Official January 7th Debate Thread

[Politico]

My prediction: Far, far more voters, even in New Hampshire and South Carolina, will be watching the Saints/Lions NFL playoff game.

- Romney will brush off any attacks and focus primarily on looking presidential and attacking Obama
- Gingrich will be a cry baby who throws pathetic nonsense at Romney
- Perry will go after Santorum
- Santorum will probably go after Romney but get dragged down in a mudslinging contest at least once with Perry
- Paul will say at least one crazy thing
- Huntsman will pander to New Hampshire voters to a sickening extent

[Politico]

Better yet, Newt Gingrich should be forced to live minimum-wage and as a gay man in southern Georgia and then say that "CATLIKZZZ HAV IT HRD!!!!111"

Each and every one of them should be thrown into the mobs of the truly oppressed.

Why would a gay man in southern Georgia stay in southern Georgia instead of moving to San Francisco?

And nobody in America is truly oppressed. Go to sh**tholes like Zimbabwe or Afghanistan if you want to see the truly oppressed.

[Politico]

They need to talk about the economy more. Attacking Obama on foreign policy is a huge general election loser.

[Politico]

"...BY THE PIRATES!" - Ron Paul

[Politico]

Eye Rack?  I thought we finished with Eye Rack.  Who the hell wants to go back there?

That was weird.  And I thought he was actually doing pretty well before that.

Yeah, Perry is The Suicide King. He is almost surely completely finished forever.

[Politico]

"people who take jobs away from us"

Like Bain Capital under Mitt?

European-style class warfare does not work in America.

[Politico]

"people who take jobs away from us"

Like Bain Capital under Mitt?

European-style class warfare does not work in America.

I bet his record and image will really help him in these states.

@Mitt Romney: THE TOP TAX RATE THEN WAS 90% AHBEIREHILAALAGALBAREAGANRAISEDTAXES12TIMESAGLABLABGRARGALABRARG

The last time a presidential candidate tried making class warfare their central plank, the result was this:

[Politico]

Bain capital will be the death of Romney.

Back when Obama was a "community organizer," Romney had a real job as a real executive in a real company that created real jobs in the real economy. We've seen what happens when you make a "community organizer" an executive. It does not work. It's time to put an executive back in the position of chief executive of the United States.

[Politico]

Bain capital will be the death of Romney.

I tend to agree.  When you investigate what actually happened there, it's a goldmine.  Certainly enough to turn any independent conservative like myself from ever thinking about voting for him.

What was improper with what Bain did again?  I mean taking over sick companies, and trying to resuscitate them, and if they can't be profitably reanimated, killing them off, seems to be benign creative resurrection and destruction to me. It is what drives productive capitalism Sam. Surely you know this.

Yep. And what is the alternative to American free enterprise as exemplified by Bain Capital, for example? More and more government intrusion into people's most essential decisions (i.e., what to produce and what to consume)? No thank you.

[Politico]

So where was Gingrich's blistering attacks on Romney?

He tried a time or two, but nobody cares anymore. Everybody just wants Newt to go away for good. Hopefully he will lose spectacularly in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

[Politico]

I'm so surprised how cordial it has remained between Romney and Paul - they never really go after each other. A great mystery.

I think it's fairly clear that Paul sees Romney as the best of the bad candidates (other than himself).  Plus, malleability makes him more open to the libertarian wing's influence than the socons would be.

This. And would anybody be truly shocked if Romney chose Rand Paul, the only Tea Party candidate of 2010 to win a US Senate seat, as his running mate?

[Politico]

I'm so surprised how cordial it has remained between Romney and Paul - they never really go after each other. A great mystery.

I think it's fairly clear that Paul sees Romney as the best of the bad candidates (other than himself).  Plus, malleability makes him more open to the libertarian wing's influence than the socons would be.

This. And would anybody be truly shocked if Romney chose Rand Paul, the only Tea Party candidate of 2010 to win a US Senate seat, as his running mate?

That actually makes a fair amount of sense.

Rand Paul has the Paul brand name without the controversial aspects of his father's career (and obviously youth compared to his father). It helps that he has a southern accent and Tea Party backing, too.

[Politico]

If the voters cannot understand this, they deserve "Obamanomics," from here to eternity.

Yeah, I would add that they deserve a "new normal" of 8% official unemployment and 15-20% underemployment. But isn't that really what we mean when we say, "Obamanomics," anyway?

[Politico]

Okay, now I'm ing pissed. What was the last time a teen killed himself for being Catholic or Methodist? Mitt Romney should be forced to watch a tape of a teenage boy being teased or beaten. Better yet, Newt Gingrich should be forced to live minimum-wage and as a gay man in southern Georgia and then say that "CATLIKZZZ HAV IT HRD!!!!111"

Each and every one of them should be thrown into the mobs of the truly oppressed.

If a teen kills himself because he was teased over something, his life wasn't probably going to last very long to begin with.

If he gets beaten up for saying that's he gay, maybe he'll learn to stay quiet the next time.  Or at least find some other similar abnormals to defend him.

If that's not sarcasm I would freely hunt you down.

It is no secret where I live.  Facts are facts, whether you like them or not.

Ouch. Don't ya think you're being just a tad harsh, my man? "Similar abnormals" is going to hurt some folks...

[Politico]

Moderators were right to ask about military experience... just wished they called out Five DeferMITT too

Actually, Mitt had a high lotto number when his ministerial and student deferments ran out in 1969. He would have served had he received a low number. I wonder if Gingrich married his high school math teacher to avoid Vietnam.