Live Blog: Fox News’ Second Tier GOP Candidates Debate
Posted: August 6, 2015 Filed under: Republican politics, U.S. Politics | Tags: Fox News, Happy Hour Debate, live blog 96 Comments
Fox News is calling the warm-up debate among the Republican presidential candidates who have poll numbers from around zero to three percent the “Happy Hour debate.” It begins at 5PM Eastern, and the participants will be Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, George Pataki, Lindsey Graham, and Jim Gilmore.
‘Happy hour’ debate holds big potential for GOP ‘underdog’ to shine.
It’s been called the “happy hour” debate — the 5 p.m. face-off that precedes the prime-time showdown among the top-polling Republican presidential candidates in Cleveland.
But the stakes for those invited to “happy hour” could be even higher.
Seven lower-polling candidates were invited to the 5 p.m. ET Fox News/Facebook debate stage. The smaller pond, it’s an opportunity for at least one of the candidates to make a big splash — and start the buzz that builds a fledgling bid into a serious campaign.
“An underdog is going to emerge from this first debate,” Craig Shirley, a conservative strategist and Reagan biographer, said.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who flamed out of the 2012 race after an infamous debate gaffe, is looking for redemption. Former New York Gov. George Pataki, even though he won’t be on the big stage with Donald Trump, appears poised to hammer the billionaire front-runner. Former HP exec Carly Fiorina has been blunt in saying that, as the only woman in the field, she would be a potent adversary against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.
Any of the seven could have a break-out moment Thursday afternoon that catapults them into the upper mix of the 17 candidates now on the field.
I don’t know. It’s hard to imagine any of those losers breaking through. But another conflict could be between Rick Santorum and Lindsey Graham over this claim from Santorum:
Santorum told Fox News on Thursday he plans to just be “authentic.”
“I did this 22 times the last time around,” said the former presidential candidate.
He said he’ll be able to stand out by pointing to his legislative record as a former senator, fighting to ban partial-birth abortions, enact welfare reform and impose Iran sanctions.
“They’re really isn’t anybody else up there on the stage who has a record of accomplishment in Washington, D.C.,” he said.
Graham has been in Congress a lot longer than Santorum was. He must have a few accomplishments.
I hope I’m not going to be alone in watching this thing. If you’re doing so, please share your observations in the comment thread below.
I’ll put up a separate post for the 9:00 main event.
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Sky Dancing 
First question for Bobby JIndal: since you’re so unpopular in Louisiana, why should voters nationwide trust you?
He ignored the question and talked about how he cut taxes, and bla bla bla . . .
Is there any one in the audience?
Wait huh? I am going nuts. This is not the real fucking debate? Help me Obi BB Won….I’ve read this happy hour thing twice and I still don’t get it. What the fuck is this?
Jim Gilmore is up. Who????
I guess he used to be Gov. of VA.
He’s reciting his resume. Boy is he booooorrrrrrinnnngggg!
Yes, the only one who has foreign experience.
Question for Rick Perry about Donald Trump. Perry explains that Trump is just playing on his celebrity–he’s not even a conservative.
Others are asked to weigh in on Trump.
Fiorina brings up the call from Bill Clinton and Trump’s donations to the Clinton Foundation. Says he’s changed his mind on all the big GOP issues. What are his actually principles?
How will you deal with ISIS, Bobby Jindal?
Jindal says we need to kill these evil terrorists and stopping beating around the bush about what we call them, like Jindal says Obama does.
Graham says we have to have ground forces in Iraq and Syria. The air campaign won’t work.
Oh, and he opened by saying if we don’t defeat them over there they’ll come here. And we have to fight them as long as it takes no matter what the cost.
They’re coming here? Why do we have a department of “homeland security” then? What are the FBI and CIA doing? Should all those folks just be fired?
Hey, he’s a hating Hillary Clinton’s guts. Put boots on the ground till the end of time.
Happy, Happy, Happy, is not so Happy after all.
shhhh! he’s hunting tewwowists
Did Graham look like a nervous wreck or what?
