The Liberty Sphere has been keeping its ever-keen eye on Fred Thompson of late, checking to see if there is anything to the rumors that his campaign is faltering.
Based upon the Oct. 21 Fox News-GOP Presidential debate, we would assess that Thompson exhibited great strength and resolve, often going on the attack against the two who have made the most noise, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.
The only thing we have to say about Thompson's offensive is that it's about time. Both Rudy and Mitt are long overdue an accounting for their positions on various issues through the years.
And no amount of verbal calisthenics can change or hide their record.
Thompson even suggested that Romney's positions have sometimes been to the left of Ted Kennedy, of all people. And regarding Giuliani, Thompson castigated the former Mayor for his support for federal funding of abortion, his support for ultra-liberal Democrat Mario Cuomo for Governor of New York, and his support for gun control.
These are all issues with which GOP voters need to begin to hold Giuliani accountable. The same can be said for Romney.
The bottom line? The Thompson campaign is nowhere near faltering. The Senator has his own unique style that may at times be fodder for critics with a vested interest in seeing him falter--such as Ron Paul supporters and even the Giuliani and Romney campaigns.
If anything, Thompson demonstrated that he is Presidential material, a serious contender for the White House, and quite possibly the most electable candidate among the GOP contenders.
Showing posts with label Republican debate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Republican debate. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2007
Monday, August 06, 2007
Republicans Square Off in Iowa
The Republicans had a debate early Sunday morning in Iowa. Unless you are a news junkie you probably didn't even know a debate was taking place.
Yet Iowans get up early, and they packed the house to hear the nine Republican candidates spar on a variety of issues, one week prior to a major straw poll on Saturday, Aug. 13.
Significant in this debate was the fireworks that occurred between Senator Sam Brownback and Mitt Romney. Brownback took Romney to task for his about-face on abortion, not that it isn't admirable for Romney to change his mind but that dyed-in-the-wool pro-life candidates such as Brownback have reason to doubt Romney's sincerity.
Romney has taken an about-face on several issues since his days as a Liberal Republican Governor of the state of Massachusetts. The Liberty Sphere has often asked the question, who is the real Mitt Romney?
Nobody really knows except for the candidate himself.
Brownback's offensive played well in Iowa, where most Republican activists are pro-life. Attendees and observers however did not give the Kansas Senator top marks in the debate.
Most of those who responded to various polls believed that Ron Paul won the debate. Other top contenders were Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney.
John McCain registered a very poor showing in the polls following the debate, which only further solidifies the contention that his candidacy is pretty much washed up.
As always, Duncan Hunter showed great strength and grasp of the issues. From the beginning he has been our favorite candidate, and it is a shame that a highly respected Congressman of his stature has not been able to break out of single digits in the polls.
Tom Tancredo also registered a strong showing in the debate. His effectiveness in handling these forums has steadily improved over time.
That brings us to Tommy Thompson. Thompson has had a distinguished career in Republican Party politics and has definitely made his mark for conservative values. His debate performances are never lackluster, but we have come to expect a consistency about them that neither buries the candidate nor catapults him to the top.
As always, The Liberty Sphere provides ratings for the candidates based upon their views on the following key issues that are central to human liberty--national defense, taxes, abortion, gun rights, the War on Terror, healthcare, immigration, and U.S. foreign policy.
Based upon these key issues, The Liberty Sphere rates the Republican candidates as follows, after Sunday morning's debate (10 is the highest score):
Duncan Hunter--10
Mike Huckabee--10
Tom Tancredo--10
Sam Brownback--8
Ron Paul--7
Tommy Thompson--7
Rudy Giuliani--6
Mitt Romney--6
John McCain--5
Yet Iowans get up early, and they packed the house to hear the nine Republican candidates spar on a variety of issues, one week prior to a major straw poll on Saturday, Aug. 13.
Significant in this debate was the fireworks that occurred between Senator Sam Brownback and Mitt Romney. Brownback took Romney to task for his about-face on abortion, not that it isn't admirable for Romney to change his mind but that dyed-in-the-wool pro-life candidates such as Brownback have reason to doubt Romney's sincerity.
Romney has taken an about-face on several issues since his days as a Liberal Republican Governor of the state of Massachusetts. The Liberty Sphere has often asked the question, who is the real Mitt Romney?
Nobody really knows except for the candidate himself.
Brownback's offensive played well in Iowa, where most Republican activists are pro-life. Attendees and observers however did not give the Kansas Senator top marks in the debate.
Most of those who responded to various polls believed that Ron Paul won the debate. Other top contenders were Sam Brownback, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, and Mitt Romney.
John McCain registered a very poor showing in the polls following the debate, which only further solidifies the contention that his candidacy is pretty much washed up.
As always, Duncan Hunter showed great strength and grasp of the issues. From the beginning he has been our favorite candidate, and it is a shame that a highly respected Congressman of his stature has not been able to break out of single digits in the polls.
Tom Tancredo also registered a strong showing in the debate. His effectiveness in handling these forums has steadily improved over time.
That brings us to Tommy Thompson. Thompson has had a distinguished career in Republican Party politics and has definitely made his mark for conservative values. His debate performances are never lackluster, but we have come to expect a consistency about them that neither buries the candidate nor catapults him to the top.
As always, The Liberty Sphere provides ratings for the candidates based upon their views on the following key issues that are central to human liberty--national defense, taxes, abortion, gun rights, the War on Terror, healthcare, immigration, and U.S. foreign policy.
Based upon these key issues, The Liberty Sphere rates the Republican candidates as follows, after Sunday morning's debate (10 is the highest score):
Duncan Hunter--10
Mike Huckabee--10
Tom Tancredo--10
Sam Brownback--8
Ron Paul--7
Tommy Thompson--7
Rudy Giuliani--6
Mitt Romney--6
John McCain--5
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Ratings of Republican Candidates--3rd Debate, 6/5/07
Manchester, NH (TLS). The 3rd major Republican debate is history. Once again, CNN did an admirable job, with the exception of the 'stupid question' we have come to expect from the mainstream media.
