REPUBLICAN DEBATE

I actually watched it. And despite it being on MSNBC and the moderators being Brian Williams from NBC and a guy from Politico who asked some hard questions, a lot of lies and misrepresentations and misinformation etc. got out there on the airwaves once again.

A few of them questioned or tried to correct each other's lies or mistakes but then they would make a few of their own. I'd love to see these debates cover one topic for one debate, with fact checkers present. That'd be interesting. As it was, Obama took the most hits of course, and not being there was not defended. But Rick Perry took the next most hits as they all tried to pull his polling numbers down some so they could all stay in the race.

But he played to his rightwing base as always and with the usual swagger and that insistently righteous attitude many rightwing politicians and leaders and media types have mastered, as if anyone who doubts their lies or misinformation or misleading statements is not only wrong but unpatriotic and even evil for even questioning them.

As always Gingrich did it best, not even a serious contender but a defender of the most rightwing candidates and of rightwing politicians and media stars who the press dares to try and question about their differences (except when it served him as a defense against his own inconsistencies and lies etc.). Bachmann seemed diminished, Huntsman seemed reasonable but unexciting, Ron Paul seemed very old and a little flustered and confused at times and way defensive.

Hebert Cain, or whatever his name is, scored a few points actually, but as the only African-American candidate among the Republicans he doesn't stand a chance, and Rick Santorum, or whatever his name is, came across as inconsequential.

Mitt Romney actually did best in terms of making actual sense even if based on lies or fudging of the facts and came across most presidential. I would have liked to have seen Buddy Roemer, or whatever his name is, who was on Rachel Maddow's show last night as well as Jon Stewart's and made a good case for why the main concern should be the corruption of our politics with money and reforming campaign financing, but of course they don't want that to be the subject of any Republican debate.

As for Obama, we await his speech tomorrow night (or since it just turned midnight, tonight).