Republican Debate on National Security

[General Mung Beans]

http://www.cnn.com/video/flashLive/live ... am=stream1

Streaming live. So far no gaffes...

[TimothyC]

"Africa was a country on the brink."

Well Santorum never had a chance anyway.

[Mr Bean]

I need to update my debate schedule can't believe I missed this one, I just forgot it was today.

[Mr Bean]

Could Mitt Romney look more smug when Rick Perry talks?
Also Ron Paul has a friendly crowd again tonight.

[The Romulan Republic]

Ron Paul's popularity this time around surprises me. I know he's always had a base of support within the GOP, but it seems to have grown this time around.

[Mr Bean]

Also Newt comes out for the Dream Act (Or at least parts of it) and everyone else jumps on him for it. But to his credit he does not back down.
Also Wolf Blitzer calls it "The so-called Arab Spring" so this is going to be interesting.

[SirNitram]

I am once again wondering if ANY politician knows how immigration works.

[Crossroads Inc.]

I am once again wondering if ANY politician knows how immigration works.

But that remark I am assuming they make the process out to be something as easy as 1 2 3, as opposed to o the convoluted mess that can take years to get in?

[SirNitram]

I am once again wondering if ANY politician knows how immigration works.

But that remark I am assuming they make the process out to be something as easy as 1 2 3, as opposed to o the convoluted mess that can take years to get in?

Indeed. They act like a regular person can immigrate in anything under than a decade.

[Panzersharkcat]

Courtesy of ThinkProgress, Perry promises to end the civilian-controlled military.

[evilsoup]

Now I haven't been following all this stuff very closely - how likely is Perry to win the nomination, and then win the election?

Fuck me, even if the answer to both of those are 'not a snowball's chance in hell'; the fact that a legitimate politician would even suggest such fuckhattery as that is scary.

[Mr Bean]

Now I haven't been following all this stuff very closely - how likely is Perry to win the nomination, and then win the election?

Fuck me, even if the answer to both of those are 'not a snowball's chance in hell'; the fact that a legitimate politician would even suggest such fuckhattery as that is scary.

The more people get to know Rick Perry the less they like voting for him. It comes from sounding like he's a bad George W Bush impersonator. Not his fault but it's a subconscious thing with most people. Second off he's not a national politician. He's a Texas Governor and all Governorships tend to be local where outside or internal influence can get anyone some what competent elected. In state politics the guy with the better or less ethnic sounding name can get elected. Unless you decided to fuck over a large part of your state like Scott Walker asking any American to name the Governor of the state next to them or even their own governor is a improbable.

As for Governor Perry's chances, he had outstanding chances before he got into the race and they have never recovered since then.

[evilsoup]

A Governor is a position with quite a lot of responsibility, isn't it? Sort of like the Executive at the State-level? Stuff like 'get rid of civilian oversight of the military' would never be suggested by even the most extreme nutters at local council elections over here, and I'd hope you people take your State elections more seriously than we take the local elections...

Or is this one of those 'vote for him because he's a Republican' things? So people wouldn't be aware of his insane, inane ideas until now ... but that means either:
1) people don't give a shit about electing a relatively important position, which does not bode well for American democracy and scares me;
2) Perry thinks that removing civilian control of the military will get him votes, which scares me even more.

[D.Turtle]

Courtesy of ThinkProgress, Perry promises to end the civilian-controlled military.

To be honest, this is overblown.

He isn't saying remove all civilian control of the military, he is saying that the military shouldn't be micro-managed by Congress. Now, the there can be a clear difference as to what amount of interference counts as micro-managing, but the general idea isn't completely bonkers.

[PhilosopherOfSorts]

A Governor is a position with quite a lot of responsibility, isn't it? Sort of like the Executive at the State-level? Stuff like 'get rid of civilian oversight of the military' would never be suggested by even the most extreme nutters at local council elections over here, and I'd hope you people take your State elections more seriously than we take the local elections...

Or is this one of those 'vote for him because he's a Republican' things? So people wouldn't be aware of his insane, inane ideas until now ... but that means either:
1) people don't give a shit about electing a relatively important position, which does not bode well for American democracy and scares me;
2) Perry thinks that removing civilian control of the military will get him votes, which scares me even more.

Like most things in the U.S., it varies from state to state. My understanding, and I could be wrong, so don't quote me, is that in Texas the governor is largely a figurehead, with the lt. governor being the one with the real authority.

[D.Turtle]

Like most things in the U.S., it varies from state to state. My understanding, and I could be wrong, so don't quote me, is that in Texas the governor is largely a figurehead, with the lt. governor being the one with the real authority.

Except that Perry was Lt. Governor from the beginning of 1999 until the end of 2000 under George Bush.