Upon Further Review, Fred Really Won Yesterday's Debate...

I watched the replay of the Iowa GOP Debate last night on C-SPAN2, and Fred put up a VERY impressive performance. Here's some highlights for you...

- Fred explained that his plan for Social Security will save it for both people in the present and people in the future, as well as saving the nation $4 Trillion...that's a big claim, and I don't think he would make such a statement if he didn't believe his plan would work. His plan is also the most detailed of any candidate out there at this time.

- Mitt Romney talked about how he doesn't worry about the taxes that the rich pay, and went on to talk about middle-class tax cuts. Thompson responds with "my goal is to reach Mitt Romney's situation where I don't have to worry about taxes." Mitt quickly responds "my goal is to reach your situation," and Fred shoots back "well, you're getting to be a pretty good actor." Excellent stuff and I like the fact that these two managed to trade barbs and do it with a bit of good-natured humor.

- Thompson's statement "when our worst enemy is at the negotiating table, thinking about the worst things they can do to America, who do you want sitting on our end of the table?" That was a poignant moment in the debate and you definitely saw a fire in the man's eyes.

- When the stick-in-the-mud moderator asked for a show of hands on global warming beliefs, Thompson said "I'm not doing a show of hands". When the moderator asked if that was a yes or a no, Thompson asked "Are you going to give me a minute to answer the question?", the moderator said "no", Thompson then responds "Then I'm not going to answer it". Even my wife, a tentative Giuliani supporter, agreed that Thompson really showed some strength and independence there.

- Alan Keyes responded to the global warming question by going on a long rant where he talks about the people, how we should vote for those who are not elitists, find a candidate who actually represents you, blah blah blah...Thompson retorts with "and that's Alan Keyes' stance on global warming."

I was very impressed with Fred really just "being Fred".

Iowa GOP Presidential Debate

The last debate before the January 3rd Iowa Caucus looks like it was very interesting...I missed it, but here are the highlights from around the Web.

- The moderator was an apparent stick in the mud. She got smacked down by Fred because she kept using the "show of hands" method on so many points.

- Alan Keyes apparently hijacked the debate, big time.

- The moderator kept Huckabee from getting piled on.

- Fred actually had many good points from what I'm reading. About 80% of the AP's video highlights of the debate involved Fred Thompson.

- Duncan Hunter had a good showing, Tancredo did better than usual as well.

All in all, seems like Fred had a very good debate, and it could not have come at a better time. This is where he might be able to "turn up the juice" on his campaign. Shaun Kenney noted that this could very well be the turning point in the Thompson campaign.

In Case You Missed It

Which you probably didn't, I did a "Candidate Analysis" last week on all of the candidates that are still in that race for the presidential nomination in both major parties. Here's a list and link to each of the remaining 17 candidates.

Republicans...
- Rudy Giuliani
- Fred Thompson
- Mike Huckabee
- Mitt Romney
- John McCain
- Ron Paul
- Tom Tancredo
- Duncan Hunter
- Alan Keyes

Democrats...
- Barack Obama
- Hillary Clinton
- Joe Biden
- Chris Dodd
- John Edwards
- Dennis Kucinich
- Mike Gravel
- Bill Richardson

I also added the websites for each individual candidate to their profile, so you can check them out further if you feel inclined to do so.

Candidate Analysis: Alan Keyes

Candidate: Alan Keyes
Party: Republican
Political Background: Former Ambassador to UN, served on National Security Council and State Department under Ronald Reagan, former President of Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), previously sought GOP Presidential nomination in 1996 and 2000.
Campaign Website: http://www.alankeyes.com/

GOP Appeal: Well-spoken and articulate, appeals to social conservatives with hard anti-abortion and anti-homosexual stances, has a small-but-rapid base of support, prominent African-American figure in the conservative realm, can claim a certain amount of "Reagan's legacy" that others can't, underrated fiscal conservatism, strong on national defense, pro-2nd Amendment.

Cross-Over Appeal to Dems: Would allocate more money to expand national parks, has developed pro-alternative fuel viewpoints, supports regional aid to Darfur, critical of Patriot Act infringing on individual rights and freedoms.

Cons: Sometimes overly-bombastic which makes him easy target, as socially conservative as they come which alienates moderates, focus on social issues keeps him from emphasizing fiscal issues and stances, habitually runs for office to emphasize issues and not to actually win.

My Personal Thoughts: Alan Keyes is a double-edged sword for me. I think he is an incredibly intelligent man who speaks and writes very clearly and articulately. I think many of his fiscal policies are worth acknowledging. Keyes is strong and steadfast in his beliefs, does not contradict his words with his actions, and has "been around the block" politically. His statements and beliefs about race relations and legislation, government reform, and foreign policy ring loudly with many conservatives. His idea to replace income tax with an internet tax and a national sales tax is thought-provoking.

But damn if this guy isn't as socially conservative an individual as I've ever seen. To go as far as to call gay sex "selfish hedonism" is very "hard-line" social conservatism. While Mr. Keyes has his right to this opinion, he shouldn't be surprised when the voters alienate him on this. Plus, the fact that he, for all intents and purposes, disowned his daughter when she came out of the closet will not play well with most voters...even if it is an example of his lack of personal contradiction.

However, Keyes is really in it to promote his viewpoints to a large audience...however, he is a powerful speaker and can be on-point with many of his ideas. It will never translate to votes, though, and I think we all know that.