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Fox News Republican South Carolina Debate Recap

Everyone this morning is talking about how good the Republican debate was last night. It was a good debate and had several memorable moments. Here is our take of what happened and who came out on top.

1) Newt Gingrich clearly won the debate. He probably has won all the debates though so that is not new. But he seemed to win this one by the largest margin yet. At one moment his answer even got a standing ovation from the audience. That was the first time we have seen that in all these events to date. Newt said he wants to teach young people how to get a job and then ultimately how to 'own' the job.

Gingrich stood strong on the work ethic and what makes America great. Probably the biggest positive thing that he did was make everyone realize what they like about Newt and how great it would be to have him taking it to Obama in the debates next fall. Newt is an idea guy. It would be nice to have a Republican in the White House that the Democrats can't say is dumb for a change!

There is not an endorsement but there is no one else in the race who knows how Washington works and potentially has the ability to get things done there as well as he does. Some say that is a bad thing but if Newt truly does what he says in his 21st Century Contract With America we would be taking a big step towards restoring the country to what it should be. No one can speak as in depth about the issues as Newt can.

2) Mitt Romney did a 'capable' job which is what he always does. Did he inspire anyone? Not really. He never does for some reason. He seems to come off like a "Ken doll' and that may be the problem. On the other hand his real problem with conservatives (not RINO's) may be his record as MA Governor. Despite what you hear from some there was really nothing conservative about his MA record and that fact makes it hard for a true conservative to support him.

Romney got booed when he came out in full support last night of Obama's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). He stated that just as he is "sure" President Obama will not abuse the provisions in that bill about detaining American citizens without charging them with anything he would not abuse that power either. Hmmm, really? Romney stated that 'the people' elect people to represent them and they they trust those people not to abuse the power they have been given. Really? We (the American people) don't blindly trust anyone. We believe in what Reagan said, "Trust but Verify". NDAA is a scary bill and should not be taken lightly. Does anyone know where Newt stands on this bill?

Romney also gave an answer about gun control that left many 2nd Amendment supporters yelling at their TV screens. He said that while he did not support any 'new' gun laws we should actively enforce the ones on the books now. His big claim to showing his support of gun rights was a bill he championed as the Governor of MA which according to Mitt was a good compromise between guns rights advocates and people who oppose gun rights. He highlighted that the bill actually had a provision that "allowed hunters to cross roads with a rifle". Wow! Really? That is his idea of supporting gun rights? Geez!

He also told us about how he likes to hunt every now and then but he is not an active hunter. So Mitt showed his hand on the 2nd Amendment with his words that gun rights are a 'compromise' and not a certainty. This was a huge moment if you are a gun rights supporter. Mitt sounds like he is one of those that say it is OK to have a rifle for hunting but not much else. The 2nd Amendment is not a comprise with gun rights opponents. It is black and white with no gray. American citizens have the right to bear arms and that cannot be infringed upon. Period. Romney raised taxes on guns in MA by a huge amount while Governor.

Of course, the media folks say Romney did fine and nothing that took place last night will change his status as the front runner. We don't fully agree with that spin.

3) Rick Santorum started out fast attacking Romney and actually getting him to fall into a trap about one of Romney's SuperPac ads claiming Santorum thinks Felons (in jail) should be able to vote. Santorum says he thinks once you complete your sentence and are not on parole or probation anymore then you should be able to vote again. He flat out asked Romney to state his position on that and after a couple awkward moments Mitt said he did not support that idea. Right Face tends to think that most conservatives do not support the right of former felons to vote again but we would like to hear your thoughts on that subject. It seemed like Santorum's trap may have ended up making Romney look better to conservatives on that topic.

Rick seemed to slow down some after that opening battle and it pretty much seemed like Newt stole the show after the first 30 minutes of the debate.

4) Governor Perry was sharp giving his best debate performance by far. The question is will it be too little too late to help him? He made some excellent points including that based on Freddie and Fannie the Federal Government should not be involved in housing at all. He got loud positive response from the audience several times but if he does not win SC (which he won't) will he drop out of the race? Perry hinted around this week that he will decide after Saturday if he stays in or not. Well, that is not a good thing to say! How many people in South Carolina will vote for a guy if they are not sure he will be in the race next week?

