Obama bashfest (aka republican debates june 2011)

Well my first observation was that no one answered any of the questions. They all avoided the questions and tried to talk about what they wanted to talk about. My second observation was that they spent most of the time bashing Obama and talking about what was wrong with this administration and not enough time talking about what THEY would DO if they were elected. Let's break it down by candidate...

Pawlenty
I went into this debate with high hopes for Pawlenty. I think he was the clear loser of the debates. He had been talking smack about Romney regarding health care and when presented with the opportunity to address him face to face he backed down making him look like a coward. He also took much more conservative stances that I thought he would...especially regarding abortion and homosexuality. I really considered him to be a front runner but now I am not sure that he could stand up to Romney if it came down to the two of them.

Romney
In my opinion Romney was the winner of the night. He seemed cool, calm, and collected and sounded very presidential in his answers. Also, it was expected that a lot of the candidates would target him but they did not, leaving Romney unscathed. In that respect he only helped himself and came out on top.

Gingrich
I was proud of Gingrich. He did not let the fact that his entire staff left him to cramp his style. He still stood there like every other candidate and proved that he was still very much in this race and in it to win it.

Paul
Ron Paul is just way too conservative for me and i think he just looked really really old last night. That being said he answered the question regarding immigration in a really profound way. He said we must 'protect our borders instead of the borders between Iraq and Afghanistan.' Finally, something I can agree with!!

Santorum
Looking back I don't even remember Rick Santorum. I think he just blended in with the other candidates not standing out on a single issue. This actually doesn't put him in a bad position though because at this point he still has a chance to be a late bloomer and stand out.

Bachmann
Many people were pleasantly surprised by her performance in this debate. I wasn't. She definitely stepped out of Palin's shadow and proved that she is much more intelligent and can hold her own. I think she is too conservative and when faced with some of the other candidates in one on one debates she would be embarrassed.

Cain
I was very surprised by Cain. I think he did a better job than anyone thought he would. However, his extremely racist comments about Muslims in his administration is going to hurt him and hinder his chances in the future.

Well there it is. Let's see who else emerges to run for the position. Palin? Huntsman?

My personal opinion on the debates was that it only confirmed my liberal beliefs and the fact that i will not be voting for a Republican any time soon. Obama 2012!