Live-Blogging During Tonight's GOP Debate

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Live-Blogging During Tonight's GOP Debate

October 21, 2007 10:41 AM

9:30 pm ET: Some quick closing thoughts: Overall, the urgency on the stage is real -- they all realize that spring training is over. Rudy Giuliani was in control of the stage at key moments, and always does well when he goes 90 full minutes without having to defend his position on abortion. McCain seemed dour and detached, but then suddenly animated -- not his strongest performance, but not his worst. Fred Thompson had some good lines ready, but not enough of them. Mitt Romney -- maybe distracted by that out-of-whack curl of hair -- didn't do himself a whole lot of good today, though we may have seen a shift in him embracing his healthcare plan. And Mike Huckabee was probably smart not to engage the rest of the crowd. Maybe his moment has passed, but there could be another shot left for him.

That's it for me (Rick Klein) for a few hours -- check out The Note tomorrow morning for more.

9:28 pm ET: Thompson goes biographical on the "lazy" question. But we don't hear people questioning his resume, just his commitment to the race. And honestly, what did he do tonight to change perceptions?

9:23 pm ET: If you need a reality check on Ron Paul, check out the boos when he says this: "We don't need to assume that the world is going to blow up."

9:21 pm ET: With 10 minutes left, Giuliani's campaign just put out a statement declaring victory, for the record.

9:19 pm ET: With credit to VH1's "Best Week Ever" -- I can't stop watching Fred Thompson's tongue darting in and out of his mouth. We think he just said something about Turkey.

9:15 pm ET: Another good McCain line: "When I looked in Mr. Putin's eyes, I saw three letters, a K, a G, and a B." This is a fairly safe way for a Republican candidate to distance himself from President Bush, no?

9:10 pm ET: No surprise that Tom Tancredo is talking immigration -- but what is he talking about with this off-stage conversation with Giuliani? (And it's 2-0 BoSox -- Rudy can't like that.)

9:07 pm ET: So John McCain is going to fix Social Security with "a couple of charts"? That's a new one. But Duncan Hunter does him one better -- trade policy will fix it. Great.

9:05 pm ET: Again, Mike Huckabee communicates a complex idea well, on Social Security.

9:01 pm ET: Why would Rudy Giuliani lead off with private accounts? Has he watched the first three years of President Bush's second term? Where's the support for this?

8:58 pm ET: There are tastes of good lines from Fred Thompson tonight, but very little that's sustained. He may be do better with less time, not more.

8:57 pm ET: From ABC's Karen Travers: "Did I fall asleep and miss the Democratic primaries? Kind of strange how much is focused on Hillary when these guys have to beat each other first. Do the moderators think they have run out of questions about the differences among the candidates that they feel they need to look beyond this Republican primaries?"

8:54 pm ET: ABC's Bret Hovell picks up on the standing ovation McCain got for the "tied up" line. It also earned him applause from his colleagues on the stage. Hovell: "The Republicans have been united about Hillary, but they were just united about McCain too."

8:53 pm ET: Once again, Mike Huckabee is going straight ahead -- attacking Clinton, but not the other Republicans. Watch out for this guy.

8:50 pm ET: McCain on Woodstock: "I was tied up at the time." A really good line, that gets him out of his too-serious for TV mode tonight.

8:48 pm ET: Giuliani is the first to cite that Clinton quote where Hillary said she has a "million ideas" and that the country can't afford them all. Rudy is in control of the stage at this point -- he's interacting with the crowd, like he would at a rally, and getting in some good sound bites.

8:44 pm ET: Romney's laugh stands out in the crowd -- it's almost as weird as Hillary Clinton's, isn't it? And is this a Monica reference from Romney, or are we reading too much into it? "The idea that she could learn to be president as an internship doesn't make any sense."

8:43 pm ET: Commercial break gives us time to click over and watch the replay of the Sox scoring the first run of the ballgame, with a lucky bounce on a Manny Ramirez grounder.

8:42 pm ET: Another quick word on Romney's healthcare plan -- so far, more oppo research has been sent out on that subject tonight than any other, by my quick, non-scientific accounting.

8:39 pm ET: Thompson: "Some of us were wrong" on No Child Left Behind. And then he quotes Garrison Keillor. (Isn't that something a Democrat would do?) This answer on education is a rambling discourse that got him nowhere.

