How do you think the candidates did in tonight's (11/28) CNN-Youtube debate?

Question

I thought Huckabee and McCain did very well. Romney seemed to avoid answering some of the questions or fumbled with them. Guiliani did okay, but got some boos on some questions. I thought the exchange between he and Romney at the beginning (where they kept going way over time and wouldn't let the issue go) was petty. Thompson did well on some questions, but was mediocre overall. Ron Paul did okay, but he comes across too strong sometimes, I think. Hunter and Tancredo did okay, but didn't really do anything to distinguish themselves.

Answer 1

Ron Paul was a good speaker that night, acting like a real Leo with strength, courage, and leadership.

Fred Thompson should have done much better.

Tom Tancredo should have done much better too.



John McCain and Mike Huckabee are getting better with their speech. They need to keep doing that.



Mitt Romney and Rudy need to stop arguing with each other and Duncan Hunter needs to talk more.

Answer 2

Rudy won, because Huckabee won. It seems as though realistically it's a two person race right now between Rudy and Mitt. Huckabee probably can't win, but what he can do is knock Romney out of the early primary states that he needs to take on Guiliani. So even though he did terrible I thought Guiliani stands the most to gain from that disaster of a plant-filled question farce by the Clinton News Network.



And to the Ron Paul fans, he's not my guy, but I agree CNN screwed him by ignoring him for a half hour and then hitting him with the conspiracy theory questions. For the guy who is the king of new media on that stage to be marginalized in a debate who's focus is supposed to be new media was reprehensible.

Answer 3

As usual Guiliani came across as the devil incarnate. It must take a lot of makeup to cover up his horns. He is always photographed from the front so you can't see his forked tail. Romney is way to slick, kind of a good-looking Dick Nixon, complete with sweaty upper lip. Thompson is just a grumpy old man reading lines he's memorized. Mc Cain is a good man but his time has passed. Huckabee is too religious to make decisions based on what is right for all Americans, and that name! President Huckabee just doesn't sound right. Tancredo is a joke, and who the hell is Duncan Hunter. The only one with the balls to tell the truth is Ron Paul, probably because he knows he can't be nominated so why not tell it like it is.

Answer 4

I thought Ron Paul did well, and made the best points--when he was allowed to answer. Romney and Guiliani each were too slick for me--a bit slippery on some questions and throwing a few low blows, too. Hunter made some good points, but he seemed to be trying too hard to come off as your favorite uncle, and he and Tancredo didn't have much of a presence. John McCain was too blustery for me--he made an excellent point about POW torture (and he should know), but ignored the debate rules with an off-subject and out-of line attack on Ron Paul's "isolationist" foreign policy (Paul's retort defending his "non-interventionist" policy was excellent). Thompson made some good points, but I just felt like he was going through the motions. I was impressed with Gov. Huckabee, and thought he was the best spoken of the candidates on the 29th.

Answer 5

Giuliani really blew it big time. He accused Romney of unethical and hypocritical behavior, i.e. hiring an illegal immigrant to do yard work. Romney handled the attack well by stating the facts; it made the accusation look petty and without merit. Then Giuliani made three mistakes: 1) he lost his cool, 2) he didn't respond to the come-back, but kept repeating his earlier statement, and 3) started name calling.

Romney was flustered at the repeated and very personal attacks, but did not respond in kind. He deserves respect for that.

Ron Paul was well spoken, although he seemed a little extreme at times.

Hunter made a good point with the border fence, but was given too little time to distinguish himself further.

McCain argued passionately on some issues; he is clearly a polished speaker. I would give him more credit for style than content; we don't seem to share the same priorities.

Thompson's television ad was both offensive and petty. When confronted, he acted like it was all just a funny game.

Answer 6

A true debate should be each question getting an answer from each candidate. Even tho' the questions were lame as hell, (out of 5,000 submitted, CNN picked those?), I think Ron Paul was the most honest out all of them. He never sways or flip flops in his answers. Romney did a hell of a tap dance, and Guiliani gives me the heebie jeebies every time he opens his mouth. The man lies like a rug.

It's obvious the media is now pushing Huckabee. I just hope Americans aren't as stupid as the media thinks they are. The only way to know the candidates is to look at their records.

Answer 7

Most of the questions posed were chosen to "go for the jugular" in an effort to unnerve them all. To acquit themselves, each candidate tried to paint themselves in a certain way. Huckabee demonstrated a self-righteous Bubba mentality that we already saw in the '90's. McCain was the humorless big brother, scolding someone every chance he had. Imagine 4 years of that. Giuliani was the fibbing little brother who made up a giant whopper. Romney demonstrated the concept of pecking order - he was picked on, and then passed it along. Ron Paul was the brother wanting to avoid conflict, but unable to stop it. Hunter and Tancredo were the little ones hiding in the corner. I must remind myself that ultimately, it's all about character, management, and the protection of our freedoms, livelihoods, and our border. I hope the Republican candidates will all do a lot better communicating at the next debate. We need the strongest candidate to emerge and show his true colors because it didn't happen here.

Answer 8

Just like the democrats we did not hear from the lesser candidates, I am not endorsing any of them but these debates need to be fair.

McCain, Romney and Giuliani are not the only ones running.

But on the question, I thought they were all pretty stiff and rehearsed I at times wish there was a strong 3rd party as I feel BOTH sides really avoid the issues and say what there "party" wants them too hear, NOT what the people want.

