Huckabee Watch

1:00 CST: Carolyn Washburn, Des Moines Register editor kicks off. “First time since summer Republicans have gone head-to-head in Iowa”
Stage setup (from left to right - audience view): Rudy Giuliani, Duncan Hunter, Ron Paul, Tom Tancredo, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Alan Keyes

“6 in 10 [likely Caucus-goers] said they could still be persuaded”

“Not going to spend a lot of time on Iraq & Immigration”.. advantage: Huckabee?

What the hell is Alan Keyes doing on stage?

Question 1 - U.S. Debt: does it create a security risk?

Huckabee said yes, gave a pretty straight-forward 3-point answer. Alan Keyes gave a shoutout to the fair tax, a Huckabee platform cornerstone.

Question 2 - What sacrifices would you ask Americans to make to reduce the national debt?

Huckabee uses health care as an example of a way to reduce costs, but dodges the question. Romney suggests “eliminate things that are not critical” and streamline things like they do in the “private sector”. Thompson goes after “entitlement programs”.

Question 3 - Who in this country is paying more than a fair share in this country relative to everyone else? Poor/Middle Class/Rich/Corporations

Keyes - dodges and rambles a bunch of crazy jibba jabba

McCain - doesn’t know

Huckabee - Fair tax plug. “Rich people aren’t made poor, but poor people could be made rich”

Romney - Doesn’t stay awake at night worrying about tax burden on the rich. Reduce burden on middle income.

Thompson - Calls Romney a good actor and says he wishes he could not worry about taxes like him.

Giuliani - Flatter tax. Reduce income tax.

30 second statements by each candidate. 2 randomly throughout debate. Hunter and McCain go first. Neither of them are interesting / going to win so I don’t really want to type it out.

Question 4: Job security in global economy.

Huckabee - “I can’t part the Red Sea but I can part the red tape.”

Next 30 second statements: Ron Paul and Fred Thompson

Show of hands - global climate change serious and caused by humans… weird mutiny by all candidates.. for a few seconds most of them raised their hands on the issue of “is it serious?” Huckabee shyly raised his hand along with Romney, McCain, and I most of the right side of the stage.

Romney got a comment in - “It’s called global warming, not America warming.”

Alan Keyes is a crazy person.

Fred Thompson keeps blurting in little stupid jokes.

Question to Huckabee: Biofuel requirements - would you do it if raised costs on farmers - “That’s not necessary…We are not owners of this earth, but stewards…” agrees with McCain that there’s not a harm in adopting green policies.

Tancredo: “I don’t believe in man dates.”

Free statements. Huckabee’s turn:

“People looking for leadership for change… People elected should not represent elite but ordinary…” Makes a reference to little rent house he grew up in and remarks only in America would allow him to go from there to be on stage.

Education

Duncan Hunter implies we should bust up teacher unions.

Romney - continue No Child Left Behind. touts his record in K-12 in Massachusetts. Missed a great opportunity to slam Huckabee.

Huckabee - 1. personalize learning for student, 2. unleash “weapons of mass instruction”; increase use of arts in schools — received applause.

Keyes attacks Washburn with more crazy jibba jabba. God has been removed from schools. Why did they let him in this debate?

Thompson says biggest obstacle to improved education is the National Education Association.

Tancredo just bragged he was some low-level bureaucrat under Reagan.

Huckabee was attacked by Tancredo on education, but I was reading my blackberry :(. He’s rebutting. Huckabee claims he has best record on education.

Romney stabs Huckabee over education, claiming he has the best record in the country.

Nearing the hour mark.

Question - What can you realistically do in the 1st year?

Duncan Hunter - strengthen military (for Iran, North Korea, and China), and strengthen border.

Thompson - He would talk to us. That would be his accomplishment.

Romney - Tall order; get us on track to

Huckabee - likes “laundry list”, but takes high road - 1st priority is to be a president of all the us. we are very polarized country. left v right.. who is fighting for this country again? Obama could have said what Huckabee said verbatim.

McCain - mentions “cyberspace challenge”

Romney’s candidate statement: He wants to thank people of Iowa. rattles off his stops along the way. Sucks up to Iowans. Recites platitudes.

Washburn asks Giuliani about transparency while he was mayor.

Giuliani “my government in New York was transparent”. She presses. He dodges.

Keyes calls Romney a flip-flopper on abortion.

2:14 pm, Question to Huckabee after video, give 2 examples of how your faith would shape policy in education and healthcare. He says people should be treated “equally” in both regards.

Duncan Hunter accuses Romney of being involved in a company that works with China and Saddam Hussein.

New Years Resolutions for one of your opponents. Nobody takes the bait. Tancredo asks Huckabee how he’s going to explain his flip-flop on immigration. Washburn shuts him down and makes him look awkward. No one else takes the bait.

2:25. Debate over… Huckabee wins because he was hardly ever attacked.

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