Perry is too far behind in the polls to win SC. His best hope is 3rd but is that even realistic when you consider Ron Paul has a solid base of supporters? Probably the best he can hope for would be to beat out Santorum but that will even be tough.

5) Ron Paul really just needs to talk about the economy and his stances on that subject. He does great on economics issues but when it goes to foreign policy he loses a lot of people. In fact, he loses the majority of people! Sure, there are many that support his views but not enough to get him anywhere near winning the nomination. Yes, yes, despite what Ron Paul supporters say.

An excellent point he made was when he reminded people that up until 1913 there was no income tax and that he wants us to go back to "0%" on income tax which would be great. He did not give a real clear positive answer though when challenged by Rick Santorum about gun rights. Ron Paul has such a strong base of supporters he will probably do well in SC.

6) Jon Hunstman was not there as he dropped out of the race Monday throwing his support to Romney.

The bottom line is if someone does not beat Mitt Romney in South Carolina it looks like there is no stopping him. Right now with Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry all doing well in the debate they will split the conservative vote which helps Mitt Romney win again. Ron Paul will get his share of votes and that helps Romney also. He won't need that much to win just like in Iowa.

We think Newt did well enough to cement a second place showing in SC. There is another debate Thursday evening on CNN. If any one is going to beat Romney in SC they need to score more hits on him then. It looks like Gingrich is the only one within range of stopping the Romney momentum at this point unless Perry pulls out some kind of miracle.

Tags: 2nd amendment, Fox GOP Debate, Fox News Debate, Fox SC Debate, NDAA, National Defense Authorization Act, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul, More…

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Permalink Reply by annamae sturat on January 17, 2012 at 3:14pm

No wonder Perry is behind with Fox News effectively ignoring his very presence after the debate like he was never there. EVERYONE was mentioned, but him. And, then Dick Morris has a go at him.

Fox is obviously in the tank for Romney despite his flubs and sputtering last night. There are many, many that are waking up to that fact.

http://rickperryreport.com/article/2012-01-17/perry-sc-day-9-fox-ne...

Fox and Clear Channel have a contract, with Fox being Clear Channel's premiere news program. Clear Channel is owned by Bain (since 2008), and Romney is the main stockholder in Bain. Does anyone see a conflict here?

Hannity has a $4M contract with Clear Channel. Does anyone see a conflict? I sure do!!

Here are more Clear Channel employees:

http://www.moneyteachers.org/Romney+Beck+Limbaugh+and+Clear+Channel...

I'm totally disgusted with Fox and no longer watch it due to their cheating to get Romney elected (and the keep their high-paying jobs!). In fact I watch CNN (can you believe that??!!) for a more balanced and fair coverage of Perry and the elections. In fact, all the "liberal media" are more fair overall than Fox News. What, what does that tell you?

NO more FOX!

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Permalink Reply by Debe Lange on January 17, 2012 at 3:48pm

I agree Newt Gingrich did extremely well, and solidified his stand on a good many issues. I appreciate his understanding of this nation's history and the fact he's not afraid to state his position on the issues. He speaks plainly in down-to-earth English that every day people can understand without rhetoric, and he answers the questions directly without side-stepping or avoiding them as I saw some others do in last night's debate. Concerns about his baggage? I see it as just that ... baggage. He's readily admitted to his mistakes years ago and has made corrections so as not to repeat them. He's also stated he's learned a great deal from those mistakes and has moved on leaving them in the dust. It takes courage to do that. Which of us hasn't had major errors in judgment at some point in our lives? Who of us hasn't also left those mistakes behind, learned from them, and moved on taking that wisdom with them only to become better people because of them? Newt is being considered as my choice.