Answer 9

I thought Romney was excellent, particularly against Rudy over illegal immigration, and also against Huckabee whose record does not come close to matching his portrayal of it. I believe that Rudy and Huckabee have formed an alliance against Romney - Huckabee is to take Romney out in Iowa and is rewarded with the Vice Presidential nomination. Romney is the best candidate to face Hillary, both on policy and on his squeaky clean image. Particularly with Rudy against Hillary, it would be the pot calling the kettle black.

Answer 10

Too strong??? So you're satisfied where the country is going? A little passion scares you? Or does the truth scare you?



I'm sorry, I don't want to come across to strong, but I'm extremely passionate, upset, and nervous about where this country is going and Ron Paul is the only one talking common sense. Not only that, he's the only one that talks about the real crisis facing our children and grandchildren today and that's monetary policy. If you would do a little homework maybe you'd feel like the rest of us....

Answer 11

I think Guiliani did as he always does, double talking and backpeddling like a typical New York politician (which is what he is). At one point he claimed that gun laws made New York safer THEN claimed that gun laws can't make a city safer THEN claimed (once again) that they'd made New York safer. The man says whatever he thinks the audience wants to hear. He is inconsistent and untrustworthy.



Fred Thompson comes off like an actor wanting to "play" President (big surprise) and appears to be suffering as much from the current writer's strike as any other performer as his answers were vague and wandered all over the map. He can talk long and never really say anything.



Romney came off as "Guiliani lite".



I was surprised by Huckabee. He was far more intelligent in his responses than I had expected and he has some (to me) surprising positions on some issues. Pleasantly surprising.



McCain did well but he's completely off the hook on the issue of the Iraq war (in particuliar) and American foreign policy in general. The LAST thing we need is another "Kill 'Em All And Let God Sort 'Em Out" Warhawk in office.



Ron Paul, in my opinion, won the day hands down... especially considering the degree to which the media continues to dismiss him and ignore him. His platform is EXACTLY what America needs if we are to avoid disaster. In fact I'd say a Ron Paul/Mike Huckabee team is what I'm hoping for after last night!



BTW - CNN users have, so far, voted Ron Paul the hands down winner in last nights debate according to the poll on the CNN web site.

Answer 12

I would have to say that the only two candidates that I would ever think of supporting would be Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee. Ron Paul, by far, has the best foreign policy. If you think he doesn't or don't understand it very well, you should read his latest book. It compiles all the speeches he has made in Congress over the years on what needs to be done with the foreign policy. Mike Huckabee has a good stage presence compared to the stuttering version we saw of Mitt Romney when asked if he believed all the Bible. In case, anyone is curious, Romney is a practicing Mormon and Mormon's only believe certain parts of the Bible and they add some of their own "stuff".

Overall, I am still a Ron Paul supporter after last night.

Answer 13

it seemed like a 2 man debate mostly. do they pay cnn to have extra airtime or what? i thought the time to talk was totally unbalanced and it seemed giuliani and romney took up about 2/3 of the debate. It's pretty obvious that they want 1 of the 2 candidates to run against hillary, but i don't believe these 2 are the best bets. Mccain and Huckabee seem much more suited to run against hillary and win. I wish those 2 would have gotten more airtime and got their message out. a mccain/huckabee ticket is the only one i'll even consider because they both are the most sincere and both have the experience and leadership needed to run this country and u know exactly where they stand on the issues (i don't see anywhere in their records where they flip-flopped or changed positions). They clearly did the best last night, and with limited time. But actually, i still don't think the dem nom is set just yet. hillary is really being exposed and a lot of people are at their breaking point with this woman. I think that obama is clearly the more electable on the dem side. If she does not get the nom, it would really shake things up and would change the strategies of both parties.

Answer 14

I think Huckabee won stong, and defended his record, while providing a stong hope for the future. Thompson stood his ground, but just repeats the same old thing he says. I never really like McCain but he did very well, and seem to have the best answers. I think he would beat Hillary at any debate and even grab liberals to his side too. Ron Paul did okay I guess, he does not know much and what he does know sucks, but he stands behind what he believes, even though its wrong. With 10 being the highest overall I give Huckabee a 10, Thompson and McCain a 8. Guiliani and Romney a 6. Hunter and Tancredo at a 3 and Ron Paul a .5 if that.

Answer 15

As I was a Ron Paul supporter before the debate, my opinion is that he won, simply based on his answers. The rest of the field I would never consider voting for.



However, that being said, about the others:



Romney - I thought was the worst performance. He is starting to remind me of Kerry; he waffles on his positions, and unlike all the other candidates you don't really know where he stands. I would rather elect somebody I disagreed with, but knew where they stood, than somebody who is totally unpredictable. I don't know which was worse, his contradictions on the gays in military question, or his sorry attempt to avoid answering whether he considered water-boarding torture. (I got the impression that he KNOWS water-boarding IS torture, but that he is simply against the ban on torture and would never dare admit that.)



Huckabee - Was actually pretty good at being slippery. He finessed the "what would Jesus do" question (which was apparently showing the hypocrisy of being both Christian and in favor of capital punishment) with a joke. I think it was very effective. Perhaps he had the best "performance" .. not counting my prejudice for Ron Paul.



