Wednesday, September 7, 2011

What did you think of the Republican Presidential Debate?


Tonight, Republican candidates for their party's presidential nomination with face off in a televised debate. Click here to read an article describing five things to watch for in the debate. Then respond to one or more of the following writing prompts:

1. Did you see evidence of any or all of the 5 things the article said to watch for? If so, which ones? Describe what happened in the debate in one or more of the 5 areas. Why does what you saw matter?

2. In general, what would make a candidate successful in a debate of this type? Are these the same qualities that would make a presidential candidate a good president? Why or why not?

3. Of all the candidates who participated in the debate, which one impressed you the most? What specifically did he/she do that impressed you? Was it enough to make you want to vote for that candidate?

4. Of all the candidates who participated in the debate, which one was the least impressive? Why do you think so?

3 comments:

Sami Wingard said...

No ones watching the debate?

C.Shetler said...

I did in fact see evidence of some of the five things the article said to watch for. Most notably, the inexperience of Rick Perry in debates and the quote "Romney-Perry Smackdown." I must also add that Perry took shots from other presidential candidates aswell. Furthermore, in reguards to the five topics discussed in the article. I believe it is accurate to say that four of the five topics predicted to happen, did take place.
It wasn't surprising that the debate started with Rick Perry. Afterall, the Texas Governor has surged to the front amongst Republicans. Tonight Perry broke the ice and gave his opinion on why he should be our next president. However, Perry did stumble a bit. This is most likely due to the fact that Perry doesn't have the experience like many of the other candidates due. Topics sure as the Texas job situation, Texas poverty, and Global Warming made Perry stumble in his first debate.
Perry also faced heat from the other candidates, most respectable Mitt Romney. Romney bashed perry several times before the night was over. The clash among rivals was expected, however did not get out of hand.
Another Topic discussed in the article was the job situation. Nearly every candidate claimed they had the one "solution" to fix the economy. It wasn't surprising President Obama was bashed either. After all, it was a Republican debate.
At the end of the debate I think the biggest loser is Rick Perry. The Texan had the highest ratings and by far the most media attention coming into tonight's debate, not to mention the most pressure. A strong performance by Perry could have set the stage for future campaigning and propel him to an even larger margin between the other candidates. In contrast Mitt Romney performed well, in my opinion. He showed us that Perry isn't unbeatable and does have some issues needing addressed. None of the candidates are perfect. In fact, I'd say the best candidate is the lesser of the other evils.
One thing to be considered is who sponsored the debate. MSNBC.
Did you know that the owner of MSNBC ranks in the top 10 among individuals who donate to the Democratic Party? He was also a major contributor to the Obama Presidential campaign. Why would a Democratic news station sponsor a Republican debate? One possiblilty is simply. To ask questions some canditates struggle with or to expose flaws MSNBC wants its viewers to witness. Thus creating baggaged, which could plague a campaign. Think about it...

Anonymous said...

1. Did you see evidence of any or all of the 5 things the article said to watch for? If so, which ones? Describe what happened in the debate in one or more of the 5 areas. Why does what you saw matter?
2. Romney-Perry Smack down? I thought that the banter between Romney and Perry was funny especially when they were going back and forth saying someone else created more jobs than they did. For example Perry said after Romney said how the states are different and he created more jobs in his state, Perry said that “Michael Dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did.” Then Romney countered with “Well as a matter of fact George Bush and his predecessor created more jobs at a faster rate than you did Governor.”
3. Of all the candidates who participated in the debate, which one impressed you the most? What specifically did he/she do that impressed you? Was it enough to make you want to vote for that candidate? Michele Bachmann, She raise 5 children of her own and 23 foster care. She made a good point when she said “Children need jobs and Obama care is killing jobs.” No it wasn’t enough to make me want to vote for her.

4. Of all the candidates who participated in the debate, which one was the least impressive? Why do you think so? Kain, He wants to increase sales tax to 9%.

richard e. fox