I'm done with Carson.  I can't even take his "I'm better than everyone" attitude.

Quote from: taxed on February 06, 2016, 09:31:10 PM
I'm done with Carson.  I can't even take his "I'm better than everyone" attitude.

His campaign is going no place...fast.  It's the only thing he does quickly.  In fact, I heard as of this morning he is the only one still on the stage answering questions from  last night.

Quote from: taxed on February 06, 2016, 09:31:10 PM
I'm done with Carson.  I can't even take his "I'm better than everyone" attitude.

Yeah, that attitude is quickly wearing thin. This is politics, not the hospital, where nurses and staff worship you, instead we see you for what you are, an egotistical jerk with an overt inflated image of yourself, someone way out of their league.

Quote from: Solar on February 07, 2016, 04:51:59 AM
Yeah, that attitude is quickly wearing thin. This is politics, not the hospital, where nurses and staff worship you, instead we see you for what you are, an egotistical jerk with an overt inflated image of yourself, someone way out of their league.

The biggest surprise of the night for me (listening on the radio) - Carson milking and faining outrage, he's done more to undue this 'humble, well reasoned, gentle image' than Trump did before the Iowa debates.
Well, I was expecting (hoping!!!), Trump would completely lose it and stomp off the stage, Microphone in hand... 

Unlike Trump, Cruz apologized - unnecessarily IMO, only because Trump has no ground game but to keep going negative on Cruz.  Trump is coasting, nothing positive left to run on.

The real curiosity ..  Is Rubio sleeping in the Trump mansion or something?  Is Trump trying to hand-off his supporters to Rubio.... and exit?  I was listening to radio - where they winking & blowing each other kisses?  Footsie between the podiums?  Yeeech!

Quote from: kit saginaw on February 06, 2016, 08:14:52 PM
Best to worst:
Cruz, Christie, Trump, Rubio, Carson, Bush, Kasich.

Ditto, I'd add the performance gap between Cruz, Christie ................................................... Trump, Rubio, Carson, Bush, Kasich, quite large.  Bush is useful as a "blush" for Rubio - calling him out on Immigration & the gang-of-eight..LOL.   Christie is playing it best he can, like Cruz, He'd probably do better with less candidates on stage.  (doesn't mean I'd vote for him).

Dang it!!!  I went to sleep just be for the closing statements and woke up as the spin rooms started.  Anybody got Cruz's close on video???

Quote from: Bowhntr on February 07, 2016, 07:02:48 AM
Dang it!!!  I went to sleep just be for the closing statements and woke up as the spin rooms started.  Anybody got Cruz's close on video???

He closed strong and addressed the Iowa ethanol issue head on.  Trump took a cheap shot and Cruz didn't take the bait.  He made Trump look like the sore loser that he is.  He mentioned his victory in Iowa.

Can't seem to find any video.

Here's an annotated transcript:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/06/transcript-of-the-feb-6-gop-debate-annotated/


CRUZ: You know, every candidate running for president says they will stand up to Washington. The natural follow up question is when have you ever stood up to Washington.

Last week we saw a powerful illustration of that. I campaigned in the state of Iowa four-square (ph) against the ethanol mandate, something everyone said was political suicide. My two leading competitors both attacked me for it. The governor of the state said vote for anyone but Cruz, and lobbyists spent millions of dollars in attack ads, but I stood and said we should have no mandates, a level playing field, and the people of Iowa put country and our children above the cronyism and corporate welfare...


(BELL RINGING)

CRUZ: ... We can turn this country around if we get back to the Constitution. And, I will always stand with the American people against the bipartisan corruption of Washington.

(APPLAUSE)

Here's cry baby's Trumpertantrum

TRUMP: That's because he got Ben Carson's votes, by the way, but we won't . (inaudible)  (The rest is what he says everyday.  Never anything new.)

Notice how he always says that he won't say something then he immediately does.

Sorry but he's such as asshole.

Quote from: taxed on February 06, 2016, 09:22:04 PM
Cruz just nails these and looks like the adult.  The contrast between he and Rubio or Trump is pretty defined.

Trump outed the RNC having the donors there.  That was funny.

Cruz continues to be very steady and makes progress with each debate. Christie exposed Rubio. Trump is trying to run out the clock.

The more I see Rubio, the more I see a kid without control of his emotions. He strikes me as someone that would react without consequence, someone that could easily start WWIII because of uncontrolled petulance.
He just isn't ready for such responsibility.
Cruz on the other hand is far more reserved by his values and core principles in comparison.