They all looked nonplussed to me. It was like, hey I’m a big deal, why I am here during the cocktail hour talking to no one?
Commercial break.
Come on guys! Don’t tell me no one else is watching these losers.
I am, I was wondering when Jindal said something of Sunni’s, like we have some kind of treaty with them. I don’t think so.
More questions about ISIS. This time for Pataki. Obama doesn’t want to call these people here who sympathize “Islamic extremists.” What will you do?
Lots of tough talk from Pataki. I’m not going to transcribe it. Ugh. Oh, he does say they will attack us here if we don’t get them over there. We do have to put troops on the ground he says.
Yeah, he’s in, he’s out. He’s yes and he’s no.
Question for Fiorina on homegrown terrorists.
She says we have to make sure dots are connected when we have warnings–e.g., there were warnings about the Boston Marathon attacks.
Really?
More collaboration is needed between the government and private companies like Google.
Fiorina couldn’t even connect the Dots at HP. And that smile of hers made me cover my eyes. I think I noticed the look of plastic surgery.
Fiorina, well here is what to do, take your hands and twirl them on both sides of your head. That about say it all.
ROFLOL! Thanks for showing up, Fannie. Now I don’t feel so alone.
Rick Santorum answers a question about immigration. His grandfather was stuck in fascist Italy for years, separated from his family. But his grandfather didn’t resent it. He believed in following the law. “America was worth the wait,” he supposedly said.
That was the biggest BS comment of the debate.
Rick: 35 million that comes to this country are unskilled workers. Fucking liar.
What do you say to the families of illegals, Rick Perry?
Perry says Americans are sick and tired of this question. Americans will never trust Washington DC because we don’t secure the borders. Perry says he is the one with the experience to deal with this issue.
Here’s Perry expressing himself (minus his gun)……saying border, border, border. Like this strip of land is the problem. What about everybody flying in the sky above his border? WTF?
He said we need a fleet of planes flying 24/7, plus technology to trace them. Isn’t that going to be kind of expensive?
Well, maybe he’s going to make Mexico pay for it!
Next, the economy. Voodoo!!
Nobody wants to talk about VOTING rights………..come ‘on ya’ll
I’ll let Hillary speak to Lady Lindsey’s bullshit.
What an ass he is. I can’t stand to listen to his Mayberry accent.
Grow the economy, American are dying. For 50 years, they have proven that their policies work, and all the poor people are intruding on their life style. The problem is Hillary Clinton, the problem is Pres. Obama. Let’s fight some more wars, no body is dying there.
Bobby Jindal is asked about expanding Medicaid.
Bla bla bla . . . Obama and Clinton are socialists . . . bla bla bla…..
It’s from the Onion!!!
Bobby Jindal Vows To Return America To Time When He Was Rising Republican Star
http://www.theonion.com/article/bobby-jindal-vows-return-america-time-when-he-was–51029
How many employees did Jindal fire? 35,000 fucking employees fired.
Oh lord. Next they’re going to talk about Planned Parenthood and the Supreme Court.
Oh Lord, here they come Planned Parenthood, and Supreme Court. They need Ted Cruz to talk about the supreme court, don’t you think?
Definitely. I’m not watching this horseshit but enjoying the live blog and twitter reactions. 🙂
Thanks, Ralph. I need to get on twitter too.
The gay twittersphere was telling Lady Lindsey to make a big splash by coming out during the debate
That would have been a lot more interesting.
Funny BB, you and I are on the same wavelength. I know for sure I’ll be sticking my tongue out in a minute or two.
Why do you all suck so much? Why is Donald Trump kicking your ass so bad, you fucking punks?
Should have been the first 2 questions.
lol
They did kind of ask that.
Yep, they did early on. Everybody shined him on since you know he’s a actor, been on TV, and that is why he’s doing some ass kicking, everybody knows him.
Rick Perry sounds like Miss Teen South Carolina.