Tancredo - His best moment was his answer to the NASA question. It simultaneously exposed Huckabee as somebody who would not control spending, and that Tancredo might indeed be somebody who would actually KEEP his word about saying "no" to special interests. Yet Tancredo's flaw (as well as all the others except Ron Paul) is, how can you be in favor of the war, yet at the same time tell the public you are planning to end big government / big spending? Spending is spending, whether its domestic socialistic style programs, or large scale military campaigns.





I think the format would have been better if they had shorter amounts of time on some of the questions, for the sake of having ALL the candidates state their view. Especially a few questions which were basically "yes or no" types.

Answer 16

Huckabee for sure. He is funny, articulate, and well reasoned. He stated what he believed and he wasn't afraid to say some things that may be attacked by some conservatives. Huckabee will certainly get another bump from this debate.



Fred Thompson came off as totally irrelevant... he seems to be running a different race... a race to see who can get out of this election the fastest.



Mitt Romney was incredibly dissapointing. He looked like a deer in headlights all night. The only time he seemed focused was when he was tearing down his fellow republicans. His constant attacks were dissapointing.

Answer 17

Rudy - more depth and breadth of experience than any of the candidates. Would make a fine President.



Fred - the fake Rudy, half-assing it, needs to try harder



Mitt - will say anything to get elected, been around liberals too long. Definitely not a leader, simply says what he thinks people want to hear.



John - war hero... end of story, writes bad bills with giant loopholes, part of the establishment in Washington. Probably somebody to get rid of, not elect President.



btw, what's wrong with torture? I'm all for it! Cut some fingers and Johnsons off for Christsakes! This is war and it ain't pretty. It's not a tea party.



Mike - most likeable, humorous, and has alot of common sense. Not sure about his record but I'd guess he'd make a good President and be able to lead through difficult times.



Tom - just plain angry, a curmudgeon



Duncan - likes weapons and takes full credit for building a fence, not Presidential.



Ron - simply brilliant, if anyone will get past their own mindset and actually pay due deference to his ideas. He represents what used to be known as "the philosopher king" and emboldens the true spirit of the Constitution.

Answer 18

I thought Guliani did poorly, he went personal with illegal immigration and I thought it was a lame duck of an attack, didn't like him much before and he only reinforced it.



Romney started off well, but then he started waffling, and didn't respond to the questions with a straight response.



Fred wasn't very good either, seemed lost out there.



Huckabee did surprisingly well, he does well in debates, but I'm not a big fan of his policies.



Paul I think he was the winner in my eyes, him and Huckabee did the best out of the Republicans. When pushed he didn't waver, he stuck to his beliefs and spoke the truth. He is the only real Republican, the others are neo-cons. The Republicans use to believe in small government, non-intervention, state rights, gun rights, pro-constitution etc. Paul is the only one that holds those beliefs.



I'm tired of the US getting in other countries business, that's why they hate us, because we don't leave them alone, people don't get angry at you for no reason. Threatening to attack other middle eastern countries will only make things worse and will play right into the hands of Islamic terrorists. I don't know why people don't see this, but they need to wake up and stop believing the BS the politicians and the media is feeding them.

Answer 19

It think that the top runners are very good at dodging the tough questions and keeping the cameras focused on them. Ron Paul didn't get much time, didn't dodge his questions, and, as always, was overall very honest. Like Jon Stewart said, "you appear to have consistent, principled integrity. Americans don't usually go for that." In my book, he's the winner hands down.

Answer 20

Huckabee_Huckabee_Huckabee. I did not realize how strong this man's level-headed opinions would resonate across party lines.



Amazing to me, and he has me wondering if he should be running as an independent rather than blunting the ear of some who would not vote for the "other party".



If he came up as a Democrat, I think his message would be just as well received by repubs.



Can America have a say in their presidential choice? Or are we going to let the party commandants dictate who we have as our choices.



It's time to get rid of party affiliation and let a man run on his own merits.

Answer 21

Hunter didn't do much for me. Since he's an underdog, he basically said "I'm the true patriotic American, rah, rah" in order to illicit crowd response with very little substance to back it up.



Neither Romney nor Guliani did very well overall. But I must say that Rudy dug himself a neat little hole with that sill "sanctuary mansion" bit. I respect Romney for clearly stating his stance on abortion- citing that he had made a mistake, changed his mind and has been pro-life for several years. Whether you agree with his stance or not doesn't matter to me, just don't call him a flip flopper on this issue. It further astounds me that if this is such a major issue for Christian Republican voters, that Pat Robertson would endorse Rudy...



McCain did very well. I respect him for the person he is and the experience he has. However, I see quite clearly that he is uninterested in any sort of real discussion on issues that Ron Paul makes solid points on.



Ron speaks the truth on matters of foreign policy. The notion that we can continue to invest money we don't have (gut sickening national debt) and risk the lives of our men and women in continuously ongoing military affairs in other sovereign nations without international cooperation is dumbfounding. Trying to spread 'democracy' and 'peace' through the force of war is not only counterintuitive, but it sets a bad example and the wrong message to the world. This is where I give McCain praise for his stance on waterboarding and torture. Romney shot himself in the foot on that topic.



I thought that Tancredo presented himself as strong and capable with the little time he had.



