# Republican Debate in NH-1/7 **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 8, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788 "2012-01-08T02:33:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/21 "2012-01-08T16:09:47Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Gay rights wouldn’t have been even an issue twenty years ago. How about 33 years ago? > **[1978 California Proposition 6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Briggs_Initiative)** > > Mayoral elections: > Mayoral elections: > Mayoral elections: ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/22 "2012-01-08T16:25:23Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Debate rules place the speakers by position in the latest polls. This has been true for all 1,672 debates this year. I figured that, but I don’t like it. It’s probably necessary in order to assure that the current front runners participate, but it’s still a crappy rule since it tends to reinforce the status quo instead of creating a level playing field. And it almost made me feel sorry for Rick Perry. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/23 "2012-01-08T17:01:06Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I figured that, but I don’t like it. It’s probably necessary in order to assure that the current front runners participate, but it’s still a crappy rule since it tends to reinforce the status quo instead of creating a level playing field. Which is why nearly every candidate has both been in the center and been on the edge at some point in the past year? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/24 "2012-01-08T17:16:03Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > Did anyone catch the slip of Ron Paul’s tongue, when he said he was the only Democrat to talk about racial injustice? > > He sounded kind of desperate and weak. I kept wincing whenever he said “the blacks.” No, no. I’m sure he said “the blaaa’s” or “the bly’s” or something like that. Go and listen to it another hundred times. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/25 "2012-01-08T17:48:39Z")
Wow, they did another one this morning. I have _Meet the Press_ on a series recording on my DVR, so I got it and am watching it now. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/26 "2012-01-08T19:29:47Z")
Why did Perry’s head look ultra small compared to the rest of his body? Santorum’s impassioned plea that we stop talking about the middle class made my eyes catch a sprain. Seriously? Ain’t no one buying the whole “we’re all in this together” lie, not even you, so sit down somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/27 "2012-01-08T19:33:37Z")
He thinks we should say “middle income” instead of “middle class”. Next, he’s going to remind us to not split infinitives. Santorum, as scary has his politics are, is certainly well spoken. But I still think these debates would be a lot less interesting without Ron Paul. Gotta love that old crank for that! ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/28 "2012-01-08T19:37:45Z")
I gotta say that Perry was pathetic. For two reasons: 1. The question about what he would be doing if not at the debate. He says at the shooting range. AT TEN FUCKING FIFTY PM on Saturday night? Sure. Way to suck up to the gun owners. I’m a gun owner. It didn’t work. 2. Put troops back into Iraq. Absolutely. I’m sure such a position has vast swaths of support in the middle percentages of one point. He was dead after Iowa. Last night was the last scene of Night of the Living Dead when they killed his zombie. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/29 "2012-01-08T19:59:26Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Put troops back into Iraq. Absolutely. I’m sure such a position has vast swaths of support in the middle percentages of one point. What I found scary about that is the assumption that we (or he, as president) could do that even if we wanted to. Uhm, the Iraqis kicked us out, bub. We agreed to leave. We don’t get to just barge back in because we don’t like what they’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/30 "2012-01-08T20:03:03Z")
About the podium positioning, it’s really not all that different from the practice of seeding in sports tournaments. We’re not _supposed_ to be making it fair; we’re supposed to be figuring out who the best one is. Given that someone’s going to get an advantage from being center stage, it should be the person who seems most likely, given the available information, to be the best. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/31 "2012-01-08T20:06:32Z")
Also what game was Gingrich and then Santorum talking about? Gingrich said he would be watching the college basketball championship. Santorum corrected him and said football. What college football championship was on Saturday night? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/32 "2012-01-08T20:06:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > About the podium positioning, it’s really not all that different from the practice of seeding in sports tournaments. We’re not _supposed_ to be making it fair; we’re supposed to be figuring out who the best one is. Given that someone’s going to get an advantage from being center stage, it should be the person who seems most likely, given the available information, to be the best. It’s not a huge deal to me, but I just don’t like the media (and it’s usually they who are hosting the event) to stack the deck. There are tons of these debates, so a random selection would treat everyone fairly. Or, rotate based on the last debate. OTOH, it’s soooooooo nice not to have to listen to Michelle Bachman anymore!! ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/33 "2012-01-08T21:07:30Z")
> [@you\_with\_the\_face](#): > > Why did Perry’s head look ultra small compared to the rest of his body? His handlers forgot to re-inflate it. If they don’t keep it pressured up, his skull will collapse into the void. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/34 "2012-01-08T21:22:35Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What I found scary about that is the assumption that we (or he, as president) could do that even if we wanted to. Uhm, the Iraqis kicked us out, bub. We agreed to leave. We don’t get to just barge back in because we don’t like what they’re doing. If I can, I’m going to submit a follow-up question to this. The reason the Iraqis kicked us out was because Obama was not willing to sacrifice the soldier’s immunity to Iraqi law, which is something the Iraqis considered a deal breaker (and rightly so). I’d like to hear if Perry would be willing to make that compromise to get US troops back in to Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/35 "2012-01-08T21:53:03Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What I found scary about that is the assumption that we (or he, as president) could do that even if we wanted to. Uhm, the Iraqis kicked us out, bub. We agreed to leave. We don’t get to just barge back in because we don’t like what they’re doing. Did he give any sort of indication that he would ask for the Iraqi’s opinion on the matter? 'Cause, y’know, believe it or not, there is still a large swath of the population of this country that believes that “we wanted to” is a valid justification of the invasion of Iraq. It would not surprise me for one second if Perry is one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/36 "2012-01-08T21:54:26Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > Also what game was Gingrich and then Santorum talking about? Gingrich said he would be watching the college basketball championship. Santorum corrected him and said football. > > What college football championship was on Saturday night? The NFL playoff game between New Orleans and Detroit was on at the same time as the debate. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/37 "2012-01-09T00:33:25Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > Did he give any sort of indication that he would ask for the Iraqi’s opinion on the matter? 'Cause, y’know, believe it or not, there is still a large swath of the population of this country that believes that “we wanted to” is a valid justification of the invasion of Iraq. It would not surprise me for one second if Perry is one of them. No. That’s just it. Some of these guys don’t even think it’s a question that has to be asked. It’s an indication of a mindset that I find really scary. Huntsman and Paul were the only ones with sensible answers. And Huntsman was brave enough to say that Afghanistan is going to hell in a hand basket, and the best we can do is gracefully exit. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/38 "2012-01-09T00:40:57Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > No. That’s just it. Some of these guys don’t even think it’s a question that has to be asked. It’s an indication of a mindset that I find really scary. Huntsman and Paul were the only ones with sensible answers. And Huntsman was brave enough to say that Afghanistan is going to hell in a hand basket, and the best we can do is gracefully exit. Afghanistan is the main area I disagree with Governor Huntsman. Afghanistan is not Iraq, and Afghanistan is a war that deserves to be won. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/39 "2012-01-09T01:34:12Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Afghanistan is the main area I disagree with Governor Huntsman. Afghanistan is not Iraq, and Afghanistan is a war that deserves to be won. We won all we needed to win, and now it’s time to get out. We can’t build Afghanistan’s civil society with our army, and that’s what the Afghanis need to do, if they can. It’s not going to matter if we leave now or 20 years from now. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788/40 "2012-01-09T02:04:28Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > … Afghanistan is a war that deserves to be won. Why didn’t any of you tell that to Bush the Younger? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republican-debate-in-nh-1-7/608788.md?page=3)