Mitt Romney seemed quite unsure of himself, especially when challenged by Santorum and Gingrich. He stuttered and stumbled over his words at times, and when the audience booed him, his facial expression looked almost panicked. He may be another "let me have my teleprompter" kind of guy, although certainly not as strongly as the current president. I'm very concerned about his stand on many things. He's often unclear and speaks through muddy waters. I fear he's a wolf in sheep's clothing who can't be trusted, nor can he truly identify with the rest of us. I believe his unwillingness to be forthright and speak clearly without talking ambiguously or in generalities is a red flag. (As a side note: I'm also untrusting of anyone who has a half-smile pasted on their face continuously. No one is always that happy, and the seriousness of the countries current issues are nothing to smile about. To me, it's all a cover and very unsettling.)

Rick Santorum was blazing hot out of the blocks. It was good to see him turn up the heat on Romney and bring to light the lacking accountability factor concerning the SuperPac ads. I've known he's had it in him but until last night, that "attack" mode hadn't been established. He seemed comfortable, assured, and confident on the topics. I believe his only drawback was that he wasn't given more questions to field to help better establish himself. I believe he's a very viable candidate and I was pleased to see the fire in his eyes. He is someone I'm still considering.

Rick Perry did do well last night, I agree. However, I also agree it just could be too little too late. I have no doubt he's a true American who loves this country and whose military service was honorable. If he'd have been enthusiastic and shown more knowledge from the beginning, I don't think he'd be as far down in the polls as he is now. Because he stalled and was then slammed by the media, I don't believe he's been taken too seriously since then. It's unfortunate because I'd have been interested to learn his thoughts on many other issues.

Ron Paul frightens the daylights out of me. Sure, he's got a few good ideas about the domestic and financial side of things (although he also has some really quirky ideas about U.S. borders, etc.), but his thinking on foreign policy is extremely dangerous, especially concerning Israel. I can't believe anyone in this day and time actually thinks if we just "be friends" with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, everything will be ok. Israel is our only true ally in the Middle East and Paul has previously stated he doesn't think we should support them in any way (even verbally) and that they shouldn't even be considered a nation. Can you imagine him trying to negotiate with our enemies? He has no concept at all of the strategy necessary to do that nor the seething contempt and hate the Muslim countries have for the U.S. or it's citizens.

Can you even picture a conversation between him and the leaders of any other country? When he can't even converse and stay focused on a single topic during a debate without rambling, (among our own people, I might add), how in God's name would he ever be able to further U.S. interests abroad?! I personally have no confidence in him at all and seriously think he'd continue to do more damage and finish the job Obama has started in destroying this nation.

God, in speaking to Abram concerning Israel, He said in Genesis 12:1-3 - "Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing", And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

We NEED to remain Israel's strongest ally if we expect this nation to be restored.

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Permalink Reply by Jon Sayer on January 18, 2012 at 3:21am

Mitt just wants to be President to add it to his resume and fulfill his Fathers dream. He will say anything he thinks people at the moment want to hear. There is endless proof of this with his back and forth on issues. Check out this link to see the inconsistencies in his statements over the years concerning gun rights.

http://www.thepoliticalguide.com/Profiles/governor/Massachusetts/Mi...

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Permalink Reply by annamae sturat on January 18, 2012 at 11:38am

There's nothing to keep you from hearing what Perry thinks on any issue. He has his own website: RickPerry.org and his debates have been pretty clear about what he thinks. Here is one site that corrects many of the lies being told about him and gives some clear picture of what he is: http://peskytruth.wordpress.com/2011/07/19/rick-perrys-negatives/

Concering the debates, he was recovering from back surgery which was just weeks prior to the first debate and which men who have had this surgery said they would not have been able to stand, much less stand for 2 hrs, this close to surgery. While recovering from this surgery and on pain meds (explains the fumble about forgetting his 3rd agency), he was also flying back/forth between the first debates and fighting wildfires here in Texas, directing the one in Bastrop from the air, and then flying back to comfort the victims of the fire, and performing other governmental duties, while creating the jobs plan and economic plans he was asked to perform. All of this was being done months behind any other candidate. I think he did quite well, considering. Since the wildfires are now contained and he's recovered more or less from the surgery, he's doing a tremendous job in the debates.

And, then there is this: http://www.rickperry.org/share/the-private-life-of-governor-rick-pe...

