Who Won The Debate?

Trying a poll experiment at Right Side Politics. Vote for the winner of tonight's Democrat Debate.

Luntz's Focus Group Likes Fred

Luntz's Focus Group says Fred Thompson won the Republican debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.



I guess the focus group liked Fred calling Huckabee on his liberal economic foreign policies. I know I did.

Thompson Vs. Huckabee

Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee went at it over Huckabee's record as governor of Arkansas during the Republican debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Answering a question about the future of the Reagan Coalition, Thompson said, "This is a battle for the heart and soul of the Republican Party and its future:"

He said that Mr. Huckabee, a Baptist minister, "would be a Christian leader, but he would bring about liberal economic policies and liberal foreign policies." Mr. Thompson then listed Mr. Huckabee's record on the prison at Guantanamo Bay, education, taxes, foreign policy and federalism, a record that he charged was at odds with Mr. Reagan's conservatism. "That's not the model of the Reagan Coalition, that's the model of the Democratic Party," Mr. Thompson said to applause.

Huckabee defended his record, saying he "stayed faithful with the things Ronald Reagan was faithful to."Watch the video:



Score: Thompson 1 - Huckabee 0.

Obama Lost Los Vegas

I watched most of Thursday's Democratic Debate. Hillary performed much better than she did at the Drexal University debate two weeks ago. Most pundits say Hillary won the debate. The Frank Luntz FOX News focus group, confirms Hillary had a good night. Did Hillary finally knock Obama out of contention?

Hillary Loses Ground

A CNN/Opinion Research poll, conducted after the Democrats' debate at Drexal University, finds less support for Hillary. Slick Hillary is now supported by 44 percent of the Democrats polled, down from 51 percent in October.

Hillary's poor performance in the face of the criticism heaped upon her by the other Democratic candidates for Hillary's failure to give straight answers to simple questions and the new poll numbers showing the Hillaryland juggernaut losing ground show the vaunted Clinton machine is vulnerable.

Just wait until after the primaries when the Republicans use the same material in ads like the RNC's "Long On Rhetoric, Short On Answers" video.

The CNN/Opinion Research poll was conducted on November 2-4 with Democrats or independents who lean Democratic. The poll's margin of error was plus or minus 4.5 percent.

Slick Hillary Double Talk

Hillary's horrific performance in last weeks debate at Drexel University is a gift that just keeps on giving. In the following RNC video, Hillary's Clinton’s unwillingness to give a straightforward or honest answer is lambasted by Democratic candidates and political pundits alike:



You can watch the ad the Edwards campaign made parsing Hillary's double talk here and the fun Saturday Night Live and Obama had at Hillary's expense here.

Hillary's Double Talk At Drexel University Debate

It was Hilary's devious, insincere refusals to give straight answers which caused me to declare her the loser of the Democratic debate at Drexel University. Watch the video and hear it in her own words.

Dems Debate And Nobody Cares

The AFL-CIO Democratic forum Tuesday night on MSNBC was the least watched of the eight primary debates/forums held this election season.

Is it because no one cares what the Dems have to say, only Democratic wannabees care about the AFL-CIO, or because it was August?

Michael Moore Challenges Fred Thompson To Debate

In a publicity stunt for his new project, Michael challenged Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson to a debate:

Our debate would provide you an opportunity to appeal to the right wing of the Republican Party by continuing to attack me; it would give me a chance to discuss health care and tell you exactly what happened in Cuba, given your apparent inters; and it would provide the American people an opportunity to see just how serious Hollywood can be, with a purported conservative and an avowed progressive Hollywood personality on stage.

Thomson replied to Moore in a video, which you can watch below.



If Fred campaigns like that for president, he will be a formidable candidate.

Cox Sues Over Debate

Republican presidential candidate John Cox asked a federal court to stop next week's GOP presidential debate unless he is allowed to take part.

Cox claims that the South Carolina Republican Party and Fox News Channel rigged their selection process to exclude him. According to the complaint, at issue is a requirement that the South Carolina Republican Party and FOX News used to decide who could participate in the debate. Candidates were required to obtain at least 1 percent of support in recent state and national polls leading up to the early May deadline for registering in the state's primary. Just prior to the May 1, 2007 deadline, the polling criteria was changed to reliance upon a single Fox News/Opinion Dynamics Poll conducted on April 1-3, 2007. That poll did not include Cox.

The complaint alleges that the polling criteria was changed because several of the candidates who filed for the South Carolina Republican Primary did not poll at least 1% in national and state polls and therefore would not be allowed to take part in the Debate. You can find the complaint here.

Cox isn't likely to get his way. Despite his efforts, Cox isn't taken as a serious presidential cadidate by the media or the Republican Party.

