Orlando GOP Debate

 
Thursday night Fox News held the latest GOP debate among Republican Presidential candidates.  I had some lasting impressions that I came away with after watching this debate.  The first and foremost impression I had was Rick Perry mortally wounding himself in defending illegal aliens in Texas.  When Perry stated "You don't have a heart" if you don't want to help children of illegal aliens in this country, he was roundly booed by the crowd.  That is a rather simple indictment on Rick Perry's immigration policy (or lack thereof).  Perry also stated, "We need to be educating these children, because they will become a drag on our society."  Here's a news flash for you, Governor Perry;  Illegals are already a drag on our society.  The notion they take jobs Americans won't do is no longer accepted.  They take up slots in public schools which in turn creates classroom crowding.  They do take social services such as Social Security and Medicare.  If you don't believe it, let me know.  I'll be glad to explain it in more detail.

Michelle Bachmann, I'm sorry to say, is probably finished.  Her poor performance was only made worse when she tried to explain away her remarks  on vaccinations.  She seemed exasperated at times.  Herman Cain made good points, especailly how Obamacare would have killed him when he stated, "Getting treatment on my timetable, not the government’s timetable, saved my life."  Herman Cain is a good man and someone I would feel no hesitation to support if he could possibly win the nomination.  Unfortunately, presidential nominating processes are all about personality and not substance.  Witness the clueless wonder we have as president right now.  His greatest appeal (and still is) is his personality.  Rick Santorum  did well, especially when he was nailing Perry on instate tuition for children of illegal aliens.  He had a good night.  But, again, he just doesn't have the personality that people are searching for in this era of political horse and pony shows.  Ron Paul did well and I personally felt was the winner of the debate.  The problem is that Paul doesn't get many questions in the debates.  He seems a flake and a bit weird at times.  But, overall, he has some good points, especially about supporting the Tenth Amendment.  I was not aware previously he was a states rights supporter.  Romney performed well at times.  But, he spent most of the night on just two issues, social security and illegal immigration.  I might just have to hold my nose and vote for him some day.

Overall, there was nothing earth shattering that came out of the debate.  I do think Perry continued his recent downward trend.  Did he hurt himself enough to lose the Florida primary?  Last reports were that he held a nine-point lead over Romney.  If Romney cuts that in half, after this debate, it spells serious problems for Governor Perry.