The Voting Booth, Volume II

Welcome to the next exciting edition of The Voting Booth. In today's episode, we'll discuss the debate that just ended in Maryland between all of the GOP candidates known as "I'm sorry, your name again?" and "I didn't know he was running." And let's not forget "I wish he actually had a shot." (in fact, as I search the Internet for articles regarding this debate, I find that I may be the first to respond!)

Those present were: Sen Sam Brownback of KS, Rep Ron Paul of TX, Form Amb Alan Keyes of MD, Rep Tom Tancredo of CO, Rep Duncan Hunter of CA, Form Gov of AR Mike Huckabee. Those missing (conspicuously signified by an empty podium for each candidate) Mitt Romney, Rudy, McCain, and Fred Thompson.

Allow me to attempt to highlight the main talking points of each person:

Form Gov of AR Mike Huckabee: (He should absolutely be using the movie I <3 Huckabee in his campaign!) Definitely the most gentle spirit on the stage. Which means I don't remember much of what he said. He's not a fan of the death penalty, but sees it as a necessary evil in our society. He's very against the three strikes and you're out law, calling for more alcohol and drug rehabilitation rather than prison time. Oh yes, and when the question was about the Sudan, he managed to get in an anti-abortion sound byte.

Rep Ron Paul of TX: He is clearly the Libertarian in Republican clothes. He spoke most of allowing people to "keep the fruits of their labor," questioning our "world cop" mentality, arguing against the war on drugs, and tightening up our boarders. He sounded like Kerry when speaking about the war, how we needed to simply get out, we went in on false pretenses and now were mired in a five year battle with no end in sight. He said that when we fight wars, "They should be declared, we should go in with strength, with the thing and get out." He seems to be waaaay right in regards to the economy and waaaay left when it comes to the war. Good luck with that.

Sen Sam Brownback of KS: Somehow, on a stage of nearly all white candidates, Sen Brownback looked the whitest. I don't know what that means, but he seemed most out of place at this debate that was targeted at the African American voter. He proposed a reform to drug laws, said that we should support the people of Darfour with food and medical supplies, but not boots on the ground, and he had a solution for Iraq: Split it into three sections. The North for the Sunis, South West for the Kurds, and South East for the Shiites with Bagdad everyone's (or no one's) right at the hub where the three meet.

Rep Tom Tancredo of CO: It's unfortunate that ___ thinks so much faster than he can speak. He had many good things to say, not the least of which was regarding actually enforcing our laws against the hiring of illegals, questioning why it is believed that a black student would learn better if he were seated next to a white student, and his plan to "bring back the family doctor" through tax incentives. However, frequently, he "pulled a Mammet." (Watch Oleana, Glen Garry Glenross, State and Main, Heist, or Spartan and you'll understand.) Every time he answered a question, he began a sentence, then changed his mind midstream and would began an new sentence before the previous one had been completed. It was sadly distracting from many of the excellent points he had to make. Not the least of which was how illegals hurt workers at the "lowest rung" of our society by working for less than minimum wage.

Rep Duncan Hunter of CA: While he was the most personable debater, the "Friendship Ditch" from Speechless could have been the brain child of this candidate. He proposed a 800+ mile fence along our southern boarder stretching from Texas, through Arizona & New Mexico, ending in California. However, he also raised the solution of soaring health care coverage as capping malpractice suits in order to lower the insurance that doctors have to pay simply to practice what they spent 12 years learning. He also had a viable (though somewhat scary) plan for "leaving Iraq in victory." He proposed that we cycle the Iraqi soldiers through the most dangerous places in order to make them "battle tested." Once they are battle hardened, we can leave knowing they can handle the security of their country. Oh, yes, and he actually quoted Jack Kemp when he said, "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Form Amb Alan Keyes of MD: The only African American candidate at this debate focusing on "black issues." His primary focus was on the disintegration of the African American family and how that's lead to the high drop-out rate, high unemployment, high prison population, etc. Keyes was without question the most talented and passionate speaker. (If I call him eloquent, am I being racist? congrats to those of you who caught that reference) It seemed to me that the moderator always gave him less time than the others, maybe that's just because I liked hearing him talk.