Hucakbee is likeable and has the kind of personality and attitude that would (at least best from his side of the aisle) help bring the country together. I'm not a fan of Hillary at all, but I am immediately turned off by strong anti-Hillary candidates. Using terms like "race" and "win"- as we do for presidential...er.. "races"- make it more about the *campaign* and less about the *country*. If the main priorty of the GOP is to "beat Hillary", then we all lose.

Answer 22

I thought Romney was doing fantastic all the way up to the question on homosexuals in the military. He was not prepared for that question and didn't do a good job of answering it.



I would have to disagree on McCain. I thought he did very poorly and came off as a bit unstable (which isn't unusual for him). He was getting angry at things he had no business getting angry about, and some very radical statements in attacking other candidates (which he did everytime he got the opportunity to speak).



Huckabee came off as the boring guy in the corner that he always comes off as.



Rudy held his own, but it is becoming more and more apparent that he is not backing away from his leftist background. The nomination is slipping through his fingers. The debate tonight didn't help him.



I agree that Hunter and Tancredo did not distinguish themselves.



I would have to give the night to Ron Paul with Mitt Romney right behind him. Thompson's ad is something though that people will remember for quite some time (so plus points for Thompson on that but none for much else).

Answer 23

Romney, Huckabee, and McCain are the winners - on substance and poise. Giuliani, Tancredo, Thompson and especially Ron Paul faltered too many times and often had awkward moments (pauses, lame responses, and stuttering). Duncan didn't get enough time to talk but would probably be fine if he did speak more. Giuliani is going to continue to loose ground, Thompson is done, and McCains chances are getting few and far between - there is probably not enough time left. The facts are Romney is going to continue gaining ground as Giuliani slips and Huckabee could join the group for a crowded finish. Ron Paul - go home you lunatic.

Answer 24

I think I am in the consensus that think McCain and Huckabee were the strongest. Both are very grounded in their stances leaving very little room for flip flopping, even though I may not agree on every issues with these two, they seem to be the most convicted, most willing, and the most solid.

McCain reminds me very much of what I envision early Patriots to be. I have mixed feelings over the war in Iraq but I trust McCain over Paul because McCain has been, just was, will be over there finding out what is going on.

I wasn't impressed with Paul's explanation of the Iraqis taking back their country, with expressions like "the people in the North" stumbling because he could not remember, to me, that shows he is taking a little information, and projecting it onto a larger screen, that might be an overanalyzation. However, that being said I think it is admireable of Paul to denounce running as an independent knowing that it would mostly take away from the republican vote.

Huckabee did well with the questions that were asked of him. He shows the most poise and is the most genuine seemingly because he doesn't change his stance so he doesn't have to fabricate something to stand on. He is getting a lot of "faith-loaded" questions which is his strongest point, but I would like for them to shove him in the mix on the more secular issues in future debates. I have done some reading on his website and he has a lot of good ideas beside "get rid of abortion and stop gay marraige."

I think the Romney and Guiliani duel in the beginning hurt Romney the most, not because he lost that battle, because I don't believe he did, but it seemed to affect the rest of his debate. Romney came out of that catfight like he had seen a ghost. Guiliani recovered better I believe, but Huckabee's quip on needing help to get through the bible question, capatilized his weakness in getting the "values voters."

Fred Thompson comes across as winging it. I think he is trying to run off his early success while NOT being in the presidential race, which by recent polls he is failing heavily. He was very longwinded but never really answered the questions asked of him and I think his performance was mediocre at best.

Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo are the Joe Biden and Chris Dodd of the Republican debate. They both have great credentials, policy is firm to their party, but in affect they cancel each other, never given a chance, but I think they both did well from what I got to hear from them. Tom Tancredo especially made a solid remark about the space program after Huckabee made the question somewhat of a joke. I would not be afraid to vote for either one of these guys.

Answer 25

Greetings from NH, where all these guys are hanging out quite a bit these days!



I thought Mitt started off very strong and decisive, answering questions well, but tired and faltered near the end. Huckabee was very impressive to me (and he has NOT had much of a presence here in northern NH yet....on the Republican side, it has been pretty much the Rudy/Mitt/McCain show here in NH, with some Ron Paul thrown in.)



Huckabee's style, wit, sense of humor and thoughtful answers were refreshing. Should be interesting...just over 1 month until our primary!

Answer 26

I liked Romney. He understands business and can get this economy booming again. Also, who cares what we do to prisoners in war? I say slice em' until they start talking. Get this thing over with quicker. It's much better than what they do to us (which is bomb our innocent people in buildings!)

Answer 27

As a soldier I'm biased but Ron Paul seems like a bleeding heart liberal with some conservative fiscal policies. All he preached was isolationism and how horrible our presence in Iraq is. I was totally against starting the Iraq war but we F*d up and now we need to fix it. McCain was right, they don't want to stop there. The terrorists want to destroy us. Not because of our freedom like some crazy right wingers want you to believe but because of perceived slights they've received.

I'm a huckabee fan so I don't see any wrong from him lol. Very religous which I'm not, but he seems honest and sincere.

P.S. Everyone go see Lions for Lambs. Whoever trashes as a liberal rag hasn't truly watched it. It's amazing. And when Cruise asks about the war on terror it's true, that is the defining question of our time, not to be a war monger. It won't be decided by force, but that will be needed (Like in Iraq now, whether or not we should have been there in the first place(NO!)). It takes people being active in the their country and the world to fix that problem, and know complaining about the people running on the internet doesn't count as proactive. Get out there and do something. Volunteer for something, military or civilian. A commitment to a charity is always helpful, especially compared to that witty comment you left about that candidates tv commercial you saw last night on youtube.

