Posted by
Steve on Friday, January 25, 2008 1:52:05 PM
The Republican debate was held last night in Florida. For once, there was a clear winner. Mitt Romney stood head and shoulders above the crowd in the debate. Romney showed that he is clearly the most conservative of all the Republican candidates left in the race. He clearly understood the issues better and could articulate his positions better. At no time was he put off message or in any way flustered by any of the questions. Clearly the economy was his strongest issue and it showed. The economy was foremost in everyone’s mind and that played to Romney’s strength.
John McCain was flustered by questions on the hoax of global warming and his age. Both clearly put him off message and caused him to have to regroup. He also did not have even an elementary grasp of the economic problems that face this country. He was strong on the war against Islamo-Fascism. He even talked strong on the border. I tend to doubt his sincerity about the border. He wants to give all illegal aliens citizenship and open the doors for any new illegal aliens that want to cross the border to join in on the citizenship giveaway. Remember, Senator McCain is my Senator. I have voted for him for Senate many times. I also voted for him for the House of Representatives when he ran that first time. I know Senator McCain rather well. He has not changed his spots. He still believes in giving illegal aliens citizenship, no matter what he says right now.
Rudy Giuliani was very good last night. He showed a good command of the issues, except for the economy. When Mitt Romney asked him about China, he rambled around for 90 seconds and did not really answer the question. That was an excellent point for Romney to make. It showed Rudy’s shortcomings when it comes to the economy. But overall, Rudy was excellent. He was probably the second best candidate in the debate. His support for the CAT fund will really help him with Florida voters and really hurt McCain who does not support the CAT fund. The CAT fund will also help Romney as Gov. Romney also supports the CAT fund, though not as strong as Rudy.
Mike Huckabee was his usual self. He was charming and friendly. He blew one question when he talked about building a highway as an ecological savings. But, in general he showed why he is really a second tier candidate right now. He also showed why he would probably be an excellent choice for Vice-President. By being charming and friendly, would help him go a long way as a Vice-President. His general lack of knowledge about the issues will keep him from being a good Presidential candidate right now. With some seasoning as a Vice-President, he could be a good Presidential candidate in 8 years.
Ron Paul was his usual self. He was blunt and irritating. His message appeals to the young people. My daughter is going to vote for Ron Paul in the Republican primary on Feb. 5. I told her that was ok. I would accept her voting for anyone except for John McCain. I do like Ron Paul’s libertarian message when it comes to national issues. He believes in smaller government and less government regulation. That is what I believe. What turned me off to Ron Paul is his lack of understanding of the threat we face from Radical Islamic Terrorists. If he understood that threat, I could easily support Ron Paul for President. In fact, he would be my first choice for President if he understood the threat. Unfortunately he does not understand the threat and so he is my last choice.
Florida votes on Tuesday. I believe that Mitt Romney will win there by 5-6%. Romney will have 32% of the vote and McCain will have 26% of the vote. Giuliani will come in third with 16% of the vote. Huckabee will take fourth with 15% of the vote and Ron Paul will come in fifth with 11%.The win in Florida will put Mitt Romney on the fast track to the Republican nomination. He would win almost all of the Feb. 5 votes and have the lion’s share of the delegates. The handwriting is on the wall and all signs point to Mitt Romney as the Republican nominee for President.