8 out of 10
The key issue on earmarks, not explained well today, is that before earmarks are ever added, the bill has already passed the committee in Congress. Therefore, the money will be spent regardless. Earmarks are simply a way for a congressman to direct money already approved for spending to a specific project in their district. In Ron Paul's case, he submits virtually all of them providing they come from a community group or local industry group or local government entity who want to make sure that some money is allocated for a particular project.
So if the money is not earmarked in committee, it all passes to the relevant agency under the control of the executive branch who then decides to spend it however they like, without any consideration for the priorities of the local communities. However, the system is ripe for abuse by the key players and chairmen of the committees. So Ron Paul votes against those bills, not because they contain earmarks, but because they virtually all contain funding for unconstitutional programs.
Ron Paul certainly referred to this and, to anyone who understands earmarks, he did quite well. To the majority who don't understand the process, it was a 50/50 thing because he did communicate some positive points and his position on smaller government and reduced spending.
Russert was moving incredibly fast, like some speed freak. Either he had a lot of questions and not much time allotted or he was trying to use the very fast pace to make Ron Paul look like he's too old. Well, Ron Paul kept right up and did quite well. A lot of younger men couldn't have done as well.
As for the attack question on Dondero, Russert almost muttered Dondero under his breath, maybe like he knew the name and was almost embarrassed to quote him. Ron Paul responded well enough about a disgruntled employee.
It wasn't a total hit piece. The Black check, the remarks an employee inserted in his newsletter that time about blacks, those we didn't hear. And Ron Paul did emphasize our strong multiracial coalition, pointing out he has more blacks and other people of color than all the other Republicans. That's a very good point.
Another place where Ron did well was when Russert was painting him as a critic of Reagan. He did well to point out that he has stood consistently for the old Republican party as a party of liberty and rights, that he was the only candidate who still emphasized reduced government, not stealing money out of the S.S. trust fund like all the others, ending the Dept. of Education, and other topics that are very appealing to the very conservative base voters in places like New Hampshire. Ron Paul presented a good argument for the withdrawal of troops from our 700 overseas bases as not defending us that well and also the need to save money to provide the retirement for current S.S. recipients and to reduce the costs enough so that the young people can escape the system and provide for their own retirements.
Another place where RP did well was in discussing the key difference between him and Reagan-Gingrich who pursued a pattern of reducing the rate of automatic increase in government programs. Typically, an authorized program continues at the level of the previous year plus 3%-5% inflation allowance. What caused Gingrich and Clinton to shut down the government was when the GOP congress held firm on a 3% increase (for instance) instead of a 4% increase. In other words, not cutting the current program, just cutting the rate of increase it would automatically get. And Gingrich (and Reagan) were right that this is better. Ron Paul challenges this though by asserting his objective is the actual elimination of those programs entirely. This will play well with the hardcore GOP party base who still don't like that the size of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Department of Education doubled or tripled under Bush. So did the Department of Labor. The GOP congress didn't do too badly at containing spending before Bush. Then he threatened to run opponents against them if they wouldn't vote for all his wild LBJ type spending and his vast new entitlement for the Pill Bill (a subsidy for the pharm companies). What I'm driving at is that these have been red-meat issues for the GOP since the Eighties. And only Ron Paul speaks to them and has a record of always opposing them and speaking out against them. It is exactly why some of us hardcore conservatives love him so much. And, unless NH has gone loopy on us, these are the kinds of issues that have won for Republicans in conservative NH in many elections.
Some of these responses he gave were very very good if you understand the history of GOP campaigns and policy and especially if you understand what the GOP in NH was always all about. Ron Paul helped himself with the NH GOP voters. How much, we'll wait and see. But to you who think he didn't speak that well, those NH voters and the hardcore conservative element and the Taxpayers Union people and the fiscal conservatives knew exactly what he was saying and that he is their only real candidate in the race. He was singing their theme song. And they know all the words by heart. All he had to do was hum the tune a bit. Now, yes, he should have articulated it better as with the earmarks issue. But given the very rapid pace Russert set, he still did quite well.
Russert could have been tougher. I had the feeling a few times that he was merely reading material that his staff had assembled and hadn't even read it himself in advance.
All in all, Ron Paul did well. Some of you didn't see Russert's assassination of Bill Richardson. By the end, Richardson was whining and seemed about to start crying. Of course, Richardson does have a lousy record but it was one of the nastiest hit pieces I ever saw and I've seen plenty. Giuliani also got attacked worse a few weeks back.