Which GOP candidate would do the BEST in a debate against Barack Obama--BE HONEST

[Foxfyre]

Being a good debator does not make you a good president. The Current Occupant should be evidence enough of that.

I will agree that being a good debater does not make a good president, but in this day of instant media coverage, a good leader will be a good debater. That is, he will be able to think on his/her feet, articulate a principle, and explain it sufficiently so that others can understand.

In my opinion, that is one of the reasons Barack Obama is such a poor leader. He cannot or at least does not think on his feet, he generally cannot coherently articulate a principle beyond a memorized sound bite, and I think he understands the concepts he promotes so poorly that he cannot competently explain them to anybody.

Newt does not have that problem. And while Cain is more likely to be blind sided with a subject he is not fullly familiar with, he otherwise speaks the language people can understand.

I checked Newt on the poll, but I wish we had been able to pick two or three.

I am beginning to see a Gingrich/Cain or a Cain/Gingrich ticket as very possibly a winning combination.

I have to disagree. I don't think Obama's problem is that he can't think on his feet. I think his problem is that he doesn't have the managerial skills, having never actually run anything in his life.

Bush-43 was a lousy speaker and a poor debater. But in his first term at least, he surrounded himself with solid guys. The same could be said of Clinton and Reagan. (All three of these guys promoted loyalists in their second terms, part of the reason their second terms were weaker.)

Obama's problem is that he believes his own hype. He really does think he's smart enough to do it all.

Newt is a smart guy. If I had a choice of any of these guys to spend an evening with talking about history or politics, it would be Newt. But his leadership of his own campaign and the four years where he ran the house, is another story.

This is why I like Perry. Not because he's a smooth talker, but because he's a solid manager.

But then so is Cain and he doesn't stumble all over himself when he gets a question or has to comment on something he wasn't expecting. Perry too often does. I also like Perry a lot, but, like with Romney, there are red caution flags in my head. I need some more convincing with him.

I have to gently disagree on Bush 43. In my opinion, he won every debate against a much more 'articulate' Al Gore mostly because he had right on his side. When he is being himself and not fending off hostility, he is warm, likable, and quite articulate. He does not do well with a teleprompter or reading a speech, however, and comes across as stiff and monotone when he is reading a script. When he is comfortable with what he is saying, he does well in extemporaneous speaking, and if it is a subject he cares deeply about, he is great. In other words, he doesn't deserve all the bad rap he's taken on a lot of that.

Bill Clinton was an excellent speaker and he could think on his feet just fine. He might be making it all up, but he was very good at extemporaneous commentary. I have little respect for him personally, but definitely do admire the skills he had, and with the Gingrich led Congress modifying the process, he didn't have a bad presidency and hasn't had a bad post presidency.

My quarrel with President Bush was not with his integrity, his competence, his knowledge or his skills. My quarrel with President Bush was on his policies on energy, environment, immigration, education, expanding the role of government, and going with some really bad advice on how to prosecute the war in Iraq. I thought he got it wrong on all those fronts.

As far as the person with integrity, vision, commitment to the proper role of the Presidency and government in general, I am beginning to like Herman Cain a lot. If it wasn't for all the negative baggage--most of which was blown all out of proportion by some on the left and the media determined to 'get him', I would also be very comfortable getting behind the Gingrich campaign. So far those two have impressed me the most. And either one could make Barack Obama look like a school kid in a debate.

 

[norcal21jg]

hmmm

 

[AVG-JOE]

Cain. I think his approach is very smart and though-out. He explains his positions and plans in a simple manner, without coming across as talking down to people. He's also prepared for everything he gets asked.

I would say Romney, but if Obama made a correlation between Romneycare and Obamacare enough-I think Romney would look pretty bad.

Gingrich may win at debating, but he has too many skeletons in the closet to win the election.

I like Cain to. He's the only candidate that has mentioned the heart of the problem: The current tax code of favoritism and corruption we currently live under. His 9-9-9 proposal IS the answer, ass-u-me-ing business deductions on income are strictly limited to payroll only and NOBODY gets to give or get 'incentives' for or against businesses in particular or industry in general.

O.K. but remember the QUESTION is--out of all these candidates who would do best in a debate against Barack Obama?

As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Cain has the answer: Fair taxes.

Add to that a budget balanced by law and we'll launch an economy that our grand kids can drive to the stars. Everyone else is debating for a fools errand.

 

[AVG-JOE]

I like Cain to. He's the only candidate that has mentioned the heart of the problem: The current tax code of favoritism and corruption we currently live under. His 9-9-9 proposal IS the answer, ass-u-me-ing business deductions on income are strictly limited to payroll only and NOBODY gets to give or get 'incentives' for or against businesses in particular or industry in general.

O.K. but remember the QUESTION is--out of all these candidates who would do best in a debate against Barack Obama?

As far as I'm concerned, Mr. Cain has the answer: Fair taxes.

Add to that a budget balanced by law and we'll launch an economy that our grand kids can drive to the stars. Everyone else is debating for a fools errand.

I'm not interested in 'winners' and 'losers' at staged events like debates, I'm looking for taxes that are fair because they're simple and a budget that is balanced by law. The tax code of complicated favoritism and the congressional corruption it breeds must end before we can grow.

It's not a zero-sum game of points. It's our future.

 

[AVG-JOE]

Cain. I think his approach is very smart and though-out. He explains his positions and plans in a simple manner, without coming across as talking down to people. He's also prepared for everything he gets asked.

I would say Romney, but if Obama made a correlation between Romneycare and Obamacare enough-I think Romney would look pretty bad.

Gingrich may win at debating, but he has too many skeletons in the closet to win the election.

