Republican Debate in Myrtle Beach

What is it like to attend a presidential debate?

I had opportunity to attend the Republican presidential debates last night. What was it like? I'm glad you asked.

We left Columbia at about 3:00pm and arrived in Myrtle Beach at about 5:30pm. We found some great parking near the convention center and because someone in our group had made some arrangements with a representative of the Huckabee campaign, we got our tickets quickly.

The Huckabee supporters outside were pretty enthusiastic, wearing "Fair Tax" t-shirts. The Romney supporters were pretty vocal as well. The "Ron Paul" blimp circled overhead. Yeah - the guy's got a blimp! I heard one person yelling "Rudy! Rudy!" A lone voice in the wilderness. I confess, the atmosphere was exciting.

We grabbed a bite to eat at Fuddrucker's and were in the building by about 7:00pm. We sat in the upper section, to the left, with a great view, about 50-70 yards away from the candidates.

There were no cell phones, cameras, food/drink, or bags allowed in the convention hall, and we had to go through a metal detector upon entering the center. I was struck by how many young people there were there!

At about 8:00pm, Brian Wilson of FOXNews came out on stage and got our attention. He started working the crowd, talking about how much fun it has been in SC. This jazzed up the home-team and really lightened the atmosphere. I was impressed by Wilson's persona; very warm and jovial but still professional. He instructed us about the evening: no cell phones! and if anyone accidentally has one, TURN IT OFF! He told us that during commercial breaks, no one is to approach the stage (and he alluded to the burly men stationed nearby), and during the debate itself, we are not to express our opinion. "We want you to have opinions; we just want you to keep them to yourselves." He came out again at 8:20pm.

At 8:45pm, Wilson again marched out on stage. He introduced Carl Cameron, the "Energizer Bunny of Campaign Coverage," Wendell Goler, Chris Wallace, and Brit Hume. These guys are like Rock stars. The applause increased each time, with Brit getting the big one. The atmosphere was almost carnival-like. When Brit Hume got his ovation, Carl Cameron started doing that bowing gesture and people laughed. Carl was clearly having fun. Chris and Brit struck me as a bit more "business only."

At about 8:55pm, Sean Hannity appeared about 20 yards away from us to our left. He had a gym bag over his shoulder, and he quietly greeted people as he looked over the venue.

Before the televised portion began, Wilson introduced the candidates themselves. As each name was called, their supporters burst into thunderous applause. In my opinion, Guiliani, Huckabee and McCain got the biggest, though we were sitting very near a large group of college age Rudy supporters, so maybe my perception of that applause was not accurate.

McCain - the shortest - Guiliani, and Paul are all quite short. Huckabee is average. I always thought Romney was tall, but Thompson was clearly the tallest of the lot.

At about this time, the media camera people were released into the event, and, my goodness, they looked like a bunch of lemmings. They all ran down the aisle, took photographs like crazy, then suddenly left. It's a good thing: they really clogged the aisles.

When the televised coverage began, things got serious. FOXNews had put up two big jumbo-trons in the auditorium, so we could actually see what "the viewers at home" were seeing as well. This was nice, but it was on only for about 2/3 of the time.

For the most part, I'll skip extensive comment on the actual debate. My faithful readers can consult blogs and news sites for summaries of all that. But I'll make a few comments:

Romney went first. He seemed nervous and talked very fast, dumping loads of information and detail in his first answer. All in all, I thought he did fine. By process of elimination, he is my "frontrunner," so I think I was expecting more from him. His answers were always smooth and competent, almost to the point that I don't remember them.

McCain championed his reputation for being a maverick. He said, "I won't win Miss Congeniality." His answers on economic issues seemed confused. He was strongest on national security. He seemed uncomfortable before a camera. He was not an option for me, but my opinion of him improved in the debate. I would make him my third choice.

Huckabee is likeable, LIKEABLE, much more than I had expected. In my mind, he made up the most ground for me personally. He has a way of making his well-rehearsed answers sound very off-the-cuff and spontaneous. Most of the candidates tried to label him a liberal, which he was not always good at refuting.

Guiliani is a non-factor. For a whole host of reasons, he is not an option for me. His emphases were "I am strong on national security and I am a hard-core economic conservative." He did not mention social issues at all.

Ron Paul is ...well, weird, and I mean WEIRD. He made a few good points - and his supporters are almost rabid in their devotion - but I never knew what was going to come out of his mouth. He said some pretty crazy things, making much of the auditorium laugh. Sometimes when Paul was answering a question, FOXNews would split screen and show the facial expressions of the other candidates, and those expressions ranged from amusement to puzzlement to disgust. If Paul's rumored racism isn't enough, this debate eliminated him as a candidate for me. His function in this race is as an unelectable candidate who raises other issues and forces the others to address those issues. I actually began to feel bad for the guy. Carl Cameron's question, "Do you have any electability, sir?" seemed almost disrespectful, and elicited awkward chuckling from the audience. When he was answering questions, I heard in my mind the old Sesame Street song, "One of these things is not like the others; one of these things is not the same."

In my opinion, Thompson came across as old, angry, and tired. Like a chicken on a junebug, he went after Huckabee, big time. That was as feisty as it got, I think, except for the gang-tackling of Ron Paul, whenever he got the ball. I noticed that Fred looked very tired, almost like he was enduring the debate. He seemed to be reading most of his comments; he drank a lot of water; and he shifted from one foot to another, even lifting up his legs, like a person does when they are tired of standing. He seemed to want to take a break. Many are saying he had a good night; I don't see it that way. He still acts like someone who just doesn't really want the job.

During commercial breaks, people would get up, walk around, and stretch; the candidates disappeared into the crown down in front, maybe to sit down. I don't think Guiliani ever sat down, though; that guy's got energy. Shortly before we went back on the air, an announcer would say, "Candidates, please return to your podiums!" Sometimes one of them would barely make it, and have to run up the stage to their mic. Rudy seemed especially prone to this.

All in all, there were a few good moments in the debate, but nothing earth-shattering. I went into the event a reluctant Romney supporter. I arrive there by process of elimination. Thompson is a tired, old crank who doesn't want the job anyway; Guiliani is simply not an option; Paul is weird. These guys were never in the running. McCain has some strong points, but he is old, not very appealing publically, and has done so much to hurt the Republican agenda in the past that I would be reluctant to support him. Huckabee certainly shares my values and he's a very likeable guy, but he is liberal on many economic issues, and I think his pastoral ministry experience is a liability. If he gets the nomination, I think he will galvanize the opposition from the left. Their hatred for evangelicals is very deep, and they would demonize him in ways we haven't even thought of yet. I think even moderates would be frightened away from voting for him. We're left with Romney. He did nothing to hurt himself last night, but he didn't help himself either. I guess I'm still a reluctant Romney supporter.

After the debate was over, I hurried up front to try to meet some of the candidates. I saw Carl Cameron chatting with people, but most of the candidates had left. I came within about 15 feet of Fred Thompson and about 10 feet of Mike Huckabee, who stayed the longest, chatting with people, and signing lots of event programs. He looked "pastoral," not "presidential." There's a difference. As we walked out of the center, we heard one lady say that Huckabee was "too churchy" for her. I think that says it well. As we walked back to the car, I saw a guy holding a sign that read, "Mormons NOT for Romney!" I had to laugh at that.

We left the convention center at about 11:30pm and arrived back in Columbia at about 2:00am. All in all, I enjoyed the event and it was fun to see such a thing from the "inside."