What were you doing last night? Watching Simon Cowell glisten in one of his umpteenth v-neck sweaters with his new American pet project, X-Factor OR did you tune in to the MOST interactive American Republican Presidential debate ever?!? Sponsored by Fox and Google, this unique forum included every day citizens beamed in via YouTube and text messaging (19,000 questions submitted from the US and internationally) asking candidates questions about issues that mean something unique and that affect them.
Nine Grand-Old Party candidates: Texas Governor Rick Perry, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Senator Rick Santorum, Congressman Ron Paul, former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Georgia businessman Herman Cain and former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman took turns in this two hour info session.
There was flip-flopping, fireworks, patriotism, and at times straight talking the issues: Social security, heath care, JOBS, and immigration.
A personal favorite, a middle-aged American man begging when IS the U.S. going to stop handing out money to countries that “hate us?”
Newt Gingrich stated, “… if a particular country votes against us consistently in the U.N., why would we give them aid to begin with? The postwar world, when we had 50 percent of the world economy, is gone. We can’t afford that much international aid anymore.”
One of the most poignant moments during the debate was during the topic of health care. Presidential hopeful Cain talked about his hard fought (and won) battle with stage IV colon and liver cancer. (For those unaware- stage IV means the cancer is spread and there is generally no hope). After a standing ovation, Cain spoke of his victorious strategy with his doctors and describes what he believes COULD have happened if his illness occurred in this administration, “My cancer was detected in March of 2006. From March 2006 all the way to the end of 2006, for that number of months, I was able to get the necessary CAT scan tests, go to the necessary doctors, get a second opinion, get chemotherapy, go — get surgery, recuperate from surgery, get more chemotherapy in a span of nine months. If we had been under Obamacare and a bureaucrat was trying to tell me when I could get that CAT scan that would have delayed by treatment. My surgeons and doctors have told me that because I was able get the treatment as fast as I could, based upon my timetable and not the government’s timetable that’s what saved my life, because I only had a 30 percent chance of survival. And now I’m here five years cancer free, because I could do it on my timetable and not a bureaucrat’s timetable. This is one of the reasons I believe a lot of people are objecting to Obamacare, because we need get bureaucrats out of the business of trying to micromanage health care in this nation.”
Another extremely pertinent question was from a college student suffering from chronic illness: “I have a chronic heart condition. So for me, and those like me, the Democrats’ health care reform, allowing us to stay on our parents’ insurance longer was a godsend. If were you elected, would you work as is the stated position of your party to repeal this reform? And if so, are we supposed to pray really hard that our ailments don’t prevent us from going to class?” The “answer” was a mish mash, side-stepping of everything wrong with Obama’s health care, to the HPV vaccine, and a statement that health care should be a state by state issue and solution- not federal.
So, unfortunately, the answer is still out there OR hopefully, it will not change!
Most gut wrenchingly, an American soldier serving in Iraq who has never been outed in the military (well, he is now) bravely questioned “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” He asked, “ In 2010, when I was deployed to Iraq, I had to lie about who I was, because I’m a gay soldier, and I didn’t want to lose my job. My question is, under one of your Presidencies, do you intend to circumvent the progress that’s been made for gay and lesbian soldiers in the military?” After the boos in the Orlando crowd subsided candidates didn’t really applaud, stand up for this man (who is fighting for all of them to have the right to govern and be governed) or give him a straight answer; which was the case in many questions but, hey that’s politics, right? Although, most candidates did agree sex shouldn’t play a roll in government. Now, that’s grand old irony!
