Live Blogging the GOP Debate, CNN, 8 p.m. ET (With Updates)

Newt is a moron.  He does not understand the simple concept of a blind trust.  Bashing Romney for stocks held in a blind trust is something an idiot socialist would do.  Newt?  Yes, he’s a fool.

He’s a nasty, vindictive and bombastic fool.

I loved Romney’s response about Gingrich’ investments. LMAO.

Two lies in a public sphere in one week. As I say, character matters and once a liar, always a liar. If you think it will stop here… it won’t. A Zebra does not change its’ stripes.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/26/gingrich-continues-to-lie-about-telling-the-truth-under-oath.html

Mitt is ready to pound and Newt is defensive.

There has been some good lines so far.  Santorum telling Newt Romney to stop and then Paul threatening he could sue for age discrimination if Blitzer pushed the age issue. LMAO.

Callista probably only performs if paid.

More importantly, he does not inspire confidence.

I get the feeling this is all just another experiment for him.

I feel alone here. 

Debate reflections:1. I really like Santorum for his integrity and he did great. I just don’t agree with some of his positions.2. Romney sure can take the gloves off if cornered and that is good if he goes against Obama.3. Paul is seriously the best one liner on the stage and he makes a lot of sense… too bad that he is a bit too weird on the national security matter.4. Gingrich came off short, and has done better. I guess the bashing of the media is getting old, even if he is correct to a degree.

Is it true Newt has a new theme song ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhujM7T1_fQ&feature=related

I have waited for over  three years for a chance to vote Obama out, and I was ABO until I took a closer look at Gingrich over the last few weeks.  I dislike him intensely.  If he is the GOP candidate I will sit this one out.

How can Romney have a blind trust?  It looks like he sees pretty well to me.  Perhaps that was Newton’s point.

I assume that is a supposed joke.  I hope you keep your day job.

Boo…

I’m waiting to watch replay of the CNN debate in a few minutes.  One of their commentators just offered a great point:  Newt is more clearly a brawler, not a good debater.  He looks for arguments.  This definitely seems to be an increasingly clear statement lately.

I felt when it seemed like everyone was going ABO that it was just a passing thing where a good number of those people saying they would be ABO were simply jumping on a current band wagon.  Maybe I need to rethink my becoming an independent on May 31, 2008 as it was more than likely the same type of reaction; i.e., get on the band wagon because many others are doing the same thing.

No, I became independent and pledged I would never again vote for a democrat as president (at 70+ probably not that many more chances to vote anyway) and I will stick to that pledge.  I also said on here and several other blogs that I would be an ABO voter.  I will stick to that also.  I do support Newt but I will definitely vote for the republican nominee.  Maybe I missed it for  many of you who took that ABO position here and on other blogs in the past few months but I don’t recall seeing an “except for Newt; except for Paul; or except for whoever attached to your statement.

I think I can easily see why Obama could be so easily elected in the U.S.  He doesn’t stick by his word and apparently a good number of voters don’t stick by theirs either.

I’m watching the debate for first time and am very impressed at Romney’s put down of Gingrich for calling him anti-immigrant.  The new Romney is long overdue.  Looks like Newt met his match tonight.  Finally.

I have a serious question to ask.  Larry, perhaps you can answer this.  I’ve been listening to the debate and I’ve heard Mitt Romney say a couple of times now that his investments are being handled by a blind trust, not him.  If he is not managing his own investments, what has he been doing?  And I’m not being nor do I mean to be nasty.  I’m truly curious, because I haven’t heard what he does or has been doing these past several years.

Wow, Romney owned Gingrich tonight!  Santorum, he’s rambling as I write this.  He makes no sense at all.  Paul, almost seems like he’s enjoying himself.

Totally agree with all your comments.

Mitt Romney killed it!  Finally…

You’re listening at the same time I am.  Do you have an answer to my question just above you?  I admit I’m being a litttle lazy and perhaps I could research it.

There is a lot of that around here… ABO… except. I think a lot of folks around here like Obama except he’s not Hillary. So we see a lot of support for the least republican republicans… and a lot of effort spent calling the rest of the republicans stupid. 

Romney answered this earlier stating that he placed his investments into a blind trust years ago (2005?) to avoid any potential conflict of interest.  Like pretty much everyone running for or holding office, he’s paying someone else to manage his investments.  He’s living off profits from his investments–investments made with money he earned–wish I was even remotely as successful as he’s been!