P.S. I'm a lil drunk so yes I know my grammar and what not is poor. Deal with it. If you trash this post find some other angle.

Answer 28

As an undecided voter, here's what I honestly thought. McCain and Ron Paul seemed to be the strongest. I was very turned off by Giuliani's accusation to Mitt Romney about the illegal worker. Overall, I thought some of the questions selected were pretty lame too. Some of the issues just seemed of low priority to me.

Answer 29

It all sounded the same.



Romney talking about how his positions changed, and how he was wrong on nearly every issue as Governor.



Rudy talking about New York, while you've got the Kerik Indictment, Accusations about his security, and that guy from his Campaign a few months ago got in trouble for possession of drugs.



Fred did ok, too negative though. Ok, you've torn your opponent down, how can you do it better, and what's your record?



McCain was good, but his jab at Paul looked personal.



Ron Paul-good points on limited government, and the same foreign policy blame game. What else do you have to offer?



Hunter & Tancredo-Time to become more than a one-issue candidate. Immigration is #1 in Iowa, however, you're not running for DHS Secretary, you're running for President! Act like it!



To me Huckabee won. He stayed positive, and when Romney attacked, he just kinda brushed him off. His one liners got the crowd going, and he seemed personable. I left the debate closer to supporting Mike.



However, I'm an undecided Wisconsin voter and I'm still not sure who I'll vote for.

Answer 30

I would say Rudy is still doing good. Came along Huckabee.

McCain did OK. Fred was so vague. Tancredo was so emotional in response that sometime no clear answer. Ron Paul, as always, an isolationist.

The format does not make a fair debate to the candidates. The format runs so long that it looks like question and answer than debate.

Answer 31

I thought McCain and Huckabee had the strongest performances. Huckabee was calm and well-spoken, and even witty. McCain seemed intelligent and confident, I thought he performed well.



Ron Paul was too high strung and nervous, his voice doesn't carry a lot of confidence in it, and while his ideas are interesting, he always delivers them in a way that makes him seem more like a raving old-man, rather than a serious candidate.



Romney was too afraid to answer questions directly. The man needs to grow a spine and take a stand.



Thompson mumbles when he talks, and is clearly not very adept at debates. He also looked very pale and tired.



Giuliani seems to only hit one note effectively, his record on crime in NYC, on everything else I thought he stumbled and didn't score any points.



Hunter and Tancredo were invisible.

Answer 32

I think Huckabee was the clear winner, with McCain in close second.



As a Dem, I'd be most comfortable with McCain (he seems the most rational). I really LIKE Huckabee, but his child-like view of social issiues really frightens me (his answer to reduce crime, rather than gun control, is to ARM EVERYBODY!!!)



I was surprised that I actually agreed with Guiliani on most of his social positions. It's his position on Nat. Security that freaks me the heck out!

Answer 33

McCain easily came out ahead after this one with his strong stances on immigration and condemning torture.



Huckabee "looked good" but he didn't say a lot. He made some very good points on immigration to counter Romney's childish attacks. Apparently Romney thinks he can win this election by labeling any of his opponents as a "liberal" or "like Hillary."



Giuliani's campaign is obviously short lived. The Romney/Giuliani fight to compare each other to Hillary is downright silly considering that they both are by far the most Hillary-like of the bunch.



Anyone who thinks Romney did positively at this debate is smoking hash. He outright denied that illegals worked at his mansion when numerous sources prove otherwise. He interrupted other candidates and the moderator with his self-important drivel. He refused to answer the tough questions, such as gays in the military. He demanded to be the first one to speak on the issue of torture and then evaded the issue. There was absolutely nothing about his performance that was presidential. Giuliani was dead wrong most of the evening, but he was spot-on declaring Romney as 'holier than thou.'



Thompson, Tancredo and Hunter were all somewhere in the range of mediochre to disappointing.

Answer 34

i think of that Biden confirmed that he grow to be waiting to lead, he grow to be good, and instructed the fact. i think of the debates will supply a splash improve to Biden, and do away with from Edwards, simply by fact all he did grow to be suck up and compliment the different applicants. Hillary as against Obama, grow to be like Obama telling the regular public he's making an attempt to win the primaries, Hillary instructed the regular public she is able to win the election. She grow to be one step forward, and greater effective than Barack and his solutions that looked as though it may lack self assurance. Hillary won, Biden sounds like a superb vp, Barack grow to be good, Richardson grow to be ok, in basic terms a splash scared to bounce in and say what he had to assert. Gravel, Kucinich, and Edwards have been mediocre performances....Hillary additionally confirmed she grow to be compassionate, and subsidized up her argument for being a pacesetter..... The questions of the evening have been asked to Hillary approximately Bush Clinton Bush Clinton, she knocked that one ineffective, and do you think of the international is keen to barter and handle a lady president. She killed that yet what else do you assume from the front runner?

Answer 35

Ron Paul did the best given the fact that he was given the least amount of time to speak and was given tough questions that he did not dodge. Rudy, Mitt and McCain all went way over their time limits and often attacked other candidates. I thought Huckabee, Thompson and Ron Paul did the best in that they were professional, respectful and to the point.