8:31 pm ET: This storyline, of RomneyCare vs. HillaryCare, is still dangerous for Governor Romney. I still haven't heard him explain in an easily digestable way why a state-level individual mandate is OK but a federal one isn't. He's spending too much time at each debate trying to play defense on a plan that's the cornerstone of his Massachusetts legacy.

8:29 pm ET: I can almost hear the clicks for new donations every time Ron Paul opens his mouth. He comes across as a purveyor of common sense, even when he's outside the party's mainstream.

8:26 pm ET: Sorry, Sammy, but we're rooting for the Indians tonight. Though I don't know how Romney hits Giuliani on national security -- his credentials aren't that solid, either.

8:25 pm ET: Does anyone care about Tom Tancredo's ratings from interest groups? Sounds like a 5th grader bragging that he reads at an 8th-grade level.

8:22 pm ET: I'm surprised Fred Thompson didn't have a better answer ready on his past work for Planned Parenthood. "They've come forward now because I'm their worst nightmare," he says. That's nice, but what of the work he did?

8:20 pm ET: It takes 20 minutes to get to Mike Huckabee, and he's OK with that. "I'm not interested in fighting these guys." And then he places "life" in the Declaration of Independence. Good answer, even if it's really not making Huckabee part of this particular debate.

8:18 pm ET: Giuliani: "I don't think we need a constitutional amendment at this point." This is a tough argument for Rudy to make -- how many states with gay marriage are too many? Funny moment: He says he presided only over weddings of opposite-sex couples "I hope. . . . It was New York City."

8:14 pm ET: "Don't demote me," Romney says when he was mistakenly addressed as "senator." And now he's playing effective defense on the "lawyers" question.

8:13 pm ET: Spoke too soon about McCain not going after Romney. He has spent the last several years trying to "fool" people, McCain says.

8:12 pm ET: Mitt's hair is fixed. But his tongue is tied: "Clinton Hillary."

8:11 pm ET: An early plaudit for Fox News to hold the candidates to their words -- whether or not they are repeating them on stage.

8:10 pm ET: I'm surprised that John McCain decided to make this response about himself instead of about Mitt Romney. He's made no secret of his dislike for Romney, but why is he staying out of the highlight reel (at least for now)?

8:08 pm ET: This is gonna be fun! "Fred has his problems too," Giuliani says. Again, he's showing that he will hit back when he is hit, but won't be the first to strike a blow, generally. "Fred Thompson, along with very few Republicans, blocked tort reform over and over and over again. That is not a conservative position."

8:06 pm ET: Fred Thompson delivers the first blow, on whether Giuliani and Romney are conservative enough: "We've got an hour and a half, maybe they can work on it." And then a Ted Kennedy joke, making fun of his politics and his weight. He is ready tonight. And then he unloads on Giuliani.

8:04 pm ET: Romney's hair is still out of place, and he also led off with a laugh on the question of who's more conservative.

8:02 pm ET: Interesting that Rudy Giuliani didn't engage on the direct question- whether he or Fred Thompson is more conservative. He can't win when those sorts of comparisons are made. And ABC's David Chalian points out that Rudy's initial response was almost-Hillary like: a hearty laugh.

8 pm ET: Uh-oh -- Mitt Romney's hair is out of place. I write this now because I've never been able to type that sentence before.

7:59 pm ET: We're just about ready to go. ABC Christine Byun reports that the Red Bulls are quickly disappearing from the media filing center -- some folks are jazzed up for a fun night. And please, feel free, anyone, to update us on the game over at that other Murdoch property.

Rick Klein from The Note here. I'll be blogging during tonight's Republican debate in Florida, which will be televised on Fox News Channel from 8 pm - 9:30 pm ET. Should be an interesting show -- at least as interesting as Game 7 of the ALCS. How does Rudy Giuliani handle the attention he's getting? Does Fred Thompson show signs of stirring? Can Mike Huckabee build on the mini-boom out of the values conference? Can Mitt Romney and John McCain repeat their recent strong debate performances?