The stupid question tonight was, 'If you are elected how will you use former President George W. Bush?'
Other than these types of stupid questions, Wolf Blitzer and the CNN team did a very good job at managing the debate.
All of the candidates were in top form this evening, and we saw no one who appeared to be having a bad night or struggling with answers.
GENERAL EVALUATION OF DEBATE SKILL/PRESENTATION
In terms of overall communication skill, several candidates competed for top honors, including Duncan Hunter, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul. Each of these 5 candidates did an exceptional job at presenting their views.
Those who did very well but not quite up to the level of the aforementioned candidates were Tom Tancredo, Jim Gilmore, and Tommy Thompson. However, even these candidates presented themselves very well and showed very few weaknesses.
Perhaps one of the key moments during the debate came during the second half, when Duncan Hunter took on Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney for espousing views that are far outside the Republican mainstream. Hunter made a strong case for Reagan ideals being key to reaching out to moderate Republicans and Independents, rather than allowing conservative values to be usurped by the support of more gun control, socialized medicine, and other such dubious positions.
Giuliani's strongest area tonight was his ability to articulate the clear differences between Republicans and Democrats on national security and defense, and the War on Terror. He stated that, 'Not a single Democrat on this stage Sunday night would even utter the words "Islamic Terrorist." He also took direct aim at both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, particularly Edwards' contention that the War on Terror is merely a bumper sticker slogan.
Thus, in terms of presentation, Duncan Hunter showed the strongest improvement. Rudy Giuliani continued to exhibit a clear penchant for leadership, credibility, and a natural ability to look 'Presidential.'
RATINGS OF CANDIDATES ON THE ISSUES IMPACTING LIBERTY
The Liberty Sphere uses our exclusive 'Liberty Scale' for rating candidates based upon the following key issues: national defense, taxes, abortion, gun rights, the War on Terror, healthcare, immigration, and U.S. foreign policy.
Based upon these 8 key issues that impact human liberty, The Liberty Sphere rates each of the Republican candidates in tonight's debate as follows (10 being the highest score):
Duncan Hunter--10
Mike Huckabee--10
Jim Gilmore--10
Tom Tancredo--8
Ron Paul--7
Rudy Giuliani--7
Tommy Thompson--7
John McCain--5
While John McCain can be given high marks for his stand on the War on Terror and its tributary in Iraq, The Liberty Sphere is still very concerned about his long-standing opposition to gun rights, immigration control and border security, and his assault on First Amendment/free speech through McCain-Feingold.
Frankly, however, we would have no problem supporting McCain if he is chosen to go up against ANY Democratic candidate in the general election. In this contest, even the very weakest Republican candidate is a vast improvement over the outright socialistic, pacifistic anti-freedom exhibited by each of the Democratic candidates.
McCain may well have succeeded in regaining his 'number three' position among the front-runners with tonight's strong performance. While Mike Huckabee came on very strong, we are concerned with the 'ministerial' moniker that is increasingly hanging around his neck.
The Liberty Sphere has no problem with ministers running for office, and we believe that Huckabee is a very good man and a strong candidate. Our concern is that the Baptist Minister tag will hurt him among certain portions of the electorate.
It will be interesting to see how the polling data falls out over the next few days with regard to McCain and Huckabee.
Look for Duncan Hunter to move upward in the polls.
The stupid question tonight was, 'If you are elected how will you use former President George W. Bush?'
Other than these types of stupid questions, Wolf Blitzer and the CNN team did a very good job at managing the debate.
All of the candidates were in top form this evening, and we saw no one who appeared to be having a bad night or struggling with answers.
GENERAL EVALUATION OF DEBATE SKILL/PRESENTATION
In terms of overall communication skill, several candidates competed for top honors, including Duncan Hunter, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Ron Paul. Each of these 5 candidates did an exceptional job at presenting their views.
Those who did very well but not quite up to the level of the aforementioned candidates were Tom Tancredo, Jim Gilmore, and Tommy Thompson. However, even these candidates presented themselves very well and showed very few weaknesses.
Perhaps one of the key moments during the debate came during the second half, when Duncan Hunter took on Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney for espousing views that are far outside the Republican mainstream. Hunter made a strong case for Reagan ideals being key to reaching out to moderate Republicans and Independents, rather than allowing conservative values to be usurped by the support of more gun control, socialized medicine, and other such dubious positions.
Giuliani's strongest area tonight was his ability to articulate the clear differences between Republicans and Democrats on national security and defense, and the War on Terror. He stated that, 'Not a single Democrat on this stage Sunday night would even utter the words "Islamic Terrorist." He also took direct aim at both Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, particularly Edwards' contention that the War on Terror is merely a bumper sticker slogan.
Thus, in terms of presentation, Duncan Hunter showed the strongest improvement. Rudy Giuliani continued to exhibit a clear penchant for leadership, credibility, and a natural ability to look 'Presidential.'
RATINGS OF CANDIDATES ON THE ISSUES IMPACTING LIBERTY
The Liberty Sphere uses our exclusive 'Liberty Scale' for rating candidates based upon the following key issues: national defense, taxes, abortion, gun rights, the War on Terror, healthcare, immigration, and U.S. foreign policy.
Based upon these 8 key issues that impact human liberty, The Liberty Sphere rates each of the Republican candidates in tonight's debate as follows (10 being the highest score):
Duncan Hunter--10
Mike Huckabee--10
Jim Gilmore--10
Tom Tancredo--8
Ron Paul--7
Rudy Giuliani--7
Tommy Thompson--7
John McCain--5
While John McCain can be given high marks for his stand on the War on Terror and its tributary in Iraq, The Liberty Sphere is still very concerned about his long-standing opposition to gun rights, immigration control and border security, and his assault on First Amendment/free speech through McCain-Feingold.