I am offended by Santorum’s comment that ‘kids are not born good.’  Seriously, does he really mean this?!  This is so incredibly ignorant and beyond comprehension.  Does he berate and beat his kids?  I really don’t want to hear another word from him.

FYI, I have twin 4-year old boys and would never, even on the most challenging days, remotely think that ‘kids are not born good’. Those are the words of a thoughtless, hateful, and abusive parent.

Thank you.  I guess that pretty much explains it.  A logical explanation.  That being the case (i.e., lot of Hillary supporters on here) I can see the possibility of Obama sweeping into a second terrm if he drops Biden and puts Hillary in the VP spot as a good number of those ABO would think his administration would be great with Hillary in the VP slot.  Unfortunately Obama will probably still have pretty much his same advisors so even with Hillary as VP he isn’t going to change much but I guess many of those ABO’s will surely think so.

Is it just me but doesn’t Romney sound like the most inauthentic politician of this generation. I don’t believe a word he says. And he doesn’t believe a word he says.

Romney’s remarks on Health Care program really hurt him tonight I think.  He did better than Gingrich but….not good on the healthcare mandate.

 its not just you.

Offended or not, kids are not born good.
.

Please don’t sit this one out…Obama has got to go. I know Romney is not my first choice but I will say that I think he would do a good job. I feel America is like a big business, and maybe it is time that a successful businessman ran it for awhile. Romney may not come across as totally truthful, but I grew up in Michigan when his father was governor and he is a lot like him. His father was a good governor and as much as I wish their was another candidate I am more than willing to take a chance on this Romney. We can not afford 4 more years of Obama, not just for ourselves, but our kids need us to look out for their futures. Obama actually scares me the way he thinks he doesn’t need to consult Congress. I just hope the Repubs win the senate so there will be some sort of firewall if Obama does win. Everyone has to vote!!!

Binky,
Fair question.  A BLIND TRUST is a way to manage investments so that the investor does not know where the money is being invested.  This arrangement is made to ensure that the person, in this case Romney, does not know where or how is money is being invested.  That way he is not able to make decisions that would give him a financial gain.  Bottomline, Romney does not know were or how the money is invested.  Clear?

I was ABO and no I didn’t say except for Newt because it never occurred to me that he had a chance at the nomination. Therefore, given the reality I can no longer say I am ABO because I’m not. Some people change there minds based on what is occurring at the time. At the time I thought I could vote for any of the Republican candidates over Obama even though I didn’t like them. Now I know that Newt is a bridge too far for me.

I too am an Independent. And as such, my vote and why I decide who to vote for and why is my choice. I choose not to vote for someone who I think is not only as bad as Obama, but quite possibly worse.

I would never vote for Obama because he changed VPs. Certainly not just because he put Clinton in Biden’s place.

Actually over the past 3 years the more I’ve “seen” of Hillary Clinton, the less I’ve liked her.

I supported her as the one I thought was the best person at the time. That time is past.

But then I don’t fall in love with politicians. The very idea makes me nauseous.

I mistakenly liked this post instead of hitting reply.  Just wanted to say that Hillary will not run, whether with Obama or not.  Those who continue to talk about this possibility are mistaken.  I was a Hillary supporter but don’t like Obama, haven’t voted for him and won’t vote for him.  I didn’t take an ABO pledge and will not vote for Gingrich.  Just won’t vote for this dispicable man.

Except for this:

“During that campaign, Romney objected to Kennedy’s blind trust’s purchase in 1981 of a property in Washington D.C., which the trust then leased to federal tenants. Romney called it “a conflict of interest, pure and simple” and rejected Kennedy’s argument that he was knew nothing about the trust’s investments.

“The blind trust is an age-old ruse,” Romney told the Boston Globe in October of that year. “You give a blind trust rules. You can say to a blind trust, don’t invest in properties which would be in conflict of interest or where the seller might think they’re going to get an advantage from me.”

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/08/romney_in_1994.html

As with everything with Romney it is never quite as it seems. Always the double standard with Republicans.

Also, Romney continued to blantly lie in these debates.

When asked about his investments and Fannie and Freddie he said they were in a blind trust, but according to the Boston Globe those Fannie and Freddie investments were not in a blind trust.

