On the Campaign Trail with Ed Tibbetts

The debate is over. The spinning has begun. Before I get too dizzy, here are some thoughts, off the top of my head, about each of the candidates in no particular order.

Giuliani had to talk about abortion, but he also got ample time to lay out his record in New York. He seemed to most want to talk about national security issues and he, again, warned that if Democrats are in the White House the United States would be “on the defense” in the war on terror. That’s something that grinds Democrats, and consequently, will delight the Republicans. Whether that’s enough to get him over the hump with conservatives who heard him clearly say that an abortion is a woman’s choice, remains to be seen.

John McCain defended strongly his stand on the Iraq War, shook with a bit of anger when he criticized Democrats on the issue and, in no uncertain terms, took positions that aren’t going to win him favor with many social conservatives. Like on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The Arizona senator again called prosecution of the war poorly handled, and while he didn’t name President Bush the message was clear.

Mitt Romney got a lot of questions, though not all of them ones he likely wanted. He had to face the flip-flop question on abortion and said he’d changed his mind while studying the human cloning question. That aside, the ex governor of Massachussetts, who wins praise at rallies for being an articulate guy, was, well, articulate on a host of issues. He warned that, if we don’t win in Iraq, we face the risk of going back.  

Sam Brownback was plain-spoken and, interestingly, said he could support a GOP nominee who’s not pro-life, though he established his own pro-life credentials on that question. Not a lot of people know Brownback, but they got a reasoned introduction.

Tommy Thompson’s best moment was probably when he got about a minute to talk, uninterrupted about his tenure in Wisconsin. Given the rapid fire questioning by Chris Matthews, it was a rare moment for a candidate to work his own talking points. Thompson, who trails in the polls, made the most of it.

Mike Huckabee. He won the laugh of the night when he said he’d be willing to change the Constitution when he finished up his two terms so Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger could run. Otherwise, he got a chance, though probably not as much as he’d like, to talk about his record in Arkansas. His personal story, though, wasn’t touched and that’s a major selling point for him.

Duncan Hunter. He sought to make the most of his post as past chair of the House Armed Services Committee and his belief that the U.S. must win in Iraq.

Tom Tancredo. The congressman has a reputation of taking hard positions without a lot of nuance. He reinforced that tonight, for good or ill.

Jim Gilmore. The ex governor of Virginia didn’t get a lot of time, but tried to establish himself as a consistent conservative. There were lots of folks seeking that ground.

Ron Paul. Last on the list, but because of his opposition to the Iraq War, probably got noticed. In a Republican primary that may not be a good thing, though. 

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2007 at 7:57 pm and is filed under On The Campaign Trail. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.