Reply #3: Interesting. Watching debates just doesn't seem to be a popular

[MineralMan]

activity on the right. In the current case, there are too many participants to really call what happened last night a debate. It was more like a serial soundbite forum, where each candidate got to say a few words about why Obama is bad and why each candidate is a good choice. That's not a debate.

The right doesn't listen to this crap because most of them depend on others to tell them who the "right" candidate is. Right now, Perry is the current darling of the right. That could change at any moment, and probably will. The actual leading contender is Mitt Romney, but he's not a favorite of the tea party, so they're simply ignoring him.

The unknown quantity is Sarah Palin. If she chooses to enter the race, a lot of the tea party crowd will switch over to supporting her, for all the good that will do. So, nobody bothered to watch because this debate is essentially meaningless for guessing which candidate will end up with the nomination. Can Romney pull it off, or have the tea party illiterates established a large enough base to prevent that? Or, will whoever is the current darling of the right at the time of the convention win the dubious honor of losing another Presidential election.

I didn't watch the debate either, except for about 15 minutes in the middle of it. I did get to see Michele Bachmann make a fool of herself briefly. She's done. She can't raise money any more, her staff has abandoned her, and she'll be dropping out shortly.

The only real question left is whether Caribou Barbie will declare her candidacy. If not, then it's between Perry and Romney, and I have no idea which will prevail. So, there's no real reason to have watched this debate.