Brief Thoughts on the GOP Debate

After American Idol and the few minutes of the idiotic insult from Lost’s producers that I could stand, I watched the last 8 minutes or so of the GOP debate in California. Aside from the laughable attempt at symbolism hammered on viewers by placing the stage in front of the President Reagan’s Air Force One, not one of these candidates is worthy of the presidency. In no particular order:

Mike Huckabee
He is slick and empty. He is made entirely of corn-pone, and only those who appreciate corn-pone politics could possibly buy him as credible.

Ron Paul
Not every question is an invitation to discuss the gold standard. I liked his answer that the president’s job is to get out of the way of the economy until he veered off the rails at the end into Iraq. It’s a valid point, but not in a question about the president’s role in the economy. Leaders don’t hyperventilate at every question. (Ron Paul’s problem, aside from too much of the message, is the messenger himself.)

John McCain
I couldn’t listen to anything he said. His smug smiles and attitude were insufferable. He thinks he’s pious and his presidency would attempt to make everyone exactly as pious as him. Why the media loves him is beyond me.

Mitt Romney
Does he ever stop to listen to himself as he rambles, making stuff up? His answer to the last question (something about “would Reagan endorse you for president?”) was a rambling, breathless collage of incongruent talking points. He will say anything. He can’t possibly be so stupid as to believe this statement, which demands to be quoted verabitm:

Ronald Reagan would say no to a 50-cent-per-gallon charge on Americans for energy that the rest of the world doesn’t have to pay.

In the United Kingdom, the fuel duty begins at £0.5035 per litre. The exchange rate is currently £0.5034 per $. Britons are paying $1 per liter in tax on gas. That’s approximately $3.78 per gallon in tax, excluding VAT. Gas in the Northern Virginia area is approximately $2.90 per gallon for regular unleaded. I’m fairly certain gas is not being sold at a loss, with businesses chipping in $0.88 per gallon in gas tax. Mitt Romney is an idiot, a liar, or both.

I’m more excited about the contestants on American Idol than I am about any of the Republican candidates for president.