Ronald Reagan cast a long shadow over Wednesday night's debate. (Photo Credit: AP)
That was a good answer on Reagan’s legacy – he used it to introduce a very sly and effective reminder of Romney’s shifting positions.
– CNN Senior Political Analyst Bill Schneider
From CNN Politics
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How in the world is McCan't the front runner right now. Has we become that desperate?
Amnesty... If one does not understand their own policy of Amnesty, how would they expect Romney's comments... Pathetic
good point Kevin, but for him the only person who shifts positions is Mitt Romney.Hypocrit
McCain depresses me. Huckabee won the debate and he barely got a chance to participate!
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree. Stooping to the same tactics that George Bush used in the 2000 campaign against him, he uses well-known and successful procedures for saying little, but inflicting much damage.
And besides, what Republicans can remember that far back, to remember when George called McCain crazy and unstable? We all took George at his word then, and again when he said it wasn't HIS fault he allowed the 9/11 attacks to happen, and we believed him when he said that Iraq had WMD, so now it's just time to forget Bush said all those things.
Or is it? If we forget that McCain is crazy and unstable – we have to forget that Bush is blameless for all his other mistakes.
There is however one significant difference between McCain and quite frankly every other Republican candidate. That is the fact that his view changes came after beating his head againsts a cement wall and realizing he was screwed on issues like comprehensive immigration as well as taxation. To be forced to change your stance is harder to trust or believe in then someone who changes their views on their own.
Huckabee answered this correctly. Romney and McCain can throw stones over things that happened in April 2007 and hog air time, and presume that Reagan would endorse them. But come on, that's a ridiculous question. The correct answer is "I hope he would" as Huckabee stated - and we should use Reagan's legacy and guidance to help us now.
You must have been watching a totally different debate, but from our point of view Romney, once again, shows that he's not only the best candidate but that he's willing to take on McCain and the Press, who's obviously siding with McCain, why? Just because it makes for a good story. The guy who was almost knocked out a few months ago, has claimed the majority of the delegates, does he deserve it? Let's just say, I don't want another liar in the White House. Sorry, Bill, you're way off on almost every comment you've posted so far.
Can McCain say anything other than 'unequivocally'? He sounds as bad as he looks...old.
Umm, Kevin? That would have been a war that Reagan inherited from Nixon, it was declared something like eight or nine years before Reagan's first term.
McCain keeps pleading his case as a Regan foot soldier. Time is NOW. Time for change. Time to come out from the Shadows of Reagan (with all due respect). Romney is making his own opinions as his own person. That is what a leader is – not someone who keeps living in the legacy of their subordinate position of a prior great leader.
McCain is a proud, stubborn mule with absolutely no adaptability. He's a soldier at heart – A FOLLOWER – one who takes orders and does what they're told to do. He's sneaky, mean-spirited and not a trustworthy person. He's a back-slapper and needs to be accepted. He's a dangerous person to have to rely on.
He's not a leader in anyway.
can someone actually clarify what shifting positions that Romney has had?
Why did CNN select someone so strongly biased against McCain to do the ticker comments?
The ONLY reason Mike Huckabee is not #1 is because of the heavy exposure the newscasters have given to the other two fellas. He's clearly the most intelligent and equipped of them all.
Anyone who thinks that McCain was justified in calling Romney out on shifting positions needs to take a better look at the Senator himself!!! He wouldn't even vote on the bill he co-authored... or so he says today! And that's just one example on his list of flip-flops.
and also,
aren't all of these misquotes and misdata calculations and sly untrue jabs from McCain going to be eaten up by the democrats if he's our nominee?
Who care's about Reagan?It's 2008 hello.If Reagan's legacy is so great how come we're in the mess we're in?Oh and by the way how about letting each canidate get a chance to answer each question without being interupted.p s just keep drinking the kool aid
Funny how we concentrate on the debate irrelevant jabs and not on the true meaning of the debates. ISSUES? Has anybody heard anything logical coming out of McCain's mouth? Anything?
SCHNEIDER
MANY OF US KNOW THAT YOU FAVOR OBAMA
PLEASE BE FAIR OBJECTIVE AND BALANCE TOMORROW NIGHT AT THE DEBATE
OUR LIVES ON THE LINE...THIS IS A CRITICAL TIME
DONT LET RHETORIC BE YOUR INFLUENCE
REALLY LISTEN TO ISSUES...STOP YOUR PERSONAL FAVOR ON OBAMA
FROM,
A CONCERNED CITIZEN ON VERGE OF HOME FORECLOSURE
What about the two votes against the Bush tax cuts by McCain. That sure has the taste of a flip-flop to me. You want "straight" talk ,then McCain should come clean and admit he has shifted his position on several issues as well. We all have the right to change our position if the facts help us do that. McCain has switched his opinion on the tax cuts just to look more like a republican not because the facts have changed.
GO RON PAUL!!!!
I understand that this debate was held at the Reagan Library. However, I think it is pathetic that these candidates continue to invoke his name whenever possible. The man was president 20 years ago. Republicans are in BIG trouble unless they start looking ahead. The times and the American people are leaving them behind. The only candidate who is remotely with it is Paul – while the media ignores or mocks him and the candidates snicker as he speaks, the economy keeps tanking and inflation climbs. Are the candidates that stupid to think that printing more and more money will solve our problems? It's simple supply and demand. Look at post WWI Germany. That is where we are heading. These people have their heads in the sand and are leading us to ruin. Why would anyone vote for these people???
Considering Romney's C and Huckabee's F from the Cato Institute on economic conservatism and McCain's record of government spending and entitlement, it's doubtful any of these would get his endorsement.
Then again Reagan himself grew government by even more than Billy Boy did, so he might indeed endorse one of these poseurs.
Ron Paul wouldn't because of his foreign policy and anti-drug war stance, although other than that Reagan is widely regarded as libertarian.
Because the only thing better than helping an underdog get ahead is toppling a front-runner?