Some of the topics that were discussed were:

The War: Everyone talked about getting out, some sooner than others. Paul and Hunter held the farthest opposing views on this one, with Paul playing the cut and run card and Hunter the stay till the job is done, then get out. And let's not forget Brownback's dividing of the country. (Just imagine if England made such a demand on us! We'd be outraged!)

Illegal immigration: No amnesty here! One of the topics they agreed on. Some delved into their plans more than others, including Huckabee's fence (which he mentioned after saying, "we should be thankful that we still live in a country people are trying to break into, rather than trying to escape from!"), Tancredo's "enforce the laws we have," and Keyes' "illegals help raise the unemployment level of blacks."

If DC should be allowed to have representation in Congress: More dissension ranging from Hunter's "if they want to be represented, give the land back to the states it came from and they can be represented." to Brownback's give them a representative. Most discussed the need to alter the Constitution to make this happen.

Photo ID cards for voting: No one really seemed to be against this one. Huckabee suggested a "voter photo" card, when you register you get your picture taken. Paul liked the idea of photo ID to vote but was obviously afraid of a "national ID card" saying he would veto any such measure (what exactly is my passport then?) Almost all of the candidates tied this into illegals voting and the need to prevent that.

The Death Penalty: Very split. Hunter did try to claim it was a deterrent. Tancredo wanted to reserve it for treason. See Huckabee's comment above. Paul's answer was not memorable, but I think he was against it. Brownback wants a "culture of life." Keyes had an interesting take saying that it was necessary so that when the crime was black on black, the perpetrator wouldn't think that the life they took was any less valuable than any other, he was for it.

Integration of Schools: Hunter said the population of the school should reflect the population of the community and shouldn't be too far for mom and dad to come in if necessary. Tancredo talked about needing more options and a voucher system.

Welfare/Unemployment: Paul somehow tied minimum wage into the reason that there are more unemployed African American High School graduates than there are unemployed white High School drop-outs, but not very well (I didn't get the correlation). But he also suggested making certain professions tax exempt if someone is taking it to "get back on their feet." He specifically mentioned waitstaff. Huckabee and Tancredo both blamed racism in the workplace and Keyes blamed the down fall of the black family unit and the fact that the welfare system pays people not to work.

Healthcare: Hunter wanted people to be able to purchase healthcare "across state lines" similar to car insurance. "A CA policy might cost $90/month and an NJ policy might cost $300/month but the NJ resident can not purchase the CA policy." Huckabee wanted federal assistance for healthcare to be equal to the percentage of the ill in each people group. For example, if 60% more black have heart disease, then they should get 60% more assistance.

Economic Growth: This was tied into the welfare and unemployment section but there were some interesting ideas that were shared. Paul, of course, had somewhat of a laize faire attitude. Hunter sounded a bit like Reaganomics. Brownback suggested location specific tax breaks. So the places that need the economic growth would benefit from exemptions for their town/city/zip code.

So, I know you are dying to hear you I would support. This is a tough one. There were aspects of each candidate that I really liked. I suppose, overall, I'd have to choose Alan Keyes. He's very likable. I think he could win votes from across the ailse. His statements make sense, they are well thought out, and not so much of an emotional appeal as they are simply logical solutions. I really liked a lot of what Tancredo had to say, and if Paul weren't such a leftist kook when it came to the War on Drugs and the war in Iraq he might have taken my #1 spot. Alright, just because I've been posting on sports so much, here's my "power ranking" for the candidates who debated tonight:

1)Keyes
2)Tancredo
3)Paul
4)Hunter
5)Huckabee
6)Brownback

Don't miss our next installment of "the Voting Booth." Coming soon to a blog near you!