I like Cain to. He's the only candidate that has mentioned the heart of the problem: The current tax code of favoritism and corruption we currently live under. His 9-9-9 proposal IS the answer, ass-u-me-ing business deductions on income are strictly limited to payroll only and NOBODY gets to give or get 'incentives' for or against businesses in particular or industry in general.

True.

What are the chances he'll get that one past Congress?

Well... You and me make 2....... Anyone else want to write a letter to your congresscritter demanding simple, fair taxes and a budget balanced by law?

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

 

[freedombecki]

Rick Perry. It'd be fun to see the media eat him alive, then win 49 of the 50 states and Puerto Rico, because he's the man with the jobs plan.

It's what's in a man's heart, not what's in his mouth.

I moved back home to Texas on account of some of the things he said back in the first decade of this century. I really like the man.

He'd use his speech as an opportunity to talk to people who want to prosper good jobs in America. If the people elect somebody else, that's fine. Perry will have lined up another million jobs by the time he's done with the campaign trail, and if America doesn't want him and them, he'll just bring 'em back home to Texas with him.

Pick yer Catch-22, folks.

And yeah, I'm the lone vote for the Lone Star Man of the Year.

 

[Foxfyre]

I like Cain to. He's the only candidate that has mentioned the heart of the problem: The current tax code of favoritism and corruption we currently live under. His 9-9-9 proposal IS the answer, ass-u-me-ing business deductions on income are strictly limited to payroll only and NOBODY gets to give or get 'incentives' for or against businesses in particular or industry in general.

True.

What are the chances he'll get that one past Congress?

Well... You and me make 2....... Anyone else want to write a letter to your congresscritter demanding simple, fair taxes and a budget balanced by law?

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

There is one problem with the 9% consumption tax that I want addressed however.

Mr. Foxfyre and I worked for wages, worked for commission, and/or ran our own business since we were 14 years old. We paid taxes on all those earningss for all those decades. Now that we are retired, we have a very modest retirement account--we put in almost every nickle that is in it out of intentional savings from our earnings. We have already paid taxes on all that money.

So now we are supposed to pay a 9% consumption tax on anything we spend that money for? How do we get credit for the taxes we have already paid on that income? A 9% hit on our meager retirement would be a severe hit.

I'm not turning thumbs down on it, but I will need some more convincing that this is a good idea.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Sarah Palin.

 

[alan1]

Which GOP candidate would do BEST in a debate with Barack Obama?

Probably Mr Gingrich.
I think he could make Mr Obama cry.
I still don't prefer Mr Gingrich as a President.

 

[JimBowie1958]

I'd say Paul, Gingrich, Palin, Romney and the rest are kind of clunky and not nearly as glib.

 

[freedombecki]

I'd say Paul, Gingrich, Palin, Romney and the rest are kind of clunky and not nearly as glib.

Well, welcome to USMB, JimBowie1958. Nobody is as glib as the President is, it's just that the nation needs to get away from the atmosphere of fuzzy math and redistribution of personal property, which I think is unfair to the person who earned or created the patent, invention, artwork, or innovative technique he developed to extract gold from seawater or whatever. We dislike the concept that all our tax money will be invested in only repayment of interest for two generations of Americans if we don't put the lid on that activity soon.

Hope you enjoy your time spent at USMB. There's some great folks of just about every perspective here, and you'll meet some who think like you.

 

[Cuyo]

No love for Bachmann. That's good!

5 idiots think Herman Cain. That's bad.

 

[oreo]

I like Cain to. He's the only candidate that has mentioned the heart of the problem: The current tax code of favoritism and corruption we currently live under. His 9-9-9 proposal IS the answer, ass-u-me-ing business deductions on income are strictly limited to payroll only and NOBODY gets to give or get 'incentives' for or against businesses in particular or industry in general.

True.

What are the chances he'll get that one past Congress?

Well... You and me make 2....... Anyone else want to write a letter to your congresscritter demanding simple, fair taxes and a budget balanced by law?

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Paul Ryan is currently working a plan to completely restructure the tax code. When I heard him speak it sounded pretty good--it should be on paper on his web-site soon--if it isn't already.

But let's all remember it's not just the President that can take this action we need an entire congress and senate to go along to make the changes that will put this country back on the path to prosperity--so make certain to pay very close attention to those candidates who will be running also.

 

[freedombecki]

You know, guys, I know Perry hasn't had the best of luck in speaking lately, but in his defense, he just had a major back surgery just a few weeks ago. I bet he tried to get out on the campaign trail a little to soon after his procedure. But I'm not giving up on him yet. If he sticks around, you may see an improvement in him in a few weeks, but I'm just betting he wasn't feeling well the other night on account of his surgery and trying to do too much too soon afterward. Please put him on your prayer list for healing, even if you're not too fond of his last two or three speeches. Thanks.

 

[Mr.Nick]

Herman Cain would mop Obama up.....

Obama isn't even qualified to debate Cain on economic issues considering Cain has an economics degree and Obama doesn't so that would be a major factor in their debate.

 

[saveliberty]

Christy and I are on the same page. I refuse to run.

 

[Rinata]

Obama can kick all their asses.

 

[saveliberty]

Oh look, the hack fairy showed up. Which lib lost a brain cell and stuck it under their pillow?

 

[oreo]

Oh look, the hack fairy showed up. Which lib lost a brain cell and stuck it under their pillow?

That's why I put none of the above in the poll--I knew I was going to get lots of liberals on this thread--and thought it would be unfair for them not to be able to vote---

 

[Wicked Jester]

Hell, after watching Rubio wipe the senate floor with Kerry's ignorant ass, I would love to watch him slaughter Gaffin' Joe Biden's stupid ass.

I voted for Newt in this poll, but I think Romney would kill Obama's inept ass, based on economic knowledge alone.

Romney/Rubio '12!