“Unlike most of Romney’s financial holdings, which are held in a blind trust that is overseen by a trustee and not known to Romney, this particular investment was among those that would have been known to Romney.”

Romney profiting from Fannie and Freddie were his own making.

“Once again, Mitt Romney has proven his hypocrisy knows no limits,”

“To continually attack the housing crisis, yet invest up to a half a million dollars in the major players is absolutely mind boggling. I didn’t know a person could flip flop on themselves, but Romney has proven that wrong.”

http://www.boston.com/Boston/politicalintelligence/2011/09/romney-pummels-profits-from-fannie-freddie/a2YN7UoFKXQHW1RzAiaW4J/index.html

This whole offshore account issue is about to blow-up in Romney’s face.

The more we find out about your candidate the more we see that he is full of shit. His financial behavior makes Obama’s look like child play and you guys went nuts on Obama for his finances in buying his house.

And Newt is also a person whose word can’t be trusted by anyone.  He’s been caught in so many untruths I am not sure anyone can find any true thing he’s said.  Newt is the Republican Obama in my mind; so even if I ever wrote I was ABO, I can still say that since Newt is an Obama of slightly different stripes.

Hillary is clear about retiring after this Obama term.  She’s pretty good at keeping her word, more so than many. 

But, having been a strong Hillary supporter during the last primary, when the GE came around I voted McCain.  And there is no way I would vote for O even with her as VP.

I bash Republicans when I think they are being stupid, just as I bashed Democrats (when I was one) because they were being idiots.

Being a true independent, which I now am, I can make independent judgements.  I watched Newt during his entire national political career.  He is the white obamanation.

I won’t sit out the election, but I can decide NOT to vote for president while still voting down ticket.  You have your finger on the key in the upcoming election.  Change the Senate no matter who is elected.  A strong Republican Senate with a Republican House, and Obama will be unable to do anything at all.

I think he is an ”inauthentic” politician also–that’s because I do believe in his heart he is not a politician.  He IS a business man and a family man who doesn’t like the way politicians “do business.” 

However, I do like Paul, too, and that might be the same reason some think he comes off weird. 

But even if we get majorities in both Houses, we are still left with Obama’s incessant ego trip speeches, attacks on any who disagree with him and don’t forget Michelle.
That’s too much to bear, so please help us to remove them from the public arena. 

i don’t see it.  without examples, it’s juts an empty accusation.

are you kidding? 

by the way, i’m sure that obama’s investments are also in a blind trust so that he cannot be accused of benefitting from his decisions.

Blind Trust? Isn’t this the same as “being out of the loop” and at a convenient time(s)? Sort of like having your cake and eating it too. Sort of like “If the blind lead the blind, they will both fall into the ditch”. So blind Mitt’s blind man invests in Fannie and Freddie and Mitt is innocent? Yeah right. So will Mitt give back the cash he made off the blind deal? After all he, mitt, suggested Gingrich should return the money he made while consulting for Fannie and Freddie. Mitt should at least know the character of his blind investor before contracting with him/her, and Newt should know that Fannie, Freddie, and ACORN are all one big happy Alinski (gov.) family that Newt loves to hate???? What has socialist America come to? Maybe Santorum can get a loan from the capitalist vulture, he has been debating, and put all the other three out of business.

Excellent point BINKY!  What has Romney been doing?  He doesn’t earn his living.  He doesn’t manage his investments.  

So how has he spent his time over the last 5 years?  Besides giving speeches?

“And — get this — Callista Gingrich, a music major who sings these days in her Washington, D.C. Catholic church, stood silent with a stern look”
   Well shoot.  Lady Bird never sang either. Maybe we are just lucky?    

He’s also a bully and like most bullies when someone fights back he’s at a loss. Newt lost this one big time. 

Last debate before Florida sunk Gingrich
More: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/01/26/last-debate-before-florida-sunk-gingrich/

Hello

What bull! Of course kids are “born” good… Yes if they  are raised poorly, they in many cases, not all, follow that path. But all kids are born good…

you’re not the only one.  I know a lot of people who voted for obama last time and are willing to either sit or vote for mitt or ron paul but Newt will get them out and vote for    …..  OBAMA AGAIN

I didn’t watch the debate, but as a person raised Christian and learning the concept of “original sin,” I would guess that is what he was talking about.