October 21, 2007 in Thompson, Fred | Permalink | User Comments (27)

User Comments

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I laughed it off when Rudy Giuliani entered the race to become the next President of our great country, the United States of America. I laughed because I cannot fathom why any well-meaning American especially the so-called conservatives will take a guy like Giuliani very serious. Here is a guy who has married three times in his life. And to add insult to injury Rudy's current wife Judy Nathan has equaled Rudy's record on the marriage front. She has also married three times.

What even baffles me is that when Rudy was dating Judy; reports had it that Rudy allowed Judy to the Gracie Mansion with impunity when his then wife was present. This is the man who had no respect for his then wife that he brought his girlfriend to his house when his wife was present.

Christians throughout the world knows that the bible teaches that God hates divorce (Malachi 2:16). God hates even one divorce for whatever reason which is why I will always hold Hillary Clinton in high esteem during the Monica Lewinsky issue. Therefore, why on earth will Christians even dare to listen to any lame excuses from someone like Giuliani and his wife who have broken the law (Bible) by becoming serial adulterers?

If Evangelicals are to be taken serious, then they have to reject this fake of a man who is parading as the best person to protect them from terrorist attacks. If this man Giuliani was even unable to protect his marriage from breakdown and always had to go against his marriage vows (For better for worse, for richer and for poorer) how on earth can he protect Americans?

This fraud (Giuliani) has nothing to offer Americans and Evangelicals stand the threshold of supporting somebody who broke God's law repeatedly if they do not reject Giuliani. What signals will Evangelicals send to the rest of the world and their children? That it is okay to change women like shirts and later be supported by Christians to become the President of the United States?

Just look at the Republican presidential candidates and your jaw will drop because almost all of them have broken God's sacred code on marriage, yet they all go round parading themselves as Christians and deceiving the Evangelical front. If Evangelicals really believe that candidates who support abortion have to be rejected, then they must equally reject candidates like Giuliani who have broken the marriage code and married multiple times. The bible simply has no two laws on marriage.

Posted by: Siisi Quainoo | Oct 21, 2007 2:57:35 PM

I'm sorry but the Bible also talks about forgiveness. Getting a divorce doesn't mean that he will be a bad president. That is irrelevant and I am an evangelical voter. Giuliani has actual experience leading change in New York and he will lead change in Washington.

Posted by: Cody | Oct 21, 2007 3:34:52 PM

Cody, please go read your bible very well, because the bible does not talk about forgiveness in divorcing. If it happened once we can live with it but to marry three times. Does it mean all the women were bad but Rudy? Rudy has no regard for women. I am very sorry for Judy because should Rudy win the elections (which I doubt) she will be the next to be booted out. Also, go check Rudy's record in NY very well. He was the most antagonistic Mayor in NY's history and was going down until 9/11 happened. Which is why he cannot run on anything but 9/11.

Posted by: Siisi Quainoo | Oct 21, 2007 4:31:55 PM

Siisi is a Hillary apologist. Everyone living in New York at the time of the Guilani divorce knew that Donna Hanover was a problem child. Rudy made New York livable again. He may be too liberal for some, but he is at least honest.

Posted by: disambiguate | Oct 21, 2007 5:33:48 PM

The only question for tonight is whether Fox will give Ron Paul equal time now that his grassroots fundraising numbers have completely blown away Huckabee, McCain, and most of the others. Last time Romney get 1357 words, Giuliani 1091, and Ron Paul only 343 (last among all the candidates):

Here's a suggestion for Fox:

You ask questions, WE DECIDE!

Posted by: charles | Oct 21, 2007 5:54:35 PM

As I sit here and listen to the melodic strains of Sehnsuch by the inimitable Rammstein, what I desire most is to see all of these selfserving, hypocritical politicians leave Amerika the same way they came. In other words, 'No Debate!! DE BOAT!!!!!!!

Virtue Lord Purple

Posted by: Virtue Lord Purple | Oct 21, 2007 7:28:16 PM

Remember on 9/11 when Dubya was reading 'The Pet Goat', and Andrew Card walked up to him and whispered something in his ear? Want to know what he said? Well I'll tell you anyway. He said, "Sir, it's a spectacular success!!"

Virtue Lord Purple

Posted by: Virtue Lord Purple | Oct 21, 2007 7:37:13 PM

Romney needs to go after Rudy's alleged national security credentials. Get him on the defensive. Go Sox.

