Live Thread (CNN Presidential Debate from Mesa, AZ, Feb 22, 8 PM EST)

CNN.com ^ | 02-22-2012 | parksstp

[parksstp]

LIVE DEBATE THREAD (Is it too early to start?)

[Severa]

Our 12 and 15 yr old sons are still awake so I gotta keep the outloud cussing at a minimum (dammit) Romney’s little smirk is irritating me bigtime and we’re just getting started...

[Reagan69]

Ricky talks too much. yack, yack, yack

[Shelayne]

Stacked audience much? I think they would have screamed and whistled if Mitt said, “I’m Mitt Romney, and I just made a poopy.”

Good grief.

[newzjunkey]

Romney can’t keep it short.

Stumble bum Santorum ran over on his first answer. He tried to be pithy with "remedial math" and failed miserably.

[Cato in PA]

I KNEW IT! Romney takes a huge crap on Santorum before he even gets started. He’s trying to repeat the Florida debates.

[katiedidit1]

GO NEWT!

[sheikdetailfeather]

Did you hear that CNN woman say that if Newt pulls what he did the last time she thinks he will be levelled?

[bray]

Mitt’s attack on Rick is weak, blaming him on the entire Sinate.

Pray for America

[billys kid]

Newt’s tie is pretty purple...is that in honor of the first day of Lent?

Hubby & I said the same thing. I bet he is.

[Vision]

John King doesn't even let everyone answer the first question before he tries to facilitate candidates attacking each other.

[Severa]

In following WWE wrestling, we call that “piping in crowd noise” oh and Newt just got skipped WHAT A SURPRISE...

[CynicalBear]

Mitt going negative on the first question? Newt is going to shine tonight if he stays with his promise to stay positive.

[MagUSNRET]

The audience is so stacked, I fully expected to hear John King say the National Anthem would be sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir!!

[Red Steel]

CNN give mittens the first attack question against Santo by attacking Santo’s spending voting record. ...

[Artcore]

I would enthusiastically vote for Newt or Rick! OK, in full disclosure, I’m more of a Newt Guy...but hey!

[matt1234]

King sets the table for Romney.

[rodguy911]

Newt is going to have to make his own moments CNN will avoid him the best they can.

For sure.

Newt won SC because he stood up to the DBM in the form of John King,question is will he, can he, do it again?

[Jane Long]

Today on Hannity, Milt kept (weirdly) saying “whoever the nominee is”. Kinda strange...he said it at least three times.

[show]

And John King was caught off guard. You can tell John King practiced how he would react to Newt Gingrich in order to lesson Newt’s effect with the audience.

But he wasn’t expecting Newt to nail in his intro and quickly turned his shocked face into a controlled face which he had rehearsed which resulted in John King’s Prune Face.

Someone needs to get Newt’s opening line on youtube stat. And John Kings reaction.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Not watching but listening only. And clearly RON PAUL got the least amount of opening applause. And MITT ROMNEY clearly ran way with the largest amount of applause. In fact I think he bought out the place, quite frankly.