Quote from: Solar on February 07, 2016, 09:30:21 AM
The more I see Rubio, the more I see a kid without control of his emotions. He strikes me as someone that would react without consequence, someone that could easily start WWIII because of uncontrolled petulance.
He just isn't ready for such responsibility.
Cruz on the other hand is far more reserved by his values and core principles in comparison.

He's a follower, not a leader.

Quote from: Cruzman on February 07, 2016, 11:55:28 AM
He's a follower, not a leader.

Rubio is more of a puppet to the Establishment than anything.

Quote from: Solar on February 07, 2016, 12:03:57 PM
Rubio is more of a puppet to the Establishment than anything.

And easily misled. The gang of 8.

I completely disagree that Christie gained anything with the exchange with Rubio. Did it bring both of them down? Probably, but Christie just looks like a petulant ass. What was his point, really? That he doesn't like Rubio's answer? That doesn't seem worthy of interrupting seven or eight times.

The only other point he was making is the shopworn notion that somehow governors are better than senators. Repeatedly. If Rubio repeated the Obama line four times, what about Christie repeating that nonsense eight times? He's complaining about Rubio's canned talking points? Give me a break. Christie hasn't said anything thoughtful or original this entire campaign. Christie defines himself as qualified by reference to his many failures. That's Hillary Clinton logic.

Unfortunately, I think people (political talking heads included) are influenced by audience reaction. So Christie was able to pack the audience with his flunkeys and somehow that means he won the debate? The unwarranted applause for Christie and the booing of Rubio just tells you who's people are in the room. That's all.

I think more people rely on "expert" analysis rather than just trusting their own impressions of the debates. Christie won the spin, but it seems to me to be based on nothing. He's still a belligerent, know-nothing fat punk in my book, and did nothing to change that. He had nothing positive to say about his own accomplishments or abilities. How does that add up to a good debate performance?

Quote from: Cali Contrarian on February 07, 2016, 12:17:06 PM
I completely disagree that Christie gained anything with the exchange with Rubio. Did it bring both of them down? Probably, but Christie just looks like a petulant ass. What was his point, really? That he doesn't like Rubio's answer? That doesn't seem worthy of interrupting seven or eight times.

The only other point he was making is the shopworn notion that somehow governors are better than senators. Repeatedly. If Rubio repeated the Obama line four times, what about Christie repeating that nonsense eight times? He's complaining about Rubio's canned talking points? Give me a break. Christie hasn't said anything thoughtful or original this entire campaign. Christie defines himself as qualified by reference to his many failures. That's Hillary Clinton logic.

Unfortunately, I think people (political talking heads included) are influenced by audience reaction. So Christie was able to pack the audience with his flunkeys and somehow that means he won the debate? The unwarranted applause for Christie and the booing of Rubio just tells you who's people are in the room. That's all.

I think more people rely on "expert" analysis rather than just trusting their own impressions of the debates. Christie won the spin, but it seems to me to be based on nothing. He's still a belligerent, know-nothing fat punk in my book, and did nothing to change that. He had nothing positive to say about his own accomplishments or abilities. How does that add up to a good debate performance?

It doesn't matter because Christie's campaign is going nowhere.  However once the media gets behind the establishment lackey named Rubio, we all know what happens then.   Even Hillary couldn't overcome that when Obama bested her back in 2008 with help from the media.  Obama was a vacuous nobody with no accomplishments other than being a community agitator and a brief stint in the Senate.  Sound like anyone that we're discussing? That's partly why it was important to take Rubio down a few notches and expose Rubio as an establishment creation.  If nothing else he did the voting public a favor by proving just what he was accusing Rubio of...canned speeches and 15 second sound-bytes.  The second mistake is to reply on "expert" analysis.  The best is to think for oneself.  So who had the best debate performance in your opinion?  I'd say Cruz and he did it without selling out his principles.  Kasich probably helped himself in N.H. but it's over after that.  Trump is still a moron and Jeb was finished before he started.

Quote from: Cruzman on February 07, 2016, 12:31:28 PM
It doesn't matter because Christie's campaign is going nowhere.  However once the media gets behind the establishment lackey named Rubio, we all know what happens then.   Even Hillary couldn't overcome that when Obama bested her back in 2008 with help from the media.  Obama was a vacuous nobody with no accomplishments other than being a community agitator and a brief stint in the Senate.  Sound like anyone that we're discussing? That's partly why it was important to take Rubio down a few notches and expose Rubio as an establishment creation.

That's how I saw it as well, Christie and Rubot are vying for the same base, both are solid RINO, and neither have a record to run on.
Funny thing is, neither have a shot at the WH, but the Establishment would happily back either one, though at this point their money is on the rookie from Florida.