He certainly was demure acting, but I really liked the red velvet box he was standing on, it went well with his suit.
Oh shit, we aren’t sending money to Iran. Perry is all fucked up, and said he’d make Carly his SOS.
Carly is so annoying. “I know our Arab allies personally.”
What kind of sexist attack is that?
Carly, let’s get on the get foot. American does not lead, Obama breaks every fucking rule ever made in USA. I’d go to Camp David, and have a nice happy happy hour.
Oh, hell “get on the good foot”.
Rick Santorum says SCOTUS is wrong about same-sex marriage, and that decision was just like Dred Scott. Then he goes off ranting on abortion.
Commercial break, thank goodness.
What Santorum is NOT saying is that when there is constitutional question, it is the supreme court who decides the answer, not the presidency, and not the legislative body.
Luckily, Santorum will never be involved in government again.
Defund, defund defund at conception.
Defund, defund, defund, and shut down, shut down, and shut down.
Mark Zuckerberg donated $992 million to a charity than funds Planned Parenthood. Will conservatives boycott Facebook?
I read that, but I though he donated 992 million to charity, and some of that included planned parenthood. But he did donate.
One of the charitys priorities is Planned Parenthood.
Yes it is Ralph.
Graham says that we need to stop women from killing babies. And the only way to do that is vote for him.
We need to stop Republicans from killing women!!
That would make a good outline for a Hillary commercial.
Because Graham is such an expert on women.
Right.
Everytime Graham speaks he changes the subject, and calls on troops to be put on the ground all over the world.
I noticed that too Fannie. I think it’s likely his “men at war” fetish.
Undoing Obama, everything he has ever done.
Let me go back one more time, didn’t Graham say he would not allow harvesting of stem cell/tissue for women having abortions. What about everybody harvesting organs, and stem cells, is he going to stop them too?
Rick on a freedom kick. Ain’t it funny, he can’t talk sex and personal freedom in the same sentence.
Oh, poor old boy, Graham, I was so poor.
Hillary, likeable enough: She has no vision, she’s untrustworthy, she’s a socialist, she’s not the change we need, she can’t ever be trusted.
These clowns all want to get on the warpath in the middle east. Make no doubt about it, if they win, we will have WAR like no other. Sen. Graham wants to reinvade every fucking country in the middle east, not just one, but the whole fucking middle east.
All the clowns will repeal anything and everything Obama has done in the last 8 years, they all are real about doing this when they become President.
They had NO fucking solutions, everything is about Hillary/Obama. They intend on cutting up the fucking pie before it’s even served up, because they are the republican bandits.
Ugh! I had to take a break to make some coffee. I can’t stand to listen to these people.
I’ll put up another live blog for the 9PM hatefest.
I’m going to have to “let the label tell the truth”……………and hit the Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr. for some straight bourbon on the next go around.
Yeah, I too think I’m going to have to crack open a few Michelob’s. I can’t imagine listening to this next round of BS completely sober.
Damn, I thought the debate started at 8….looks like I missed most of the show.
Sadly, I have no choice. Maybe I’ll pop a couple of Benedryls.
LOL!!!
JJ,
The main event starts at 9PM. I’m going to put up another live blog for that.
Sorry BB thanks for clarifying it. I think my brain is in serious dumbass mode, with all the GOP debate talk going around.
Lindsey Graham gets America to Google him
Frothy Mix is terribly mixed up. Does he know that the first person to attempt to use the Dred Scott Decision as an analogy to the pending Marriage Equality decision was Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore? The two decisions are not analogous and in fact are in direct contrast. And Frothy Mix brags about his knowledge of the Constitution? I suppose he thinks American’s are incapable of googling the Dred Scott decision to find out this his analogy is a LIE?
Why the Hell Are You Here? The Awkward Opening Questions of the GOP Consolation Debate
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/08/06/fox_news_debate_questions_moderators_bill_hemmer_martha_maccallum_begin.html
That just about sums up the entire thing.