When my first son was born, I had some pretty clear religious questions to answer.  I thought my baby was the epitome of perfection and could see no “sin” in him.  All it took was his living and growing.  To me, he is still the best older son in the world.  But I clearly know his imperfections that are a very deep in-born part of his being. 

The thing is that by seeing them and raising him, I was able to get him to recognize his tendencies–e.g., a flash temper–and work on holding them in check.  My second son has a much different personality, but he was also “perfect” to me when he was born.  However, he also has in-born imperfections–as we all are.

As an ex public school teacher, I can say the attitude that all kids are good and innocent, the believe-the-kid-and-not-the-adult culture has been the reason for so many “mean girls and bullies.  Read Our Guys by Bernard Lefkowitz, for example, about the Glen-Ridge rape case.  See how an entire community turning its eyes away from the horrible behavior of some teenaged boys and girls resulted in a terrible crime against a young slightly-retarded girl. 

Children left to their own devices without good adult supervision will often turn “bad.”  Think of Golding’s Lord of the Flies.

Sorry if I’m writing without knowing since I could not bring myself to watch another debate.  But knowing Santorum’s fundamental religious point of view, I am guessing he’s talking about St. Augustine’s view of “original sin.” 

(I would guess that Santorum has no Pelagian tendancies.)

Sorry for the rant, but I often get testy over this issue.  Christian concepts are often totally misunderstood.

Sociopaths are born that way.  Read about it.

I doubt if Mitt made any money on the F-Fannie bonds, at least in the past few years.  I didn’t.  My mother had some money in Freddie-Fannie bonds, which I inherited.  They’re worthless now.

Are you a different person that candymarl???

I lived through two terms of GWB.  While Laura was not as offensive as MEchelle, he brought Cheney and Rumseld and Rove.  I’ve lived through the Obama years so far.  What good will it do to put another hateful person in the WH?  And think of Callista as FLOTUS. 

If Newt is nominated, I don’t think he will win.  Then we will still have Obama.  If Newt is nominated and if by some chance he wins the election, we have another despicable POTUS and another despicable FLOTUS.

What we need is Ralph Kramden–”Straight to the moon, Newt!”

This election is far too important to worry about the hateful aspects of our next president.  We need someone who will put good ideas into action.  When it comes down to it, we have one of the greatest America haters in that office right now.  At least Newt doesn’t have split loyalties about this country, as Obama most assuredly does.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of Newt’s intellect, not his character.  If character were the sole criteria for electing any politician, the halls of Congress would be empty.
I can’t envision his wife as first lady, but more, I can’t envision another four years of having to endure Obama’s equally hate filled wife.
I don’t know who the nominee will be, but any one of them would be better than Obama.
I will vote for the ultimate candidate, even if I have to hold my nose.  This country’s future is at stake, and so is our Constitution.

Good news!  Earlier today, Santorum dropped campaigning and announced he was tired, broke, and headed home to prepare his taxes.  Without the formal drop this means that Santorum will still draw votes away from Newt, nice.

    Perhaps watching the powers that will eventually
be controlling his teleprompters set up a campaign that so resembles Obama’s four years
ago creating another “insider” controlled presidency.

http://spectator.org/blog/2012/01/27/elliott-abrams-caught-misleadi

 Good Luck! Those instant attacks on Cain, Perry
and now Newt, gee I wonder where they came from. It amazes me that the people
at this blogg who were so astute as to what was going on 4 years ago can now be
so blind to what is going on.

and Assholes too

“She’s pretty good at keeping her word, more so than many.”

Sort of like her saying something on the order of we will take this fight to the floor of the convention.

I like many supported Hillary (only candidate I have maxed out on contributions to a campaign), but like most politicians I wouldn’t trust her word any more than that of a lot of ABOers.

Don’t be too excited.  He is just going home for the weekend and is in it for the long haul  Santorum and Paul owned the debate last night.  Romney close 2nd.  Newt… off somewhere else.

Sure… but if one believes in State’s right and people in that state are for something… who am I to argue.  You can always move to another state.

Pretty much my thoughts. Really like your point on character; oh how  true.
 
Don’t know that much about Newt’s wife to make a judgment about her as a potential FLOTUS.