Frankly, however, we would have no problem supporting McCain if he is chosen to go up against ANY Democratic candidate in the general election. In this contest, even the very weakest Republican candidate is a vast improvement over the outright socialistic, pacifistic anti-freedom exhibited by each of the Democratic candidates.
McCain may well have succeeded in regaining his 'number three' position among the front-runners with tonight's strong performance. While Mike Huckabee came on very strong, we are concerned with the 'ministerial' moniker that is increasingly hanging around his neck.
The Liberty Sphere has no problem with ministers running for office, and we believe that Huckabee is a very good man and a strong candidate. Our concern is that the Baptist Minister tag will hurt him among certain portions of the electorate.
It will be interesting to see how the polling data falls out over the next few days with regard to McCain and Huckabee.
Look for Duncan Hunter to move upward in the polls.
Major Shift in Tonight's Republican Debate
Manchester, NH (TLS). At 7 PM tonight CNN will broadcast the third major Republican presidential debate. Going into tonight's debate there is already a major shift among the candidates in terms of the top tier.
Polls show that John McCain continues his slide downward among potential Republican voters. The latest polls indicate that McCain now comes in 4th.
That leads to the question as to who has moved into the top three.
Well, it depends on who you ask.
Fred Thompson looms over this debate now that he has announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Although Thompson insists that he still has not made up his mind, he has already given NBC notice that he will not finish out his contract as the DA in the network's long-running series 'Law and Order.'
This can only mean that Thompson has every intention to run.
With Thompson in the picture, he is already polling at 3rd among the candidates--without even campaigning or appearing in a debate.
Others, however, restrict their polling data to those who have announced. Without Thompson in the picture Mike Huckabee moves up into 3rd place.
Thus, going into tonight's debate, here are the Republican candidates' polling standings thus far:
Rudy Giuliani
Mitt Romney
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
Ron Paul
Sam Brownback
Duncan Hunter
Jim Gilmore
Tom Tancredo
Tommy Thompson
Mike Huckabee has surprised everyone with his very strong showing in the first two debates. He is articulate, humorous, likable, and makes for an attractive candidate. Look for him to continue his upward spiral this evening.
It will be interesting to see if Ron Paul continues to ignite fireworks this evening. The candidate certainly provides an alternative for Republicans who are tired of the War and who take seriously the U.S. Constitution. We will see if he can recover from his unfortunate insinuation during the last debate that America is to blame for the terrorist attack against us.
As always, The Liberty Sphere will provide our exclusive Liberty Rating on the candidates following the debate. Check back tonight for further details....
Polls show that John McCain continues his slide downward among potential Republican voters. The latest polls indicate that McCain now comes in 4th.
That leads to the question as to who has moved into the top three.
Well, it depends on who you ask.
Fred Thompson looms over this debate now that he has announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee. Although Thompson insists that he still has not made up his mind, he has already given NBC notice that he will not finish out his contract as the DA in the network's long-running series 'Law and Order.'
This can only mean that Thompson has every intention to run.
With Thompson in the picture, he is already polling at 3rd among the candidates--without even campaigning or appearing in a debate.
Others, however, restrict their polling data to those who have announced. Without Thompson in the picture Mike Huckabee moves up into 3rd place.
Thus, going into tonight's debate, here are the Republican candidates' polling standings thus far:
Rudy Giuliani
Mitt Romney
Mike Huckabee
John McCain
Ron Paul
Sam Brownback
Duncan Hunter
Jim Gilmore
Tom Tancredo
Tommy Thompson
Mike Huckabee has surprised everyone with his very strong showing in the first two debates. He is articulate, humorous, likable, and makes for an attractive candidate. Look for him to continue his upward spiral this evening.
It will be interesting to see if Ron Paul continues to ignite fireworks this evening. The candidate certainly provides an alternative for Republicans who are tired of the War and who take seriously the U.S. Constitution. We will see if he can recover from his unfortunate insinuation during the last debate that America is to blame for the terrorist attack against us.
As always, The Liberty Sphere will provide our exclusive Liberty Rating on the candidates following the debate. Check back tonight for further details....
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Rudy Hits Grand Slam
Columbia, SC (TLS). By anyone's estimation, the decisive moment that occurred in last night's Republican debate was 'the Giuliani response' to Ron Paul. These sorts of things cannot be staged. The fact that the response was a spontaneous emotional reaction only served to lend it credibility.
Giuliani was given a golden moment to shine on an issue that is obviously very dear to his heart--the issue of terrorism and the motivations for terrorists to attack us on our own shores.
As Mayor of New York City, Giuliani dealt first-hand with this very real issue as few are ever called upon to do.
Thus, when candidate Ron Paul implied that the reason why we were attacked on 9/11 was our own fault for being involved in the Middle East in the past, Giuliani spontaneously spoke up without even being prompted or asking permission. It was not part of the script for him to respond. But he seized the moment and made it into the decisive moment.
Giuliani, visibly upset with Paul's misguided suggestion, turned righteously indignant. I would guess that 95% of Americans were right with him, feeling the same thing. Showing little tolerance for such a short-sighted point of view, Giuliani blasted Paul for implying such a thing.
And with good reason. It would be mighty convenient to blame terrorism upon past U.S. failures in foreign policy, or in our justifiable attempt to keep a powder-keg from blowing sky high. But the notion fails to take into consideration fundamentalist Islam, which maintains that the entire world must convert to Islam, or we will be considered infidels who must be killed.
The notion of convert or kill within radical Islam was not created by past U.S. foreign policy.
Giuliani thus turned the moment into a grand opportunity to seize the day and hit one out of the park. Not only did he have the facts on his side, but the gut-wrenching nature of the issue enlivened and humanized a debate, which like all debates, was sorely lacking in basic human emotion.
Thus, Giuliani was able to show America something of his soul...a glimpse into the things he holds dear. And American lives is one of them. The candidate displayed for the nation why he became known after 9/11 as 'America's Mayor.'
