie-tie. McCain LEADING THE SIT-STAND TREND.

8:47 PM Brownback is totaly anti-cancer. AND anti-fear of cancer.

8:49 PM Is this thing still on? Really?

8:50 PM Tancredo boldly STANDING AGAIN. Also, if you come to America, you have to cut ties to the old country. Tancredo wants to outlaw St. Patrick’s Day.

8:51 PM Giuliani is pro St. Patrick’s Day. And he’s STANDING again. I love how no one pays attention to Wolf’s wimpy “Thank you” interruptions. McCain says Tancredo’s anti-St. Patrick’s Day stand is “beyond the realm of my imagination.” [NOTE: No one has actually taken a stand against St. Pat’s…. I’m just saying, the whole “leave your culture at the door” attitude would mean the end of green beer.]

8:56 PM Hunter: The frontrunners are with the “Kennedy wing of the Republican party.” I’d laugh at that except now Mitt is talking about a stool that Reagan sat on! Of course! Stools are where, once upon a time you found a chair! A chair’s for fools, everybody wants stools! Hock your jewels, use the money for stools!

9:00 PM McCain ends the debate where it began: teh terrorists.

9:01 PM Who’s up for Charleston?!?!? Apparently, the internets will be involved…