Answer 36

A STAR FOR YOU FOR GETTING SO MANY ANSWERS!



This is how I rank them which are different after a day of consideration.



1. Mike Huckabee - witty, well-prepared, and compassionate and would unite us! He is the man for the job! Death penalty skate, but I understand why!

2. Mitt Romney - bickering with Rudy made him look petty; comments on torture made him seem wise and made McCain seem cold and on the attack! Comments on Confederate flag non-issue.

3. John McCain - affirmed that he is the well respected veteran and would lead well.

4. Fred Thompson - not heard from very much, seemed poorly prepared and confused. Not very articulate and disappointing. Sounded like he was trying out for VEEP.

5. Duncan Hunter – Faired well, not much time, but all answers were good! He would be a great VEEP to Huckabee!

6. Tom Tancredo – Good on one issue: Immigration, but he ranks high on my candidate calculator, so candidate for VEEP too!

7. Ron Paul - didn't respond well to McCain's attacks; rant about North American Union conspiracy made him seem too extreme.

8. Rudy Giuliani - bickering with Romney made him look petty, if I have to listen to his stats about NY one more time, I will PUKE!



VOTE TO KEEP AMERICA SAFE!

Answer 37

For the limited questions asked Ron Paul, I say he won the debate hands down. It is very pathetic that the MSM will not give all the candidates the equal amount of time. Why are they so afraid of Dr. Paul? HHHMMMMM, makes one wonder.



BTW - stop with the RP is an isolationist! He is a non-interventionist!

Here is the difference between the two philosophies:

Isolationist = North Korea

Non interventionist = Switzerland



I hope that clears up that misunderstanding

Answer 38

The more I read/see of Guliani the more I despise him and he only reinforced that when the ceremony started. As the candidates were being introduced each one came out and shook the spokesman's hand and then the hands of the other candidates; Guliani shook the spokesman's hand and then blew off the other candidates. He spent wayyyy to much time backpedeling from fights that he started and couldn't win.



Thompson is much better on Law and Order where he says 10 words and then the scene changes; no original thought whatsoever.



Huckabee is gaining my respect and the idea of him running with Ron Paul IMHO is fantastic. If Ron Paul were VP and had the same level of power as Cheney to fight foreign policy and useless programs they could frickin clean house.



Ron Paul is going to have a hard time gaining ground when he's part of a system that prevents him from adding input. He's a part of a party that tried to have him removed from attending the debates altogether. It's ironic that Ron Paul is a Youtube champion but CNN effectively quarantined him from participating in a Youtube sanctioned event; and helps me understand how a straw poll held in his (mine) own state could be corrupted so that his voice and supporters are cut away in support of the George Bush clones.

Answer 39

Ron Paul did quite well despite the obvious bias of the questions asked. It really was sad to see the media spin they slapped on him. Although I know he could have done better, there were many candidates that did worse, and I for one was disgusted at the Romney/Guilani tiff in the beginning, those two don't deserve my vote.

Answer 40

Personally it seems to me that Ron Paul stood out the strongest, his views are obviously a whole lot different than the other candidates, but he stuck to his guns and not only delivered some good blows but kept my loyalty to his campaign. McKain came strong... Romney played dodgeball with most questions and Giuliani scared me with his weakness on what he wants on gun control. As a gun owner... how do I handle him? Huckabee was a nice laugh, he's a good personality, but I question his tax record too. So to Ron paul, goes the night.

Answer 41

Guiliani- bragged about himself all night and argued with Romney. Still trying to figure out what is conservative about him.



Romney- completely bombed! He is terrible at quick answers and he bobbled all night long.



Thompson- boring and irrelevant.



McCain- He did pretty good, but mostly just talked about war issues.



Huckabee- concise, compassionate, confident, humorous. He definitely won.



Paul- he whined a lot, kind of reminds me of Mr. Magoo, not a very good communicator.



Where there other candidates on the stage?

Answer 42

I'm a dem, but here is my opinion. Guli is a disaster, Romney is a used car salesman. McCain was pretty good, so was Paul. Hunter who. Huckabee was a close third. The only ones I would even consider voting for would be McCain, because of sheer experience and maybe Paul because he is not another Bushy, but only if they were running against Obama. Otherwise the dem canidates are far superior.

Answer 43

One thing that really stands out, Romney is about as real as a 3 dollar bill.

The only credible ones from this bunch are Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee. The annointed ones (Romney,Gulianni, McCain) all are falling over themselves to be the next Bush. Sounds like a lot of chest beating and saber rattling.

Answer 44

I think the top three winners were, in order: McCain, Huckabee, Paul.



McCain showed that Americans should be above torture. Our principles of justice should define us, not what levels we will stoop to. He was effective in calling Paul, "isolationist." He cut Mitt off at the knees on torture. He even slapped Rudy on the line-item veto that Rudy opposed bc it threatened his own pork projects. Hands down, the winner.



Huckabee gained ground but his pithy comments and Hillary one-liners will only work for so long until the public discovers his abysmal record on taxes and his mean streak with those in his state who try and take him to task. He is the very definition of a wolf is sheep's clothing.



Paul was good. I think he's the worst candidate in the field and is delusional on his isolationist foreign policy. Yes, nonintervention in idela is isolationism in practice. But he does well in debates and even though I think McCain won their exchange, Paul holds his own.