Posted by: sammy red sox | Oct 21, 2007 8:24:45 PM

All they are doing is attacking each other - this isn't helping anything. . .

Posted by: Cleveland Rocks | Oct 21, 2007 8:38:20 PM

Who is this commenting on the debate?

Posted by: David | Oct 21, 2007 9:52:46 PM

Thats funny, evangelicals are most all divorced and remarried. Most led decadent younger lives and then got "saved" and became experts on the Bible and Christianity with no hard word. Such a joke.

Anyway, I cannot BELIEVE how Fox blew off Ron Paul who took 38% of the poll win. Those corporations really have control over Fox reporters. So sad, so hypocritical.

Posted by: Sue100 | Oct 21, 2007 10:19:27 PM

Romney was and is SO presidential...and
by FAR the most personally accomplished of all 19 in the primary. He would definitely handle the job market/world economic situation better than anybody in the race. There is a screaming need for that on the horizon. All these others are totally without experience or ability in that area.
judy

Posted by: judy | Oct 21, 2007 10:28:28 PM

This so galls me. The majority of Americans are Christians but only a minority of them (and a greater minority of all Americans) are Evangelicals. Evangelicals hate Catholics and hate the other Protestants who they consider to be secular. Rudy fits none of them. Plus he is a moran. He got lucky with a claim to fame by being in the right place at the right time on 9/11. Otherwise, that man has NOTHING to offer as President of the United States of America.

Posted by: Sue100 | Oct 21, 2007 10:30:05 PM

Romney's experience is nit compared to Ron Paul. You need to check it out before you spread false information.

Posted by: Sue100 | Oct 21, 2007 10:47:01 PM

Fred Thompson surprises me. For and actor, he sure can't think on his feet, begins every sentence with "uh", and is slower than molasses.
The other surprise is how many times all of the candidates mentioned "the founders" and "the constitution" compared to the last Fox News debate. They are all stealing Ron Paul's rhetoric, but not his positions.

Posted by: W. Gary Johnson, New York, NY | Oct 21, 2007 11:16:18 PM

Ron Paul won the call in phone vote again. Hannity is such an idiot, he tried to say that the Ron Paul Supporters were spammig Fox's poll. I voted once and so did my husband. Since Hannity started talking so much smack we actually checked to see if a person could vote more than once, and it is not allowed by the way. Thank you ABC for giving me an outlet to voice my opinion on Fox's poor news reporting. They really suck at reporting. I will continue to follow your coverage here. You have been the fairest to Ron Paul, and I do thank you.

Posted by: Tess, California | Oct 21, 2007 11:28:25 PM

I could not believe the first 10-15 minutes were with the commentators trying to get the top 3 candidates to attack one another. That and this blog showed me why I no longer have faith in the Media.

Just courious if Rick Klein an advisor to one of the DNC candidates, because if he wanted to show there is no bias or liberal slant at ABC he failed miserably.

Posted by: Jeff | Oct 21, 2007 11:43:44 PM

.
With the exception of Ron Paul most GOP Rivals Argue Who's Most Conservative, Ron Paul As he has before, Paul spoke passionately against the war in Iraq. But he also accused his Republican rivals of being for big government. "Our big-government conservatives, they're part of the neo-conservative movement.

Who won the Orlando, Florida Republican debate?

Posted by: PollM | Oct 22, 2007 12:16:44 AM

Conservative issue is old news now.Mitt Romney is the pick of Conservatives but not only he's the most conservative he is continue to be the most electable candidate as these debates kept going.He is intelligent in every area of economic issues and tons of skills and experiences certainly qualify him to represent the Republic Party for the 2008 election.This is the truth and this is the reality for any success of the Republican Party in regaining the White House.It's the coming of age for the Romneynomic Era that will definitely benefit all American both Democrat and Republican as well as Independents and Undecided voters.Mitt Romney for America 2008.

Posted by: kmjjp | Oct 22, 2007 3:36:41 AM

RON PAUL is the front runner, and we are going to keep him the front runner.
Vote RON PAUL in 08, YOU WILL BE GLAD THAT YOU DID.

Posted by: cpman1946 | Oct 22, 2007 7:23:44 AM

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