The second Republican debate of the 2012 presidential election is being hailed as a successful discussion between seven of the GOP hopefuls. The biggest story of the evening is the amount of civility that the candidates showed toward one another. Instead of arguing amongst themselves, they opted to attack the policies of President Obama, with few exceptions. There were, of course, some interesting comments made by the debaters, as well as some colorful comments made by the nation's pundits.
"I filed today my paperwork to seek the office of the presidency of the United States today. And I'll very soon be making my formal announcement" - Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.)
Bachmann made a somewhat anti-climactic announcement at the debate Monday when she revealed that she was running for president, reports CNN. The statement may have come as a surprise to some viewers, who assumed that everyone on stage was, indeed, running for the office of president.
"And I would not be comfortable because you have peaceful Muslims and then you have militant Muslims, those that are trying to kill us." - Herman Cain
Businessman and GOP contender Cain responded to moderator John King's question regarding whether or not he would allow a Muslim to serve in his administration. He then attempted to clarify whether or not he would subject Muslim candidates to a sort of loyalty test, or an interview proving their allegiance to the country.
"I think Governor Palin is a remarkable leader. I think she's qualified to be president of the United States." -Tim Pawlenty
King asked candidates who they felt made the best choice for a vice presidential pick, John McCain or Obama. Pawlenty's answer is interesting, as many believe that Palin is embarking on her own campaign for president despite her absence at the debate.
Though the candidates had most of the memorable quotes of the evening, several pundits weighed in with their feelings on not only the candidates, but the debate's format itself.
"Bad night for Sarah Palin...Michele Bachmann enhanced herself and took up a lot of space that Sarah Palin would have otherwise taken up." -George Stephanopoolos
On "The O'Reilly Factor," Stephanolpoulos summed up the effect that Bachman's presence at the debate had on any potential Sarah Palin candidacy.
"If Obama had been there, Would John King have said, 'Lobster or Kobe Beef? Dom Perignon or Crystal? Bill Ayers or Reverend Wright? Secured Borders or Murders, Rapers, and Kidnappers?' What's your choice Mr. President?" -Rush Limbaugh
On his radio talk show, Limbaugh criticized King and CNN's platform, which posed questions to candidates asking them to choose between things like Pepsi or Coke and deep dish or thin crust pizza, according to Mediaite. Limbaugh was not the only pundit to voice criticism of this portion of the debate.
"I was confused by the debate- couldn't tell if it was Twitter, Facebook, or U-Haul, who was asking the questions?" -Bill O'Reilly
Reflecting many people's feelings about the overwhelming, multi-media aspect of the debate, O'Reilly expressed frustration over where the questions were actually coming from during his show.
At the end of the evening, Pawlenty had perhaps the most memorable parting words of the debate.
"I learned that if you trust the people, our future is bright and I learned that the Boston Bruins have more heart than the Vancouver Canucks."
Pawlenty's closing remarks gave a nod to game six of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with the Boston Bruins winning over the Vancouver Canucks, forcing a game seven in the series. Fellow debater Mitt Romney kept the candidates updated on the status of the game during the debate.
Though the debate was rather uneventful with regards to Republican in-fighting, it was an informative introduction to some of the lesser-known candidates like Cain and Rick Santorum, and it also gave Romney and Bachman the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities to look presidential while discussing the nation's most divisive topics. It will be interesting to see if future debates remain as civil as this one.
Sources:
CNN Republican Debate Transcript
John Bershad " Rush Limbaugh Critiques the Republican Debate (Especially John King) " Mediaite
The O'Reilly Factor