I too will probably be holding my nose but will vote ABO. Guess I really could go the route of many and wimp out by saying I didn’t even know who the republican candidates would be when I said I would be ABO and could not possibily imagine such a group of lack luster candidates or whatever.

For me Rommey is too wimpy and I just think Obama will chew him up and spit him out especially when it comes to Obamacare and Romneycare; and it doesn’t help that he apparently was a democrat supporting domocrats not long ago or that he has the support of Wall Street.  I too like Gingrich’s intellect and thinking big (can’t think the British billionaire who is working on space travel (well outside our atmosphere in weigthlessness) as a possible tourist attraction).  Firing up private enterprise and our educational system with outside the box thinking might have some surprisingly good results.

Oh well, glad to see someone else who did little thinking when saying ABO realizing then that there might be choices that aren’t easy but that anyone is better than Obama.

I don’t see it all.  He is dry, corteous and very buttoned up and not as flashy as some.  This debate he did really good though.

I agree to disagree.  Kids are born as blank slates and you need to take it from there.  There is nothing in his make up that says abusive or hateful as a parent.  I am no Santorum fan… but that I see clearly.

Kids are born neither good or bad.  It all depends on genes and nurture how they turn out.

WOW… I think this was Santorums best debate so far and he owned Romney on the heakth care issue.

When any person puts something in a blind trust then it means they have somebody else managing the money… in a form of a mutual fund etc.  You don’t have the control there like you do with individual stocks.  Most people with retirement accounts etc. probably have mutual funds.  Do you know what is in yours?  And you would know even less if somebody else was managing the investments for you.

Who cares?  Maybe he has spent time supporting his wife recover from cancer and MS.

Refreshing isn’t it.  Romney stood tall and  looked directly at Newt who did not look back when responding.  I don’t think we have to worry if Romney can debate and hit back if needed.  Obviously he has some good opposition research people around him too… the way he shut Newt up with the investment issue.

I always said except for Newt.  I can’t support a known serial liar.

What are you booing at?  I am referring to her musical performances… but now since you got my mind thinking… there may be something to that being that she shagged a married man for 6 years.

The Brit’s name is Branson and he has a willingness to experiment and explore.  Where would we be as a nation without that kind of willingness?
People with the high intellectual curiosity of Gingrich just can’t be put in a box, like so many of the other candidates.  It makes people very uncomfortable because they are so different from the rest of us.  I’m not saying that’s all good or all bad, but I like the courage in it.
It’s too bad that intelligence landed within Gingrich, given his other foibles.

I’m with you, I would not vote for Obama even with Hilary.  I will also revise ABO to ABOON (Anybody but Obma or Newt). I find Newt repulsive.   I just saw an interview where he was asked to respond to the allegation that he had rejected Reagan and he started on about Mitt’s 20 million dollar income  -  you would almost believe that Newt was not also a millionaire.  I think that he thinks we are all idiots.  Since he has adopted the Obama class warfare rhetoric against Mitt- what exactly will he say when debating Obama.

Imagine he has spent a good deal of time meeting with the establishment republicans convincing them that he had served and he was due their backing.

Have you listened to Obama??

Have you listened to Obama??

It was nice to see Paul getting his fair share of time.  He was the star, in my opinion.  I had lunch with one of my Obama supporter friends and she even likes Paul.  I think she maybe swayable…

If Paul catches fire across this nation , the establishment will not be able to stop it.  He has appeal across all factions of Americans.  He is the one who can bring us together.  Under liberty….under freedom….under the constitution.

I am also offended that anyone would think us so silly that simply changing VPs from Biden to Hillary would somehow make Obama more palatable. Ugh!

Diana
ASPD is very much driven by ones environment as well and that includes family relationships. There is a definite relationship between the genetic pool and psychosocial factors.Just to say one is born with it is like saying kids are born STUPID!

Larry, you and I know that when it comes to politics not policy. Noot is no fool… Matter of fact, its Romney who is out of his league in this regard. That is also my fear with Romney going up against the Chicago meat grinder.

I’m aware of that; however, those kids have definite bad tendencies.  As far a being born stupid is concerned, I’ve always know there are entirely different kids of intelligence and stupidity. 

But clearly there is evidence that many sociopaths just simply can not feel empathy.  It doesn’t mean that their parents didn’t show them any.  It doesn’t mean that they commit horrible crimes.  But, they certainly aren’t people you want to be closely involved with.