Mitt. Double talked all night. I still don't know where he stands on anything bc every response is either a flip-flop or a non-answer.



Rudy got petty. He hurt himself. He was my second choice to win behing McCain, but I may start rethinking that bc of his irrelevant attacks and sketchy, possibly corrupt, past.



Fred is dead in the water. Looks way out of his league and seems disinterested and aloof.



Nobody else mattered, even though I like Hunter.

Answer 45

By judging the thumbs up and down by your answerers, I would say Ron Paul is getting the most Kudos...But I didn't watch it so my opinions do not count....

Answer 46

I really thought Fred Thompson seemed nervous when Anderson wanted to know what was up with his 30 second spot. His words were pithy, but his usual gravitas was MIA.



Ron Paul always strikes me as that one kid in the group that's always going, "No! You guys! Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me?! You guys?" Thing is, even if that kid is more prudent, he's not a leader and everyone knows it.



I thought McCain did well, and am a little surprised he's taken some flak from some people here for what I can only assume is getting emotional on the issue of waterboarding. The man was tortured as a prisoner of war. I think he's allowed to be personally invested in the issue.



Huckabee is always the nice guy whose answers you're never dreading. Everyone should check out the AARP debate that only Huckabee and McCain attended (see sources). He's definitely good with a crowd. Giving the former pastor the Jesus question might just end up the biggest softball of the political cycle, though.



Romney and Giuliani both probably lost votes, and will lose more if they stay too aggressive with one another. Will it be enough votes to shakeup the race? I doubt it. Although, it might depend on how a strong second place Romney finish in Iowa would influence New Hampshire. I think he's got more to lose right now than Giuliani if the bloodletting continues. Heck, Giuliani would probably love to be competing against Huckabee or McCain come February 5th.



Tancredo showed once again that he doesn't have room for anything else in his platform than immigration. It's like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon, only it turns out everything is always only one degree from illegal immigration. Who knew?



Duncan Hunter builds walls. Did they let him say anything else?

Answer 47

McCain, Romney and Huckabee did the best. Hunter and Tancredo did fine but Giuliani and Thompson had a pretty bad night. also... Anderson Cooper got OWNED!

Answer 48

Ron Paul is the ONLY candidate who truly understands the complex issues we face in today's America. He currently serves as a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Why does this matter? Because the two most important issues facing America today are our failed foreign policy and the breathtaking decline of the US Dollar. We simply cannot afford to spend money like we do on the Federal level or America will collapse, financially. Ron Paul understands these issues and knows how to handle them.



Please research the ISSUES before you decide who you're voting for.



google 'Dollar Decline' and 'NAFTA Superhighway'



then visit www RonPaul2008 com to learn more

Answer 49

Ron Paul wins easily. Huck and Fred are a very distant 2nd and 3rd.

Answer 50

There is only one man offering any real subtance to this race. Only one who has detailed plans for the major issues. And only one whose stand on these issues hasn't flip flopped more times that I can count. Senator Fred Thompson is the clear winner as he stood tall and proud and stayed above the bickering and simply answered the questions put to him.



www.fred08.com ... find out for yourself... Fred is the man!

Answer 51

Why do we have immigration laws? We do not enforce illegal immigrant in leaving the country when they come to visit. So I think that both candidates didn't attack the debate good. They didn't answer the question, they just went around it.

Answer 52

I would have to go with McCain and Huckabee. I thought McCain especially articulated his positions clearly. Romney and Guiliani both seemed silly with the immigration dialogue.

Answer 53

I would agree with you that McCain did very well tonight, which kind of surprised me. He definitely "got the hint" that he needed to change his demeanor from Angry Old Guy, to an Experienced Leader. Huckabee did a great job, too. Him being a Pastor, definitely gives him the ability to speak to the public with sincerity and compassion. It seemed like everything he was about to say....was really important. :) Romney did not come off as good as he usually is. He danced around some answers, but he was upfront about his past stance on abortion- which was admirable. Giuliani did okay, but nothing we haven't seen already. Ron Paul.....well.....what can I say? He kind of reminds me of Ross Perot, but he said tonight that he would not run as an independent. That's probably too bad, because it might make for great presidential debate TV later on.

Answer 54

McCain showed his knowledge and statesmanship and easily won the debate. I do not like Huckabee and think his proposals are unrealistic but he came across well. Mitt Romney showed again that he will say anything to win. Thompson and Giuliani did not have a good day. The rest of the candidates are irrelevant

Answer 55

Ron Paul did the best even with the limited time they gave him. I love how the other so called "conservative" Republicans danced around the farm subsidy question. Typical.

Answer 56

Rudy seems to be a mean-spirited person. I agree with the person who said that when he can't answer a question, he resorts to insults. He's rude all together.

I am a Hillary supporter myself. But if she wasn't running, and Huckabee was on the ballot, I would actually consider voting Republican FOR ONCE.

I am really impressed with him. His answers seem to be very articulate and well thought out. I really like him.

Answer 57

I thought that Mitt Romney did the best in the debate. As you I thought the highlight was the exchange between him and Giuliani. I've noticed that when Giuliani can't defend his record or his views he resorts to personal attacks. It doesn't matter if you call him on his gun control view, abortion view, gay rights views, immigration views, or what he will simply respond by insulting you.



