The Republican YouTube Debate: Are You Scared Yet?

I'm really thinking about moving to Canada.

What I saw on display during the Republican Youtube debate was both laughable and down right frightening. It was laughable because the answers given by the candidates showed just how out of touch they are with reality. Even some of the questions were a little off the wall. But the answers (or lack of answers) were the most telling. I was so annoyed that I was not able to blog about the debate for several days.

On the other hand... it was frightening, because these candidates are actually serious with their distorted views on issues... or their lack of concern about some of the most important problems we face. They really believe that they are in touch with what's happening on the ground regarding the American people. But the debate showed that the candidates could not have been any further from reality. It was almost like watching candidates from another country or another planet. It didn't feel as though I was watching a real debate... it seemed more like a movie to me.

A few of the highlights that caught my attention:

A young lady named Yasmine...(who appeared to be Muslim) asked what the candidates would do to rebuild the U.S. image in the Muslim World?

The Response from the Republican Candidates:

Stay the Course.. translation- drop more bombs on more Muslim Countries. Attack more Muslim Countries and kill more innocent people. The military component of the war on terror must continue to be the lead component and the U.S. must not let up on its military aggressiveness. (all of the very things that have gotten the U.S. into the mess that it's in).

So their response to Yasmines question was essentially... to kill more of you. And of course they received thunderous applause from the audience.

UNBELIEVABLE!

Romney's response to the question of waterboarding...and what is considered torture:

As a Presidential candidate, I shouldn't get into specifics. WOW... at least he told the truth there... The Prez must stay away from specifics eh...

Then they briefly got into a political orgy regarding who would be the most militaristic John Wayne-esqe President. When the issue of who owned the biggest gun came up, they could barely contain themselves. You could almost see them foaming at the mouth with joy.

But I didn't know that any of this ---- was a major concern of the American people. Did you?

McCain still believes that the U.S. should not have left Vietnam. He still wants a redo of that War. (The man is an extreme lunatic).

Guiliani...when confronted about his use of 9/11 as a prop: Oh... i'm not using 9/11 in my campaign.

Liar!!!

Does he really expect people to believe that? Half of his ads have had something to do with 9/11. And his allies in the corporate New York media have given him free TV time in the context of 9/11.

Nearly all of the Candidates stated that they would work to overturn Roe Vs. Wade and make abortion illegal (one way or another).

When a young man asked how the candidates would restore the Social Security trust fund (stop looting it) and how they would make sure that his generation and future generations would have Social Security...and how the candidates would stabilize the national Debt.

Thompson didn't really deal with the question at all. He used his skill as an actor and former Senator to ramble and dodge the question.

Romney also dodged the question almost completely.

Neither offered any concrete, detailed, specific solutions for this problem.

Tancredo makes the nutty comment that the Space Program should be scaled back ...because it is the reason why the National debt is so big (and I swear I could hear a beavis and butthead laugh, because it was an ignorant comment).

NO MR. TANCREDO... Unjust, unnecessary wars costing 8 billion dollars a month, tax breaks for the rich, out of control militarism, corruption in Washington DC, corporate welfare, mismanagement of our money, the trade imbalance, national priorities that are out of order, & all sorts of wasteful pork barrel spending are the reasons for the out of control National debt.

The Space Program (if used correctly) is a valuable asset for humankind...and it has led to all sorts of technological advancements to make our lives better... too many to count.

Romney saying that there are not two Americas as Edwards has said. But I wonder if Romney thought about that when he held up the sign attacking Obama because of his name- associating Obama with the worst Terrorist in the World..... attempting to stir up fear within white America based on racism and bigotry. His whole campaign has been about dividing the Country along race, religion, etc.

Hank Campbell from Lake Worth Florida asked... how would the candidates repair the nations infrastructure (bridges, roads, dams, levees, water & sewer systems, electrical grids, etc etc)?

Guiliani made a blanket statement that he would tackle the issue if elected, but he failed to mention just how he would do it or where he would get the money. He rambled about something irrelevant.

McCain- I would veto excess spending to find the money.

They wasted valuable time on a major league baseball question... Leave it to CNN...

I don't recall much focus on issues that actually matter to the people... like how they are going to feed themselves or their families, how to create jobs in this country, healthcare, jobs with living wages, education (in fact...one of their candidates wanted to get rid of the Department of Education), climate change, freeing the country from its dependence on foreign oil (energy independence), etc.

They also didn't challenge the issue of immigration head on. They sort of ducked and dodged the issue by throwing accusations back and forth. But they really didn't get to the heart of the matter. In fact, they seemed to avoid it. What did they avoid?
They avoided the issue of punishing employers who attract and encourage illegal immigration. Many of these corporations are Republican supporters... who wanted comprehensive immigration reform to fail so that they could maintain the status quo and keep benefiting from the cheap labor that they currently enjoy. If Republicans are forced to really face this issue... they know that would mean going after some of their biggest and most important supporters.... their corporate backers.