These moments are few and far between in debates. And when they present themselves the candidates involved are not always able, for one reason or another, to seize those moments as opportunities. Giuliani reacted spontaneously and showed the nation why he is ready to be President.
Giuliani was given a golden moment to shine on an issue that is obviously very dear to his heart--the issue of terrorism and the motivations for terrorists to attack us on our own shores.
As Mayor of New York City, Giuliani dealt first-hand with this very real issue as few are ever called upon to do.
Thus, when candidate Ron Paul implied that the reason why we were attacked on 9/11 was our own fault for being involved in the Middle East in the past, Giuliani spontaneously spoke up without even being prompted or asking permission. It was not part of the script for him to respond. But he seized the moment and made it into the decisive moment.
Giuliani, visibly upset with Paul's misguided suggestion, turned righteously indignant. I would guess that 95% of Americans were right with him, feeling the same thing. Showing little tolerance for such a short-sighted point of view, Giuliani blasted Paul for implying such a thing.
And with good reason. It would be mighty convenient to blame terrorism upon past U.S. failures in foreign policy, or in our justifiable attempt to keep a powder-keg from blowing sky high. But the notion fails to take into consideration fundamentalist Islam, which maintains that the entire world must convert to Islam, or we will be considered infidels who must be killed.
The notion of convert or kill within radical Islam was not created by past U.S. foreign policy.
Giuliani thus turned the moment into a grand opportunity to seize the day and hit one out of the park. Not only did he have the facts on his side, but the gut-wrenching nature of the issue enlivened and humanized a debate, which like all debates, was sorely lacking in basic human emotion.
Thus, Giuliani was able to show America something of his soul...a glimpse into the things he holds dear. And American lives is one of them. The candidate displayed for the nation why he became known after 9/11 as 'America's Mayor.'
These moments are few and far between in debates. And when they present themselves the candidates involved are not always able, for one reason or another, to seize those moments as opportunities. Giuliani reacted spontaneously and showed the nation why he is ready to be President.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The 2nd Debate--Ratings of the Republican Candidates
Columbia, SC (TLS). The Republican candidates squared off for their second debate here this evening at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC. The University, which boasts over 30,000 students here in a metropolitan area of roughly 400,000, became the focus of thousands of news personnel from around the country, some from as far away as Washington State, in order to see these candidates in action.
An estimated crowd of 10,000 gathered for this forum, which was hosted and aired by Fox News. News veteran Britt Hume, Washington bureau chief for Fox News, did his normally admirable job of moderating this debate.
The questions presented to the candidates were reasonable, thoughtful, thorough, sometimes confrontational, and substantive. In fact, Fox News, Britt Hume, and company, can take pride in the fact that tonight they displayed a brilliant presentation of professional journalism.
Tonight's format was decidedly different from what we have seen so far in these gatherings. Fox had stated prior to the debate to expect changes, and they delivered. There was room for interaction between candidates, with Giuliani going head-to-head with Ron Paul on the reasons we were attacked on 9/11. There was even an innovative part of the debate where Britt Hume presented a hypothetical scenario of a terrorist attack on America. The candidates then had to describe what they would do in light of the attack.
As always, The Liberty Sphere will begin by presenting our analysis of the effectiveness of the candidates' presentation, i.e., clarity and style of communication, connection with the audience, logical progression of rhetoric, and ability to answer the questions asked rather than running off on tangents.
In light of these qualities, The Liberty Sphere ranks the candidates as follows, in order of their overall effectiveness of presentation:
Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter (3-way tie)
John McCain, Tom Tancredo, Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback (4-way tie)
Tommy Thompson
Jim Gilmore
Ron Paul
The person showing the most improvement over the first debate was Tom Tancredo, who was engaging, articulate, and powerful. The biggest disappointment was Ron Paul, who implied that the reason we were attacked on 9/11 was directly due to our involvement in the Middle East for years. This played right into the hands of Rudy Giuliani, who was visibly outraged at such a suggestion, and displayed the indignation of one personally offended by the mere suggestion that America itself is responsible for the terrorist murders of our citizens.
When we are dealing with radical Islam, no amount of isolationalism would have prevented them from attempting to carry out the will of Allah in slaughtering the infidels. Ron Paul should know this.
In fact, the major gaffe of the evening was by Ron Paul on this issue, who may have just insured his demise as a viable candidate.
Second, The Liberty Sphere will rate the candidates based upon our eight-point 'Liberty Scale.' This is the heart of our ratings system, for the emphasis here is exclusively on the issues alone.
The eight issues we have chosen by which to rate the candidates on the issues are as follows: taxes, gun rights, national defense, abortion, the War on Terror, the War in Iraq, border security, and immigration control. These particular issues are at the heart of liberty, and they are consistent with The Liberty Sphere's mission statement.
For a full explanation on our rationale for rating the candidates on these eight issues, see our post on the first Democratic debate here:
http://thelibertysphere.blogspot.com/2007/04/ratings-of-democratic-presidential.html
Based upon The Liberty Sphere's analysis of each of the 10 Republican Presidential candidates and the extent to which they adhere to our eight key indicators of liberty, the candidates in tonight's debate are rated as follows on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest score:
Duncan Hunter--10
Mike Huckabee--10
Tom Tancredo--8
Jim Gilmore--7
Rudy Giuliani--7
Mitt Romney--6
Sam Brownback--6
Ron Paul--6
Tommy Thompson--6
John McCain--5
You will note several items of interest. Tom Tancredo significantly helped himself in tonight's debate. So did Rudy Giuliani. Ron Paul lost a great amount of ground due to his more complete explanation of his views on foreign policy and his apparent short-sighted take on the nature of radical Islam. We did not create Muslim terrorists. To merely imply such a thing either deliberately or inadvertently is to insure the end of one's candidacy, for all intents and purposes.
