Did the debate tonight hurt or help Ron Paul?

[Shatterhand]

Maybe I have been a supporter for too long and have lost objectivity, but I thought RP rocked the debate. He showed that he has a different message than all the others regarding the war.

I think if republicans look him up to learn more they will get hooked.

I thought he could have answered Vanity's questions better, but that was not the debate.

 

[born2drv]

Ok, I hate to say this but I like the Ron Paul of the first couple of debates where he was more composed. Im glad Im in the minority here, but I'm concerned about the passive viewers who are just now tuning into this primary. Gravel did not resonate for too long with the voters because he was too angry and seemed unstable, even though he had more integrity than all of them put together, and had a better message.

I also think the question on eliminating the CIA and FBI with background chuckles hurt him too.

I agree with you on both counts.... the CIA/FBI thing with Rudy the ass in the background was very rude and uncalled for. I think if RP had the chance to explain his reason why he wants to abolish them things would have went much better. Then again these are all issues that if people try and put hit pieces on him, he can give a much better explanation.

As far as being angry by Gravel, Gravel is always angry even in the most civil of debates.... Ron Paul was attacked and fought back, and I think people who watched would understand that.

 

[Ron Paul Fan]

Exactly. Gravel and Paul both question their parties actions and basically stand alone in doing so on the stage. The big difference between them that is displayed tonight is that Gravel is basically ignored by the other candidates. When he calls them out, they quickly shoot him down and don't really debate him 1 on 1 or attack his polices. What we saw tonight was a full out onlslaught on Dr. Paul from Huckabee, Giuliani/Romney laughing, and the moderators. Now why would they do this if he wasn't a threat? They couldn't be scared of him could they?

 

[Lady Liberty]

Everyone thinks their candidate wins. If what that person says resonates with you, then he "wins" in your eyes. That said, I think Paul is brilliant at turning lemons into lemonades. A normal person like myself gets pissed at the ridiculous questions, unequal airtime, and unprofessional snickering. But not our boy Ron. He manages to keep his wits about him and fire back with some very memorable and telling responses.

Tonight I think he came off more strong and passionate than I have ever seen him. Sometimes he is so gentlemanly that he can get walked over a bit. Tonight it seemed like he was mad as hell...and once he got his due turn...he wasn't gonna take it anymore!!

 

[im_a_pepper]

Any press is good press, and Ron Paul is getting that name recognition we all know he needs (10%). As for Huckabee, I am sure it did him good but I hated hearing the same quips I heard in earlier debates and interviews. I also learned that it does not matter the cost of other lives, so long as you keep what you consider honor as that is much more important. The way I see it, we don't lose supporters, we take em away, and if this caused those few hundred/thousand people to google Ron Paul and stumble across his stances. KICKASS.

 

[leipo]

i don't see how anyone could see how this could hurt ron paul. he got TONS of exposure, his name was brought up constantly. he answered the questions very well with passion and got his ideas out.

Exactly! None of the other candidates showed any passion. They all had staged speeches with crappy one-liners. I think a lot of people will see through this.

 

[Spirit of '76]

My mom, a lifelong democrat, watched the debate, and she emailed to ask me, "Is it too late to change my registration to vote for Ron Paul? Just don't tell your grandfather."

 

[cjhowe]

I don't think this debate could have gone better in the overall field. Breathed a bit of life back into McCain's faltering numbers...boosters Huckabee a bit, Thompson entering the race...all of that just sucks the support for Rudy and Mitt. You'll have 5 weak war hawks polling equally, more talk about the importance of the Constitution. The makings of the Perfect Storm.

 

[katao]

It makes me wonder if the party establishment is going to put pressure to consolidate the field in order to not split the pro-war vote.

 

[Craig_R]

I don't know about you guys, but I love this guy! He made the most RATIONAL and PASSIONATE arguments in the entire debate, the other Candidates were all posing and trying to give that Miss South Carolina-type answer....They were all so transparent and superficial, and call me biased, but Ron is the most HONEST and RATIONAL man on that stage.

Hannity and Colmes can kiss my large human backside, especially Hannity, but can we really blame them for their ignorance? They have been fully indoctrinated and just don't KNOW any better, but Ron held his own, I have tremendous respect for this man, doing what I myself attempted to do in 2000. I pray to God, Buddha, Santa, the Easter Bunny and WHOMEVER ELSE I need to pray to, that Ron becomes our next President, and that he is able to accomplish a FRACTION of what he seeks to do.

He has stood up for we Veterans for a long time, He's a great American, one of the few left.

thats a great first post there Dan

 

[smtwngrl]

Tonight definitely helped Ron Paul. There were the positives and negatives. I am sure there will be both more supporters and also more "anti-Ron-Paul" people as a result of it. I'm also guessing there were more people watching this debate, as it's getting closer to the primaries and more people are starting to pay attention.

I'm glad he was able to get his message out so well. Tonight's attacks were not just attacks on Ron Paul. They were a clash of ideas. The cards were all on the table, at least with some very important issues. And it wasn't just confined to Iraq and Iran.

There was the talk about torture, civil liberties, and so forth. Yes, that was discussed in the S.C. debate, but it was even more strongly voiced here--and more people were watching who didn't see the S.C. debate. For those who are concerned about these issues, it's very obvious where the other candidates stand, and where Ron Paul stands.

I thought it was fantastic when, even though Ron was not asked about these issues, he was able to answer another question quickly and to insert his view regarding these issues.