Californians Say Rudy Won

The pundits are wrong, A SurveyUSA of California debate watchers finds Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani convincingly won the California debate among Republican presidential candidates.

Giuliani was picked as the winner by 30% of those in CA who watched. Former Massachusetts Governor Romney was picked as the winner by 12%, and Arizona Senator McCain was picked as the winner by 11%. All other candidates were in single digits:

Who Won The Debate?

4% Brownback
8% Gilmore
30% Giuliani
4% Huckabee
7% Hunter
11% McCain
12% Romney
2% Paul
4% Tancredo
2% Thompson
16% Not Sure

Californians are much less engaged in the 2008 presidential campaign than are South Carolinians. One in three South Carolinians watched the Democratic debate, compared to one in eight Californians who watched the Republican debate.

This small number of adult Californians, who watched a Republican presidential debate nine months from the California primary and 18 months from the General Election, is unlikely to be a very reliable guide to California Republican primary voters. More information on the SurveyUSA poll results, or how the survey was conducted, is available here and here.

The California debate watchers think Giuliani has the best plan for Iraq and immigration reform:

20% of CA debate watchers say McCain has the best plan for Iraq, which was only slightly behind Giuliani, who was picked by 25% as having the best Iraq plan. [. . .] Giuliani was seen as having the best solution for immigration reform by 31% of CA viewers. No one else was close.

That is peculiar because I don't recall Giuliani saying much about Iraq during the debate.

Tommy Thompson Takes It Back

Tommy Thompson, one of the remaining 15 prospective Republican 2008 presidential candidates, apologizes for his comment on gay discrimination at the GOP presidential debate.

When asked whether a private employers should be allowed to fire gay employees because of their sexual preference, Thompson said yes:

MR. HARRIS: Governor Thompson, same theme. If a private employer finds homosexuality immoral, should he be allowed to fire a gay worker?
MR. THOMPSON: I think that is left up to the individual business. I really sincerely believe that that is an issue that business people have to got to make their own determination as to whether or not they should be.
MR. VANDEHEI: Okay. So the answer’s yes.
MR. THOMPSON: Yes.
MR. VANDEHEI: Okay.

Even though the answer was probably right on the law in most jurisdictions in the U.S., it certainly didn't pass the political correctness test. Today Thompson tried to take it all back:

In a telephone interview from O'Hare Airport, Thompson told "American Morning" that he "misinterpreted" the question and should have asked to have it repeated.

"That's never been my position," Thompson said, said adding that discrimination isn't acceptable.

Thompson never had much of a chance in this presidential sweepstakes. After that comment at last night's debate you can pretty much stick a fork in whatever his chances were. He's done.

Fineman Sizes Up Tonight's Second Tier Candidates

Howard Fineman, in a Newsweek web exclusive, considers most of the second-tier Republican Presidential candidates participating in tonight's debate:

Consider Rep. Ron Paul, a Libertarian Republican from Texas who has opposed the Iraq War from the beginning because of his small-government, isolationist worldview. He is not a nut case but rather a doctor with a degree from Duke Medical School. And he’s steeped in a branch of conservative intellectual history that traces its modern lineage to the Founding Fathers.

Most people back East know nothing of Rep. Duncan Hunter of San Diego, but he is a serious character, too—a Vietnam vet and student of military matters who should not be confused with the Duke Cunninghams of the world. You know the anti-illegal fence near his city, the one that is now a model for a larger fence along the Mexican border? That was Hunter’s project. Living at the other end of the foreign-policy spectrum from Paul—there is no more dedicated supporter of the use of military power in world affairs—Hunter represents the big-stick tradition now known as neoconservatism. He mixes it up with Democrats, big time.

Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado has made a name for himself as the leading proponent of tough immigration rules and sanctions—far tougher than the ideas the GOP front runners are daring to discuss. You think this doesn’t resonate in the core of the base? Of course it does, and the big names know it.

Former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore has some anti-tax cred, not so much for what he did as governor per se but for having been a key player in the drive—so far successful—to prevent the imposition of government taxes on Internet transactions.

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee is best known for having lost 100 pounds, but as I see it he is one of two candidates—the other is Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas—who represent the pure strain of religious conservatism in the party. Huckabee has the best credential of all on that score: he is an ordained Baptist preacher, and that was his day job before he entered politics. If you are an evangelical Christian, why not be for Huckabee? That way you eliminate the middle man.

I don't know why Fineman left former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson out of his commentary

With the focus always on former New York City Mayor Giuliani, Arizona Senator McCain, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, most folks don't hear much about the other prospective candidates.

Like Kucinich and Gravel in the Democratic candidate's debate held last week, the seven lessor known candidates will likely be much more strident during this chance to bask in national attention. The big three will concentrate on trying to avoid making any mistakes.