Our rationale on giving significantly higher marks to Rudy this evening revolves, in part, around his eloquent explanation of his views on abortion. Although we disagree on how to deal with a moral issue, we can respect his point of view because he is honest about it, and because he has obviously thought it through very thoroughly. In addition, we believe that his credentials as a player on the world stage against global terrorism were on full display this evening. And it doesn't hurt that he pledges to appoint only strict constructionists to the courts and that he believes in American capitalism and free enterprise as opposed to Hillary Clinton's socialism.
An estimated crowd of 10,000 gathered for this forum, which was hosted and aired by Fox News. News veteran Britt Hume, Washington bureau chief for Fox News, did his normally admirable job of moderating this debate.
The questions presented to the candidates were reasonable, thoughtful, thorough, sometimes confrontational, and substantive. In fact, Fox News, Britt Hume, and company, can take pride in the fact that tonight they displayed a brilliant presentation of professional journalism.
Tonight's format was decidedly different from what we have seen so far in these gatherings. Fox had stated prior to the debate to expect changes, and they delivered. There was room for interaction between candidates, with Giuliani going head-to-head with Ron Paul on the reasons we were attacked on 9/11. There was even an innovative part of the debate where Britt Hume presented a hypothetical scenario of a terrorist attack on America. The candidates then had to describe what they would do in light of the attack.
As always, The Liberty Sphere will begin by presenting our analysis of the effectiveness of the candidates' presentation, i.e., clarity and style of communication, connection with the audience, logical progression of rhetoric, and ability to answer the questions asked rather than running off on tangents.
In light of these qualities, The Liberty Sphere ranks the candidates as follows, in order of their overall effectiveness of presentation:
Rudy Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter (3-way tie)
John McCain, Tom Tancredo, Mitt Romney, Sam Brownback (4-way tie)
Tommy Thompson
Jim Gilmore
Ron Paul
The person showing the most improvement over the first debate was Tom Tancredo, who was engaging, articulate, and powerful. The biggest disappointment was Ron Paul, who implied that the reason we were attacked on 9/11 was directly due to our involvement in the Middle East for years. This played right into the hands of Rudy Giuliani, who was visibly outraged at such a suggestion, and displayed the indignation of one personally offended by the mere suggestion that America itself is responsible for the terrorist murders of our citizens.
When we are dealing with radical Islam, no amount of isolationalism would have prevented them from attempting to carry out the will of Allah in slaughtering the infidels. Ron Paul should know this.
In fact, the major gaffe of the evening was by Ron Paul on this issue, who may have just insured his demise as a viable candidate.
Second, The Liberty Sphere will rate the candidates based upon our eight-point 'Liberty Scale.' This is the heart of our ratings system, for the emphasis here is exclusively on the issues alone.
The eight issues we have chosen by which to rate the candidates on the issues are as follows: taxes, gun rights, national defense, abortion, the War on Terror, the War in Iraq, border security, and immigration control. These particular issues are at the heart of liberty, and they are consistent with The Liberty Sphere's mission statement.
For a full explanation on our rationale for rating the candidates on these eight issues, see our post on the first Democratic debate here:
http://thelibertysphere.blogspot.com/2007/04/ratings-of-democratic-presidential.html
Based upon The Liberty Sphere's analysis of each of the 10 Republican Presidential candidates and the extent to which they adhere to our eight key indicators of liberty, the candidates in tonight's debate are rated as follows on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest score:
Duncan Hunter--10
Mike Huckabee--10
Tom Tancredo--8
Jim Gilmore--7
Rudy Giuliani--7
Mitt Romney--6
Sam Brownback--6
Ron Paul--6
Tommy Thompson--6
John McCain--5
You will note several items of interest. Tom Tancredo significantly helped himself in tonight's debate. So did Rudy Giuliani. Ron Paul lost a great amount of ground due to his more complete explanation of his views on foreign policy and his apparent short-sighted take on the nature of radical Islam. We did not create Muslim terrorists. To merely imply such a thing either deliberately or inadvertently is to insure the end of one's candidacy, for all intents and purposes.
Our rationale on giving significantly higher marks to Rudy this evening revolves, in part, around his eloquent explanation of his views on abortion. Although we disagree on how to deal with a moral issue, we can respect his point of view because he is honest about it, and because he has obviously thought it through very thoroughly. In addition, we believe that his credentials as a player on the world stage against global terrorism were on full display this evening. And it doesn't hurt that he pledges to appoint only strict constructionists to the courts and that he believes in American capitalism and free enterprise as opposed to Hillary Clinton's socialism.
What to Look for in Tonight's Republican Debate
Columbia, SC (TLS). The campus of the University of South Carolina in the state capital of Columbia will be the setting this evening for the second debate of the Republican Presidential candidates.
As a primer for this evening's debate, here are a few things to look for:
1. Fox News will undoubtedly provide a very different format and approach from that of the first Republican debate, which was sponsored by MSNBC. While Fox has not disclosed exactly how this forum will be different, it will be interesting to see if this meeting comes closer to being a real debate than any of the previous candidates' forums this year.
2. With news veteran Britt Hume as the moderator for tonight's debate, look for more questions of substance. Chris Matthews' stint as 'moderator' of the first Republican debate was nothing less than a debacle for two reasons: Matthews is a known partisan who favors Liberal Democrats, and two, many of the questions were downright ridiculous and not even worthy of consideration. It will be hard to imagine this happening tonight with Hume in charge.
3. Ron Paul stands to make major strides in advancing his candidacy if he does well tonight. His first debate appearance set the Internet abuzz. Will he build on that momentum, or will he stall?
4. Tom Tancredo will more than likely stage a very strong appearance this evening, given that he was off his game in the first debate. Look for him to display his characteristic charisma and eloquence, particularly on the issue of border security.
5. The four candidates who helped themselves the most by their performance in the first debate--Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore, and Mitt Romney--will be under the gun to pull off the same thing this time. Look for at least one of these to stumble a bit.
