GOP Debate: Playing it Safe | Newsweek Politics: Campaign 2008

Playing it Safe

Newsweek Web Exclusive

Email To A Friend

Please fill in the following information and we'll email this link.

SPONSORED BY

Thankfully, things improved in the closing quarter. With 15 minutes to go, Russert asked Romney how much of his own money he had invested in his campaign. The former Massachusetts governor, looking a little testy, declined to answer, citing competitive reasons, and said it would all be on file on Jan. 31—the day his campaign is scheduled to reveal its latest financial report to the Federal Election Commission. But, Romney added, he hadn't contributed more of his own money than New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine or New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who each spent more than $100 million on their campaigns. (Er, good defense?)

Romney then bragged that he'd raised more money than any other Republican in the race—even if you factored out his own contributions to the cause. We'll have to wait until Romney files his reports next week to see the latest numbers, but the former governor raised $62 million during the first nine months of 2007, including $17.3 million of his own money. Giuliani, by comparison, raised about $45 million for the primary—putting him neck and neck with Romney. Perhaps Romney really stuffed his coffers during the final three months of the year.

Romney's cash afforded Huckabee an opening for the best jab of the night. Reminding Romney that he'd said he wanted his kids to inherit a great country, Huckabee said, "If the country will elect me president, they'll inherit a good president and your boys will still get your money, too." Romney was smiling, but still looked like he wanted to strangle the former Arkansas governor. But credit Romney with keeping his cool when asked later about reports that the other GOP candidates just didn't like him very much. "I'm not going to Washington to make friends with politicians," he said. "I'm going to Washington to change things."

Change is a popular mantra in the 2008 campaign. But if the next debate is anything like the 19^th meeting, the thing many viewers may decide to change is the channel.

After all the toro poop I believe a small amount of levity is in order. While watching political candidates on television, my eight year old grandson asked for an explanation. My first reaction was to go into mechanics of politics but after seeing his innocent semblance, decided an analogy was in order. Hoping to circumvent his attention span I chose the circus. I purposely used words alien to him in order to augment his curiosity. The text however lacks form of speech and pauses considered necessary when attempting to communicate with a third-grader. The discourse was as follows.

Think of it as a circus that comes to town every four years, a spectacle anxiously awaited by citizens of every state, city and town in the United States of America.
The circus is unusual in the sense it displays two animals, an elephant, a donkey and a unique troupe anxious to entertain the masses. The animals are icons for the clique or party each group represents. The show begins when the ringmaster, known as the media, announces the names of participants, be they Republican elephants or Democratic donkeys.
Although lacking high wire stunts and normal apparatus seen in a standard circus, the performers, known as candidates, give the impression they???re doing a balancing act with statements sometimes difficult to comprehend. There are no clowns with costumes or painted faces only candidates performing with expensive garb and makeup designed to thwart something called High Definition. Another interesting presentation is the debates between performers. The verbal interaction is sometimes comical. As the campaign ensues the rhetoric becomes more intense, a truly impressive event to witness.
To add further excitement, a woman and an Afro-American became part of the main attraction. Another event worth mentioning is when members of each group turn against each other. The traditional spectacle is necessary to select the best person to lead each clique. The circus travels throughout the U.S. with elephants and donkeys seeking acceptance from the public. Most get discouraged and drop out. After this the elephant and donkey groups meet in separate enclosures where they convene to select combatants for the main event. The grand and final spectacle occurs when everyone gets together to vote in November. After the votes are counted the media gets to announce the next President of the United States.
What???s that grandson, what animal do I prefer to ride? A donkey of course, elephants tend to weave from left to right and confuse people.

Member Comments

- Reply
- Report Abuse
Posted By: Gina in San Diego @ 03/26/2008 12:27:29 AM

Disgraceful article. Ron Paul is mentioned ONCE, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay at the end, and HIS name is not in searchable blue type!1

Newsweek, you suck as bad as the rest.

Glad to see that finally (March 25, 2008) you gave the man some serious coverage.

I for one will WRITE-IN RON PAUL's NAME on my ballot in November.

He is the only one with any principles or any real courage. The rest are wannabe moviestars.
- Reply
- Report Abuse
Posted By: estebanpina @ 01/30/2008 7:10:28 PM

After all the toro poop I believe a small amount of levity is in order. While watching political candidates on television, my eight year old grandson asked for an explanation. My first reaction was to go into mechanics of politics but after seeing his innocent semblance, decided an analogy was in order. Hoping to circumvent his attention span I chose the circus. I purposely used words alien to him in order to augment his curiosity. The text however lacks form of speech and pauses considered necessary when attempting to communicate with a third-grader. The discourse was as follows.

Think of it as a circus that comes to town every four years, a spectacle anxiously awaited by citizens of every state, city and town in the United States of America.
The circus is unusual in the sense it displays two animals, an elephant, a donkey and a unique troupe anxious to entertain the masses. The animals are icons for the clique or party each group represents. The show begins when the ringmaster, known as the media, announces the names of participants, be they Republican elephants or Democratic donkeys.
Although lacking high wire stunts and normal apparatus seen in a standard circus, the performers, known as candidates, give the impression they???re doing a balancing act with statements sometimes difficult to comprehend. There are no clowns with costumes or painted faces only candidates performing with expensive garb and makeup designed to thwart something called High Definition. Another interesting presentation is the debates between performers. The verbal interaction is sometimes comical. As the campaign ensues the rhetoric becomes more intense, a truly impressive event to witness.
To add further excitement, a woman and an Afro-American became part of the main attraction. Another event worth mentioning is when members of each group turn against each other. The traditional spectacle is necessary to select the best person to lead each clique. The circus travels throughout the U.S. with elephants and donkeys seeking acceptance from the public. Most get discouraged and drop out. After this the elephant and donkey groups meet in separate enclosures where they convene to select combatants for the main event. The grand and final spectacle occurs when everyone gets together to vote in November. After the votes are counted the media gets to announce the next President of the United States.
What???s that grandson, what animal do I prefer to ride? A donkey of course, elephants tend to weave from left to right and confuse people.
- Reply
- Report Abuse
Posted By: bigbrewhaha @ 01/28/2008 1:02:10 PM

sarcasm bryce...., huckabee is a joke.