The GOP debate last Tuesday was complete warfare.  I think we have officially moved past the point of pleasantries between candidates, and they’re taking swings left and right.

I’m a little embarrassed about some of the behavior going on.  I mean, I know the blows are getting lower, and tensions are high, but it’s starting to look like a schoolyard in these debates.  Multiple times, candidates interrupted each other.  This ended up creating a sort of yelling competition at least three times during the debate.  When did all of our candidates lose their manners and resort to trying to yell over one another?

The debate started with a pelting on Herman Cain.  In previous debates, Cain had faded into the background, perhaps because none of the other candidates thought of him as a threat.  Over the past couple of weeks though, he’s been rising to top, and it’s become clear that he is now a target.

Unfortunately, my previous “Man with a plan” is getting kicked in the shins about said plan.  Everyone on stage took a shot at the 9-9-9 plan, most of them saying that it is more complex that Cain has let on.  Cain, however, seems unshaken by the attacks, and is still confident on the plan.  Cain definitely brings some level on honor to his campaign by sticking to his guns.

When it comes to Rick Perry, it looks like he’s a sinking ship.  He’s been having some trouble recently in debates, and he seems to be one of the major interrupters.  Same as before, I think he’s a little creepy.  More importantly, he seems very emotionally affected by what others are saying about him.

Perry started off the debate with an unnecessary intensity saying, “I’m an authentic conservative, not a conservative of convenience.”  His face was complete stone, and it seems like he doesn’t even remember how to smile.  Every time someone argued with Perry, he seemed to just get seriously angry.  I find his general attitude unsettling, and immature.

Perry was also the cause of one of the arguments on stage at the debate.  He insisted on interrupting Romney and just refused to shut his trap.  Furthermore, the Texas governor dodged a ton of questions.  At one point he said, “You get to ask the questions, and I get to choose how to answer them,” to Anderson Cooper, and started talking about something completely unrelated.  When asked about Romney’s 59 point plan, Perry clearly had not read it, and so he moved on to some generalized promises about what he would do in office.

Romney, however, took his beatings pretty well I think.  Aside from Cain, Romney definitely got hit hardest.  Perry was relentless on his accusations that Romney knowingly hired illegal immigrants in his home, but Romney was solid, explained what really happened, and refused to respond when Perry went back to the subject, saying, “I think we’ve already discussed this.”

Rick Santorum was a much bigger part in this debate than in previous ones, but compared to others on stage, I still think he falls to the background.  The biggest thing I remember, though, was his childish and persistent interruption when Romney was speaking at one point.  He wouldn’t let Romney use the time allotted to him and Santorum really just ended up looking silly.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about presidential debates, it’s that you can’t believe most of what you hear.  The 2008 election was the first I was able to participate in, and it was the first I cared about.  After seeing what Obama has done (or rather, not done) in office, it’s easy to see that campaigning often strays from reality.

I think it’s so unfortunate that candidates seem to ignore the realities of what they can and cannot actually accomplish while they’re in office.  The truth is that many voters really depend solely on what these people have to say, and it can often be the only information they look at to vote.  Anyone running for office knows this, and I think it’s frequently taken advantage of with tons of exaggerations on what they will do when elected.

All of the republican candidates are making promises that they cannot meet.  Things like complete tax overhaul, repealing Obamacare, and fixing illegal immigration are, quite simply, not as easy as they make it sound.  Actions like these take years to accomplish, if they ever get accomplished at all.  My uncle used to tell me that election time made him sick, and now I think I finally understand why.

On a lighter note, Michelle Bachmann finally did something nice with her hair.  I have to mention it, mostly because I’ve been a total hater of her hair in the past.  It looks good when it’s up.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t really help her cause when she’s yelling “Anderson!” over and over again to try to get another chance to talk.

This debate was focused on Cain, Romney, and Perry.  At this point, I think they are the front runners.  I’m rooting for Romney and Cain, and I think Perry is quickly losing his fire.  Thankfully, I think any of these candidates could beat Obama, and I just can’t wait until we’re finally at election time.