Debe Lange said:

I agree Newt Gingrich did extremely well, and solidified his stand on a good many issues.  I appreciate his understanding of this nation's history and the fact he's not afraid to state his position on the issues. He speaks plainly in down-to-earth English that every day people can understand without rhetoric, and he answers the questions directly without side-stepping or avoiding them as I saw some others do in last night's debate. Concerns about his baggage? I see it as just that ... baggage. He's readily admitted to his mistakes years ago and has made corrections so as not to repeat them. He's also stated he's learned a great deal from those mistakes and has moved on leaving them in the dust. It takes courage to do that. Which of us hasn't had major errors in judgment at some point in our lives? Who of us hasn't also left those mistakes behind, learned from them, and moved on taking that wisdom with them only to become better people because of them? Newt is being considered as my choice.

Mitt Romney seemed quite unsure of himself, especially when challenged by Santorum and Gingrich. He stuttered and stumbled over his words at times, and when the audience booed him, his facial expression looked almost panicked. He may be another "let me have my teleprompter" kind of guy, although certainly not as strongly as the current president. I'm very concerned about his stand on many things. He's often unclear and speaks through muddy waters. I fear he's a wolf in sheep's clothing who can't be trusted, nor can he truly identify with the rest of us.  I believe his unwillingness to be forthright and speak clearly without talking ambiguously or in generalities is a red flag.  (As a side note: I'm also untrusting of anyone who has a half-smile pasted on their face continuously. No one is always that happy, and the seriousness of the countries current issues are nothing to smile about. To me, it's all a cover and very unsettling.)

Rick Santorum was blazing hot out of the blocks. It was good to see him turn up the heat on Romney and bring to light the lacking accountability factor concerning the SuperPac ads. I've known he's had it in him but until last night, that "attack" mode hadn't been established. He seemed comfortable, assured, and confident on the topics. I believe his only drawback was that he wasn't given more questions to field to help better establish himself. I believe he's a very viable candidate and I was pleased to see the fire in his eyes. He is someone I'm still considering.

Rick Perry did do well last night, I agree. However, I also agree it just could be too little too late. I have no doubt he's a true American who loves this country and whose military service was honorable. If he'd have been enthusiastic and shown more knowledge from the beginning, I don't think he'd be as far down in the polls as he is now. Because he stalled and was then slammed by the media, I don't believe he's been taken too seriously since then. It's unfortunate because I'd have been interested to learn his thoughts on many other issues.

Ron Paul frightens the daylights out of me. Sure, he's got a few good ideas about the domestic and financial side of things (although he also has some really quirky ideas about U.S. borders, etc.), but his thinking on foreign policy is extremely dangerous, especially concerning Israel. I can't believe anyone in this day and time actually thinks if we just "be friends" with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, everything will be ok. Israel is our only true ally in the Middle East and Paul has previously stated he doesn't think we should support them in any way (even verbally) and that they shouldn't even be considered a nation. Can you imagine him trying to negotiate with our enemies? He has no concept at all of the strategy necessary to do that nor the seething contempt and hate the Muslim countries have for the U.S. or it's citizens.

Can you even picture a conversation between him and the leaders of any other country? When he can't even converse and stay focused on a single topic during a debate without rambling, (among our own people, I might add), how in God's name would he ever be able to further U.S. interests abroad?! I personally have no confidence in him at all and seriously think he'd continue to do more damage and finish the job Obama has started in destroying this nation.

God, in speaking to Abram concerning Israel, He said in Genesis 12:1-3 - "Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;  And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing", And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

We NEED to remain Israel's strongest ally if we expect this nation to be restored.

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Permalink Reply by Debbie Myers on January 18, 2012 at 2:19pm

I don't understand WHY we need to remain the ally of another country to expect our nation to be restored. Restored to what? Tyranny? fascisim? I don't get many people who care about gay marriage, abortion, jobs....because if the dollar tanks - what's a job worth? If we have NDAA (and all the other EO's that go along with it), we have NO freedom. I am tired of arguing with people - but if Israel is more important than your individual liberties - go for it - because there won't be anything you can do to help anyone then. We are not the only nation in this situation - check out what the people of those countries say, quit listening to the corrupt governments!