6. Giuliani and McCain have a chance to step up to the plate and hit one out of the park this evening. However, anything less than a stellar performance out of each will amount to a net loss, in our opinion. Neither candidate did or said anything in the last debate to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in terms of desirability. Unless they change that perception, and change it soon, you can look for both of these top contenders to begin losing steam in the polls.
7. At this point we do not see either Kansas Senator Sam Brownback nor Tommy Thompson as viable contenders. Brownback could change that with an unusually strong showing this evening. He is a good man who certainly has a bright future worthy of greatness. The question is, is the timing right? With Thompson, his candidacy has had trouble getting off the ground, and we don't see that changing tonight unless a major miracle takes place.
As always, The Liberty Sphere will post our exclusive 'Liberty Rating' on each of the candidates following tonight's debate.
As a primer for this evening's debate, here are a few things to look for:
1. Fox News will undoubtedly provide a very different format and approach from that of the first Republican debate, which was sponsored by MSNBC. While Fox has not disclosed exactly how this forum will be different, it will be interesting to see if this meeting comes closer to being a real debate than any of the previous candidates' forums this year.
2. With news veteran Britt Hume as the moderator for tonight's debate, look for more questions of substance. Chris Matthews' stint as 'moderator' of the first Republican debate was nothing less than a debacle for two reasons: Matthews is a known partisan who favors Liberal Democrats, and two, many of the questions were downright ridiculous and not even worthy of consideration. It will be hard to imagine this happening tonight with Hume in charge.
3. Ron Paul stands to make major strides in advancing his candidacy if he does well tonight. His first debate appearance set the Internet abuzz. Will he build on that momentum, or will he stall?
4. Tom Tancredo will more than likely stage a very strong appearance this evening, given that he was off his game in the first debate. Look for him to display his characteristic charisma and eloquence, particularly on the issue of border security.
5. The four candidates who helped themselves the most by their performance in the first debate--Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, Jim Gilmore, and Mitt Romney--will be under the gun to pull off the same thing this time. Look for at least one of these to stumble a bit.
6. Giuliani and McCain have a chance to step up to the plate and hit one out of the park this evening. However, anything less than a stellar performance out of each will amount to a net loss, in our opinion. Neither candidate did or said anything in the last debate to separate themselves from the rest of the pack in terms of desirability. Unless they change that perception, and change it soon, you can look for both of these top contenders to begin losing steam in the polls.
7. At this point we do not see either Kansas Senator Sam Brownback nor Tommy Thompson as viable contenders. Brownback could change that with an unusually strong showing this evening. He is a good man who certainly has a bright future worthy of greatness. The question is, is the timing right? With Thompson, his candidacy has had trouble getting off the ground, and we don't see that changing tonight unless a major miracle takes place.
As always, The Liberty Sphere will post our exclusive 'Liberty Rating' on each of the candidates following tonight's debate.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Stupid Questions
Washington, DC (TLS). Everyone knows that Chris Matthews of NBC is a partisan, biased, Leftwing nutcase. He has never attempted to hide the fact. He was seen recently on a late-night talk show using expletives to describe Republicans. He has done this before.
But the questions Matthews issued to the Republican candidates during their first debate cannot be described in any other way but 'stupid.'
'How would you feel about Hillary Clinton in the White House?'
'Well, ah, gee whiz there, Chris, I would just LOVE it if Hillary were in the White House! After all, that's why I'm running for President, you IDIOT!'
I wish someone had had the guts to answer the stupid question in that manner.
However, now it is Mike Wallace's turn to ask the stupid questions. In an upcoming 60 Minutes interview on CBS with Mitt Romney, Wallace reportedly asks Romney if he and his wife 'ever had premarital sex.'
Excuse me, Mr. Wallace, but with all due respect this is an IDIOTIC question that demeans your entire distinguished career.
So does it all come down to this? I suppose the start of it all was the question put to Bill Clinton in 1992, 'Boxers or briefs?'
The news business has reached a very low ebb. Not only do they think we want to know what type of underwear the candidates wear, but they have the unmitigated gall to ask an opponent what he/she thinks if their rival wins the White House. DUH!
And who cares if Mitt Romney and his wife had premarital sex!
We can only hope that with Fox News sponsoring the next debate, we will get some questions that are worthy of a serious dialogue concerning the nation's future. It would be hard to imagine Britt Hume or John Gibson asking the candidates such blatantly mindless questions that have nothing to do with their ability to be President.
No wonder none of the Democrats want to face Fox News reporters asking the questions!
But, since apparently the Dems have insisted that only so-called 'mainstream' news organizations sponsor their debates--you know, the ones that want to know about premarital sex--I have come up with a few stupid questions the mighty heavy-weights of ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN could ask the Democrats.
'Mrs. Clinton, are you presently taking prescription hormonal therapy for post-menopausal women? And could this medication impair your decision-making?'
'Mr. Obama, which brand of smokes do you prefer? Winstons? Benson and Hedges? Would you offer Hillary a smoke if you were to light up after the debate?'
'Mr. Biden, are you standing there lusting after Hillary while waiting for your next question? And would you describe Hillary as an attractive woman or more of a bulldog?'
'Mr. Dodd, have you ever engaged in cross-dressing?'
'Mr. Edwards, if elected, would you disclose just who it is that does your hair? Chris Matthews and others of us want to know.'
'Mr. Kucinich, how many more times do you think you will have to position yourself to be photographed with President Bush before people remember who you are?'
'Mr. Gravel, do YOU even remember who you are?'
And finally.....
'Mr. Richardson, since you served in the Clinton White House and are friends of Bill (and we all know Bill talks)....tell us what all of America wants to know...does Hillary wear thong panties?'
But the questions Matthews issued to the Republican candidates during their first debate cannot be described in any other way but 'stupid.'
'How would you feel about Hillary Clinton in the White House?'