Some other pluses:
1. I liked some of the questions Colmes was asking of the other candidates in the post debate interviews. For example, he pointed out to Tancredo that waterboarding was against the Geneva Convention. With another candidate (I forget who), he was reading something from the news about the surge--basically saying that it wasn't working.
2. Huckabee, in a post-debate interview, inadvertently said something which supported Ron Paul. They were questioning him about immigration. He mentioned that it was more difficult for him to get on an airplane in Arkansas than it was for an illegal immigrant to cross the border. This supports Ron Paul's views of civil liberties.
3. It was funny, in the Ron Paul's post debate interview, when Hannity and Colmes were arguing against each other.
4. Ron Paul's winning the debate poll didn't hurt, either. It looks like if they thought the poll wasn't going to be representative, they would call all their friends and tell them to vote for other candidates.....but, inevitably, Ron Paul won as usual. And he didn't just win, he doubled the % of the next closest candidate.

 

[Ninja Homer]

Any press is good press, and Ron Paul is getting that name recognition we all know he needs (10%). As for Huckabee, I am sure it did him good but I hated hearing the same quips I heard in earlier debates and interviews. I also learned that it does not matter the cost of other lives, so long as you keep what you consider honor as that is much more important. The way I see it, we don't lose supporters, we take em away, and if this caused those few hundred/thousand people to google Ron Paul and stumble across his stances. KICKASS.

Wow, good point... A pastor saying that honor is more important than human lives. Very Christian of him.

 

[dwdollar]

He still had a shaky voice and stumbled through some sentences, but I don't know if it was a bad thing. I think most open minded people could see that his answers weren't canned. Huckabee sounded like he had been rehearsing weeks just for that one on one with Paul.

 

[BenIsForRon]

BY FAR the best debate for Ron. Actually... I think we actually had a real debate for about 1 minute when Ron and Huckabee were going back and forth. Ron didn't get pinned down by the loaded questions, "You would take marching orders from Al-Qaeda?" WTF!? He didn't get distracted by the laughing, he was very clear and concise, and he didn't stumble over his words like he has in the past.

The only possibly harmful thing was the whole international law comment, which was right, but it came at a weird spot that made the audience boo.

The best part though, it's looking like we're going to have a FIVE way split on the pro war votes in primaries. You got Guliani, Romney, Thompson, McCain, and now Huckabee seems to be gaining popularity. So while all those votes are diluted amongst the five, Ron Paul takes the rest! He is in a WAY better position than Pat Buchanan in '96. Now all we got to do is fight this electronic voting bullshit.

 

[RockEnds]

Great debate.

I'm a little concerned that so many people are worried about the honor thing. Where is the honor in going to war over a lie? I think Huckabee made a complete fool of himself.

 

[Paulitician]

Did you guys see how stupified Tancredo was after Ron Paul answered the question about Iran? He must have been dumbed by the amount of wisdom and truth Ron Paul delivered in his answer.

 

[syborius]

cia fbi etc etc

I think it is very important that Ron clarifies his position on the departments. I think his weakness is not the message, but it is how he allows these loaded questions to go on and on and on.
As soon as I heard that one question regarding eliminating the departments I knew Ron Paul was in trouble. He needs to emphasize that he is for stream-lining the bureaucracy because the departments have become inefficient, bloated, and extremely wasteful, instead of dividing the republican base more he can actually win some undecided votes over to his side if he tones the rhetoric down a bit. It really is a problem though as a business associate of mine has hanged his mind on Ron Paul today because that answer he gave although a good answer regarding the mishandling of information on 911 did not really address the issue of completely dissolving some of these departments. Lets be clear here, it made Ron look like an absolutely fringe candidate, and that is exactly what they are trying to accomplish.

To date I think this libertarian concept is his weakest link, and his abortion stance is another one that should be clarified more on states rights.

if I was advising Ron Paul these are the two issues that he really needs to do a better job in explaining more clearly, and he has to do it immediately after this debate so some people who were turned off by this performance might hear it and
give him another shot.

Overall his points were clear, concise, and he seems more passionate and confident than ever. He just needs to slow down a bit, take his time more, and let his lips catch up with his brain. Go Ron Paul!!!!!!!

 

[syborius]

I think it is very important that Ron clarifies his position on the departments. I think his weakness is not the message, but it is how he allows these loaded questions to go on and on and on.
As soon as I heard that one question regarding eliminating the departments I knew Ron Paul was in trouble. He needs to emphasize that he is for stream-lining the bureaucracy because the departments have become inefficient, bloated, and extremely wasteful, instead of dividing the republican base more he can actually win some undecided votes over to his side if he tones the rhetoric down a bit. It really is a problem though as a business associate of mine has hanged his mind on Ron Paul today because that answer he gave although a good answer regarding the mishandling of information on 911 did not really address the issue of completely dissolving some of these departments. Lets be clear here, it made Ron look like an absolutely fringe candidate, and that is exactly what they are trying to accomplish.

To date I think this libertarian concept is his weakest link, and his abortion stance is another one that should be clarified more on states rights.

if I was advising Ron Paul these are the two issues that he really needs to do a better job in explaining more clearly, and he has to do it immediately after this debate so some people who were turned off by this performance might hear it and
give him another shot.

Overall his points were clear, concise, and he seems more passionate and confident than ever. He just needs to slow down a bit, take his time more, and let his lips catch up with his brain. Go Ron Paul!!!!!!!

 

[BenIsForRon]

Did you guys see how stupified Tancredo was after Ron Paul answered the question about Iran? He must have been dumbed by the amount of wisdom and truth Ron Paul delivered in his answer.

Haha, yeah I noticed that too. It was too much truth, his brain started shutting down as he realized that everything he believes is a lie.

 

[chon]

good to see

ron paul bring the claws out tonight!!