If you're looking for tonight's Democratic live-blog, go here  

 

Welcome!

 

to the disaboom.com presidential debate live-blog.  Tonight, we'll be live-blogging the Republican debate as it unravels from the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California.  The debate starts at 8PM EST and will be televised live on CNN.  It should be quite an event, so stop by, throw down a comment, and let your voice be heard. 

 

 

8:07-The Gladiators Enter the Ring

 

The candidates have just entered the Reagan Library, which apparently also houses a giant jet complete with Ronald Reagan’s favorite kind of jelly beans.  The first question is whether or not the economy is better or worse after 8 years of Bush.  Anderson Cooper gets feisty quickly, admonishing Romney for deviating and touting his record instead of answering the question.  Then he tosses it over to McCain, who quickly invokes his favorite term, “straight talk.”

 

8:10-Ron Paul Begs to Disagree

 

Though both McCain and Romney agreed in general that "this country is better off now than it was eight years ago," Ron Paul claims that the standard of living is going down and the middle class is in danger of disappearing .

 

8:12-McCain called Liberal, CNN Not Convinced

 

Romney calls McCain liberal and says his policies on immigration are "not a Republican thought." CNN, meanwhile, displays text beneath the screen reading, "Romney calls McCain liberal, but doesn't McCain have a traditional Conservative voting record?"

 

8:17-Rush Who?

 

Anderson Cooper asks Huckabee about Rush Limbaugh’s statement that if Mike Huckabee was elected he would “destroy the Republican party.”  Huckabee states that he likes Limbaugh, but that “he’s not infallible." 

 

What a shocker!

 

He goes on to tout his conservative credentials, emphasizing his work in Arkansas towards prohibiting gay marriage.

 

8:20-Romney Declares, "No More Free Riders!"

 

Romney calls in his record on health care, citing the bill passed during his term as Governor that expanded affordable health care and forced Massachusetts residents to either buy health insurance or use a health care savings plan, or pay their own costs if they needed emergency care. He also declares steps toward government-paid nationwide health insurance to be, "a move toward Socialism."

 

8:25-Republicans Talk Environment and Terminator

 

The question is whether or not California should be permitted to enact much more stringent environmental standards than the rest of the nation. McCain defends the environment and expresses disappointment that the U.S. has not moved further toward dealing with climate change, while opining that innovation will be the result of strict environmental regulations in California. Huckabee, too, defends Schwarzenegger's right to enact stricter legislation in his state, while others express concerns that industry will move offshore in response to regulation.

 

8:35-Tough, Tough, Tough 

 

John McCain has just said the word tough seven times in seven seconds in response to a question about whether not he has a plan to help people with bad credit get lower interest rates. He goes on to give props to tax rebates, tout the Bush tax cuts, and state that there is one place where he and Ron Paul are in perfect agreement; stopping the spending immediately.

 

8:38- Who's Right About Reagan?

 

When the Bush tax cuts come up, McCain is questioned about why he voted against them the first time around- one of only two Republicans to do so. McCain responds by calling himself a foot soldier in the "Reagan Revolution," and claiming that Reagan would not have introduced tax cuts that did not include spending cuts. Romney thanks McCain for his role in the "Reagan Revolution" and disagrees, claiming Reagan would have voted for Bush's tax cuts in a heartbeat.

 

8:41- Mistaken Identity?

 

When questioned by a reporter who recently interviewed him, Mitt Romney claims the reporter must has him confused with someone else. He is quickly corrected by the journalist who responds with the exact quote.

 

He then articulates his immigration policy:

 

No amnesty. Get in line.

 

8:57- Reagan, Reagan, Reagan
 

Romney takes a question about whether or not Bush has damaged the Republican party and runs with it all the way back to Reagan, accusing the Democrats of caring more about getting out of Iraq than winning, praising Bush for keeping the nation safe for six years, and touting No Child Left Behind.

 

9:07-Timetable Brawl

 

A contentious exchange between Romney and McCain over whether or not Romney previously supported a timetable in Iraq

 

According to Romney:

 

Absolutely, unequivocally, no

 

Things get heated and then dissolve into a semantic argument about the meaning of the phrase “waiting in the weeds,” but it becomes clear that these two are prepared  to go for the jugular.

 

9:18- The Soldier Versus the CEO

 

“Sometimes he bought, and sometimes he sold, and sometimes people lost their jobs,” says John McCain about Mitt Romney.  The debate moderators pit the frontrunners against each other on their respective professional strengths. McCain is asked if he could handle the economy better than Romney, and Romney is asked how he’d manage the military better than McCain.  The answers are pretty bland, although a few bright spots occur when Romney compares himself to Lincoln and McCain take takes a nasty shot at Mitt’s private sector experience

 

9:26- The Evil of it All

 

Ron Paul gets passionate, calling the Federal Reserve and the policy of "making money out of thin air," evil for financing, "A war we shouldn't be in," and "A welfare state we shouldn't be in."

 

9:30- Who's Got Reagan's Vote?

 

The final question asks the candidates to tell the nation why Ronald Reagan would endorse them.

 

Romney claims Reagan would oppose McCain-Feingold; McCain fires back by saying, "Reagan would not support someone who changes his mind all the time," a jab at the flip-flopping alleged in Romney's campaign. McCain again uses the "footsoldier" reference, and Ron Paul gets a puzzling round of applause before even saying anything. Paul gets points for credibility when he points out that Ronald Reagan campaigned for him in 1978.

 

Huckabee says it would be "incredibly pretentious and arrogant," to claim to know who Ronald Reagan would endorse, and instead praises the "Reagan spirit."

 

9:35- It's Over 

 

Cue the commentators and the spin.  The breaking news at the moment is that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has just endorsed McCain, cementing his role as frontrunner. 

 

Don’t forget to join us tomorrow, when Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton square off.  The debate will be televised live on CNN starting at 8PM EST, but stop by the Disabled Politico Blog for the most righteous commentary on the web.