'Well, ah, gee whiz there, Chris, I would just LOVE it if Hillary were in the White House! After all, that's why I'm running for President, you IDIOT!'
I wish someone had had the guts to answer the stupid question in that manner.
However, now it is Mike Wallace's turn to ask the stupid questions. In an upcoming 60 Minutes interview on CBS with Mitt Romney, Wallace reportedly asks Romney if he and his wife 'ever had premarital sex.'
Excuse me, Mr. Wallace, but with all due respect this is an IDIOTIC question that demeans your entire distinguished career.
So does it all come down to this? I suppose the start of it all was the question put to Bill Clinton in 1992, 'Boxers or briefs?'
The news business has reached a very low ebb. Not only do they think we want to know what type of underwear the candidates wear, but they have the unmitigated gall to ask an opponent what he/she thinks if their rival wins the White House. DUH!
And who cares if Mitt Romney and his wife had premarital sex!
We can only hope that with Fox News sponsoring the next debate, we will get some questions that are worthy of a serious dialogue concerning the nation's future. It would be hard to imagine Britt Hume or John Gibson asking the candidates such blatantly mindless questions that have nothing to do with their ability to be President.
No wonder none of the Democrats want to face Fox News reporters asking the questions!
But, since apparently the Dems have insisted that only so-called 'mainstream' news organizations sponsor their debates--you know, the ones that want to know about premarital sex--I have come up with a few stupid questions the mighty heavy-weights of ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN could ask the Democrats.
'Mrs. Clinton, are you presently taking prescription hormonal therapy for post-menopausal women? And could this medication impair your decision-making?'
'Mr. Obama, which brand of smokes do you prefer? Winstons? Benson and Hedges? Would you offer Hillary a smoke if you were to light up after the debate?'
'Mr. Biden, are you standing there lusting after Hillary while waiting for your next question? And would you describe Hillary as an attractive woman or more of a bulldog?'
'Mr. Dodd, have you ever engaged in cross-dressing?'
'Mr. Edwards, if elected, would you disclose just who it is that does your hair? Chris Matthews and others of us want to know.'
'Mr. Kucinich, how many more times do you think you will have to position yourself to be photographed with President Bush before people remember who you are?'
'Mr. Gravel, do YOU even remember who you are?'
And finally.....
'Mr. Richardson, since you served in the Clinton White House and are friends of Bill (and we all know Bill talks)....tell us what all of America wants to know...does Hillary wear thong panties?'
Friday, May 04, 2007
FOX ALLOWS ALL REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES IN DEBATE
Washington, DC (TLS). The May 15 Republican debate, which will be held in Columbia, South Carolina and televised on Fox News, will feature ALL 10 of the candidates after all.
Apparently Fox and the S.C. Republican Party heard the outcry from the rank and file Republicans concerning their plan to feature only the three front-runners. Thus, in a joint statement released today by Fox News and the S.C. Republican Party, all 10 Republican candidates will be featured in the May 15 debate.
The Liberty Sphere applauds both Fox and the Republicans for this very wise decision. As we saw in last night's Republican debate in California, allowing ALL candidates makes for some interesting surprises. Who would have known how strong Duncan Hunter and Mike Huckabee come across on the national stage had they not been allowed to be a part of last night's debate?
In addition, we fully expect there to be some movement in the polls toward Mitt Romney. We cannot be certain at this point exactly how much movement, but the candidate did so well Thursday night that he is sure to gain some supporters who had not yet had the chance to see him in action.
In fact, look for Mitt Romney, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, and Jim Gilmore all to gain in the polls.
Neither Rudy Giuliani nor John McCain did or said anything last evening that would sway voters, in our opinion. In short, they neither hurt nor helped themselves. Their support will probably remain steady, but at this point we do not see either candidate picking up widespread new support resulting from last night's debate. But neither candidate lost any ground either.
The public, however, needs to have a second look at all ten of the candidates. The South Carolina debate will give them that opportunity.
Apparently Fox and the S.C. Republican Party heard the outcry from the rank and file Republicans concerning their plan to feature only the three front-runners. Thus, in a joint statement released today by Fox News and the S.C. Republican Party, all 10 Republican candidates will be featured in the May 15 debate.
The Liberty Sphere applauds both Fox and the Republicans for this very wise decision. As we saw in last night's Republican debate in California, allowing ALL candidates makes for some interesting surprises. Who would have known how strong Duncan Hunter and Mike Huckabee come across on the national stage had they not been allowed to be a part of last night's debate?
In addition, we fully expect there to be some movement in the polls toward Mitt Romney. We cannot be certain at this point exactly how much movement, but the candidate did so well Thursday night that he is sure to gain some supporters who had not yet had the chance to see him in action.
In fact, look for Mitt Romney, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, and Jim Gilmore all to gain in the polls.
Neither Rudy Giuliani nor John McCain did or said anything last evening that would sway voters, in our opinion. In short, they neither hurt nor helped themselves. Their support will probably remain steady, but at this point we do not see either candidate picking up widespread new support resulting from last night's debate. But neither candidate lost any ground either.
The public, however, needs to have a second look at all ten of the candidates. The South Carolina debate will give them that opportunity.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Ratings of Republican Presidential Candidates
Washington, DC (TLS). The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California provided the backdrop for this first forum of the Republican Presidential candidates.
As we did with the Democrats, The Liberty Sphere will rate each of the Republican candidates based upon their performance in tonight's debate, as well as their views.
With regard to strength of communication skills, clarity of presentation, answering the questions posed, and ability to connect at an emotional level with voters, the candidates are listed below in order of their overall effectiveness in tonight's forum:
Governor Mitt Romney
Rep. Duncan Hunter and Governor Mike Huckabee (tie)
Governor Jim Gilmore
Senator Sam Brownback
Senator John McCain
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rep. Ron Paul
Governor Tommy Thompson
Rep. Tom Tancredo
The surprises of the evening are that Mitt Romney and Jim Gilmore did so incredibly well, and Tom Tancredo did so poorly. We regret the latter, for Rep. Tancredo is a good communicator with ideas that need a hearing in this country. For some reason or another, he was off his game tonight.
