Bicker in Boca Liveblog: Part I - The Early Bird Special

Ah, January in Boca Raton.  It's the time of year when the aging snowbirds join their even more elderly compatriots for shuffleboard, slow driving with the left blinker on, and grumping about how things used to be in the good old days.  Whether true or not, fair or not, it's a cliche that Boca is where old white folks go to die . . .

Which is why it's the perfect place to hold tonight's GOP presidential debate!  It's a shame that Fred dropped out earlier this week -- we're in his element now.

Until the debate begins at 9 Eastern on MSNBC, here's a clip of everyday life in Boca (well, "Del Boca Vista," but who's keeping track?) to tide you over.  See if you can spot TV's Fred.

Missed the beginning -- CSI ran over, and I did not want to disturb Trapper Spouse's Tivo'ing.

ROMNEY talking about stimulus, something that this crowd is going to sorely need.

McCAIN angry about not making bush tax cuts permanent.  Deeply concerned about families making up their 2010 budgets.  No, I didn't make that up.  McCAIN really believes that working Americans are doing up 2010 budgets.

RUDY playing "can you top this" on tax cuts, saying that he wants the biggest tax cuts in American history.  Which taxes does he specify?  Cap gains and corporate.  Way to play to regular voters hit by the credit crunch, guy.  Something tells me Rudy hasn't been talking to underpaid workers lately, which is odd, since all his staffers have been cut back to part-time pay.  

Q to McC: Is it true you know nothing about economics?

McCAIN: No, it's not.  I have smart people around me, like Jack Kemp.

HUCK worried that rebate checks will fuel Red China, proposes widening I-95, investing in infrastructure.  (Wow.  Holy shit.  Huckabee is making perfect sense on stimulus -- invest in infrastructure.  I'm sorry -- I'll wash out my mouth.  But damn it if that wasn't the answer I'd want from Democrats.)

MITT returns the debate to the "Who Can Cut Taxes More" fantasy land.

McCAIN attributes GOP defeat in 2006 to spending too much money on pork.  Not, you know, Iraq.

DOCTORRONPAUL admits that government has a role in fighting recession -- and that role is cutting taxes and regulation.  You can tell that it's all he can do not to start screaming about the gold standard and worthless fiat paper.

Q to RUDY: Unamerican for banks to seek sovereign wealth fund investment?  Should they refuse dirty Middle East money like you did after 9/11?

RUDY:  C'mon.  I'm a rich Republican from New York.  Wall Street bankers are my pals.  You think I'm gonna criticize them for selling themselves to oil barons?  

Q to MCCAIN:  Given how badly Bush has destroyed the economy, why should Americans elect a Republican?

MC: We may suck, but the Dems are worse.  I hate pork, unlike George Bush (and the Democrats).  "We'll clean up our act."  Seriously.  Trust us.

Once again, HUCK injects talk about the struggles of working people into the debate.  It sounds so odd, so out of place -- and even his prescription for tax cuts doesn't quite make him sound like his fellows.

MITT refuses to condemn BUSH, while at the same time running away from W right back to that spectacular 2002 Olympic success.  (When did running a Winter Olympics qualify anyone to run a government?  By that standard, Juan Antonio Samaranch should be World Czar.)

DOCTORRONPAUL disavows any responsibility for the past eight years, promises a new dark age.

Q to MCC:  How can we sustain effort in Iraq, given that we can't?

MCCAIN:  Iraq is going swimmingly.  I have no idea what you're talking about.  Why would we get out of Iraq?  It's going great?  Besides, we've got sort of a white-man's-burden thing going on, what with being a superpower.  

OK, MissLaura's got the next thread.  See you in 20 or so.