He tried to take a cheap shot at Romney for something we can all identify with and Romney called him on it. Giuliani can't defend saying something along the lines of "if you come to NY and you happen to be illegal you're the kind of person we want."

Answer 58

I believe that the debate was very good.

We saw where some of the candidates are having problems and where they are very strong.

I really like the fact no one was feed the questions ahead of time like some democrats

Answer 59

Romney's performance was almost painful to watch, and I think McCain got into one too many fights. Giuliani didn't have anything new to say, and the cat fight with Romney took all of our focus off of Thompson.



The camera angles were really bad for Thompson's wrinkles.



Huckabee absolutely killed in this one. The answer on the death penalty in particular, and his straightforward description of biblical inerrancy after Romney's stuttering fit did not go unnoticed.



he definitely took this one home.

Answer 60

I think Mike Huckabee established himself not only as the best candidate for conservative Christian voters, but showed himself to be well rounded on a variety of issues, not just a former preacher trying to be president.

Answer 61

Ron Paul won all the way. He's the only one talking about the very real North American Union that is a threat to American sovereignty if we don't stop it! Come on, he's the only sane one, and the only truth teller.

Answer 62

HDNet Dec 1 DNC debate (Sat 7:30pm ET).

- all eight -



gravel kucinich paul nader

Answer 63

How can Ron Paul come across as too strong? He is the most mild mannered of the lot. I think Paul won; but I am a supporter of the Constitution and the one that supports that compact always wins in my book!

Answer 64

Overall I thought Ron Paul did the best, I'll give credit to Romney as well for sticking it to Giuliani.

Answer 65

70% of the questions = pointless or repeat questions on the same issues.



We heard nothing on healthcare, Iran, to just name a few.



WINNER- ROMNEY

Bill Bennett: "I think that Romney stood out tonight. I think he was loud and clear. Conservative. He was 'all-in' as you'd say in Texas Hold 'Em." (CNN's Post-Debate Coverage, 11/28/07)



Middle ground: Huckabee



Loser - Thompson

Answer 66

I think McCain won. I liked Huckabee a lot but I think he got easy questions and other canididates seem reluctant to attack him. McCain showed us a glimpse on how he can take on the Democrats on the issue of Iraq by taking on Ron Paul.

Answer 67

i concur McCain and Huckabee did good



i think, however, that Huckabee won this one

he had a great showing and he answered his questions with all frankness and he was hilarious with the Hillary joke lol

Answer 68

"huklebee yucked it up with shipping hitlery to mars"



Now we know how good, we-believe-in-the-Bible Christians feel about the death penalty. Undoubtedly, Jesus (who would be a Republican just as the pharisees and sadducees would be Democrats) would righteously push the button.



Matthew 15:11 New American Standard Bible (©1995)

"It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man."

Answer 69

Ron Paul could save our country if we all stand behind him.

Answer 70

McCain always does well. His softspoken, yet passionate, demeanor is very effective.



Huckabee did well. He has a great presence.



Romney seemed to be dodging and deflecting a lot. Not his best showing.



Guiliani did well. ve comes across as a law-and-order guy and that is appealing to many.



Hunter looked like he was trying to be relevant.



Tancredo same as Hunter but with a bit more zip.



Fred comes across like everyone's wise uncle.



Paul just seems like he has completely stuck his head in the sand and is ignoriing any form of reality. Too bad. He has a lot of passion.

Answer 71

ill tell you who did the worse and that was CNN, Ron Paul did OK but that was more cnn's fault for not presenting him with any real policy questions



the rest all sounded just like bush and would be 4 more years of bush policy's

Answer 72

Who do you work for?

Answer 73

اناعزعاوز بنات تتعرف علية ايمالى[e-mail]

Answer 74

Where was Ann Coulter?

Answer 75

I agree with your take on things. I also thought no one really distinguished himself, and McCain even seemed a little bored, especially in the first hour. My opinions on everyone were unchanged by the end of the debate. I still like Mike.

Answer 76

I thought they were funny, these republicans. Though, if I were a republican, I would vote for Rudy!

Answer 77

Huckabee won.

Answer 78

I'm a Democrat, too, and like Andy, I got bored. At a certain point when they were going on about the Bible I felt like I was in church and fell asleep.

Answer 79

Huckabee coming up on the outside...



Look for him at the wire.

Answer 80

i thought McCain won the debate. I'm a democrat, so I'm not going to vote for any of the GOP candidates, but McCain was very professional. He was very composed, honest and sincere, which is important to me unlike rudy and mitt who bitched like preschoolers about each other's flaws. Huckabee helped himself tonight too. mitt romney, who was my governor, disgusted me with his endorsement of torture and unwillingness to include waterboarding as torture. But McCain won in my eyes.

Answer 81

mitt's studdering didn't help his slick used car salesman presence.



rudy blabbed and i got bored.



mccain tried to punk paul, but got punked instead



tancredo made awesome points, but nobody listened



hunter keeps talking about how he built the mexi-cali fence all by himself again (bore)



huklebee yucked it up with shipping hitlery to mars



thompson looked like he gagged on his own spit a couple of times and started choking.

Answer 82

no

Answer 83

I liked Huckabee and McCain. I am, however, biased as I am a Christian, and a Veteran.

Answer 84

Yawn.

Answer 85

It doesn't matter. All of them did good.

Answer 86

i think McCain win!!!!