Of the three front runners so far, Mitt Romney gained the most from this encounter, allowing a large portion of the population to see how well he handles himself under pressure. If there were to be a declared winner on the basis of communication, presentation, and debate presence, it would be Romney, hands down.
Now for the issues of substance. The Liberty Sphere rates all candidates based upon our mission statement, which is to advocate for human liberty all over the world, and to support those candidates, Parties, and organizations that do the most to propagate human freedom.
We base this 'liberty rating' on eight (8) key issues that are central to liberty: national defense, taxes, healthcare, gun rights, abortion, the war on terror, U.S. foreign policy, and immigration control.
For a complete description and rationale for our view that these issues are key, click here to go to our ratings of the Democratic candidates in their first debate:
http://thelibertysphere.blogspot.com/2007/04/ratings-of-democratic-presidential.html
Based upon our analysis of the views of each of the Republican candidates on these 8 key critical issues, The Liberty Sphere rates tonight's candidates on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest score):
Rep. Duncan Hunter--10
Governor Mike Huckabee--10
Governor Jim Gilmore--9
Senator Sam Brownback--8
Governor Mitt Romney--7
Governor Tommy Thompson--7
Rep. Tom Tancredo--7
Rep. Ron Paul--7
Mayor Rudy Giuliani--6
Senator John McCain--5
Based upon The Liberty Sphere's total leading indicators, combining effectiveness of presentation with strength of views with regard to liberty, who benefited the most from tonight's forum?
Four candidates stand out as doing a stellar job at presenting their case for why they should be President, and probably helped themselves tremendously by appearing in tonight's debate. They are Mitt Romney, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, and Jim Gilmore.
A LIBERTY SPHERE INSIDER'S TIP: The man to watch is former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who has been gaining supporters everywhere he goes. He was terribly underrated going into the campaign, and not only has he far surpassed everyone's expectations but he has proved that he is a major player--a political heavyweight who can stand his ground with the most seasoned veterans.
By the way, Huckabee surprisingly came out as the winner of the first Republican straw poll in South Carolina, the Spartanburg County Republican Party Straw Poll, which not only shows Huckabee's ability to sway voters to his side but which also showed the strength of another dark horse--Duncan Hunter, who came in third.
A FINAL NOTE: A huge absentee who was yet very much present tonight was former Senator Fred Thompson. He is emerging as a star waiting in the wings whose entry into the race could change the entire complexion of the Republican race for the nomination.
As we did with the Democrats, The Liberty Sphere will rate each of the Republican candidates based upon their performance in tonight's debate, as well as their views.
With regard to strength of communication skills, clarity of presentation, answering the questions posed, and ability to connect at an emotional level with voters, the candidates are listed below in order of their overall effectiveness in tonight's forum:
Governor Mitt Romney
Rep. Duncan Hunter and Governor Mike Huckabee (tie)
Governor Jim Gilmore
Senator Sam Brownback
Senator John McCain
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rep. Ron Paul
Governor Tommy Thompson
Rep. Tom Tancredo
The surprises of the evening are that Mitt Romney and Jim Gilmore did so incredibly well, and Tom Tancredo did so poorly. We regret the latter, for Rep. Tancredo is a good communicator with ideas that need a hearing in this country. For some reason or another, he was off his game tonight.
Of the three front runners so far, Mitt Romney gained the most from this encounter, allowing a large portion of the population to see how well he handles himself under pressure. If there were to be a declared winner on the basis of communication, presentation, and debate presence, it would be Romney, hands down.
Now for the issues of substance. The Liberty Sphere rates all candidates based upon our mission statement, which is to advocate for human liberty all over the world, and to support those candidates, Parties, and organizations that do the most to propagate human freedom.
We base this 'liberty rating' on eight (8) key issues that are central to liberty: national defense, taxes, healthcare, gun rights, abortion, the war on terror, U.S. foreign policy, and immigration control.
For a complete description and rationale for our view that these issues are key, click here to go to our ratings of the Democratic candidates in their first debate:
http://thelibertysphere.blogspot.com/2007/04/ratings-of-democratic-presidential.html
Based upon our analysis of the views of each of the Republican candidates on these 8 key critical issues, The Liberty Sphere rates tonight's candidates on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest score):
Rep. Duncan Hunter--10
Governor Mike Huckabee--10
Governor Jim Gilmore--9
Senator Sam Brownback--8
Governor Mitt Romney--7
Governor Tommy Thompson--7
Rep. Tom Tancredo--7
Rep. Ron Paul--7
Mayor Rudy Giuliani--6
Senator John McCain--5
Based upon The Liberty Sphere's total leading indicators, combining effectiveness of presentation with strength of views with regard to liberty, who benefited the most from tonight's forum?
Four candidates stand out as doing a stellar job at presenting their case for why they should be President, and probably helped themselves tremendously by appearing in tonight's debate. They are Mitt Romney, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, and Jim Gilmore.
A LIBERTY SPHERE INSIDER'S TIP: The man to watch is former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who has been gaining supporters everywhere he goes. He was terribly underrated going into the campaign, and not only has he far surpassed everyone's expectations but he has proved that he is a major player--a political heavyweight who can stand his ground with the most seasoned veterans.
By the way, Huckabee surprisingly came out as the winner of the first Republican straw poll in South Carolina, the Spartanburg County Republican Party Straw Poll, which not only shows Huckabee's ability to sway voters to his side but which also showed the strength of another dark horse--Duncan Hunter, who came in third.
A FINAL NOTE: A huge absentee who was yet very much present tonight was former Senator Fred Thompson. He is emerging as a star waiting in the wings whose entry into the race could change the entire complexion of the Republican race for the nomination.
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