Yesterday I sat less than a hundred feet from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Jay
Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, David Axelrod and David Plouffe, former senior advisers to President Barack Obama. Also, Dana Perino, former White House press secretary, moderated, posing questions and reading others submitted by audience members on the topic: “Presidential Power: Has the Executive Branch Gone Too Far?” I was in political junkie heaven.
Newt Gingrich gives his opening remarks at the start of Regent University’s 11th annual Clash of the Titans debate Friday, Oct. 25, 2013, at Regent University in Virginia Beach. The debate was intended to focus on the topic of presidential power, yet both parties spoke on various topics. (Rich-Joseph Facun | The Virginian-Pilot)
I’m a huge fan of Musical Theater and travel to the NYC Mothership, Broadway, often to get my fix, also to local regional theater and high school productions for a quick hit. Same with my love for politics, a rally here or there, Democrats, Republicans and new movements (Tea Party!) that feeds my love for the American political process.
Sometimes my worlds even collide!
Margaret Matray of the Viginian-Pilot gives a nice overview of the whole event, but I think she missed the passion I felt. If I may Ms Matray….
~ The Host audience of 799 were RegentU students and supporters of Pat Robertson, plus me. Dr. Robertson’s seat was only 4 from mine and he gave the same courteous responses to the Obama guys’ statements as I did. Plouffe and Axelrod played a tough crowd and won them over. Not necessarily in agreement, but their “civil tones”. Guess that’s how they earn the Biggie Buck$ on the speaking circuit, but they earned combat pay on this gig 🙂
~Dana Perino should be on the top of the list to moderate 2016 Presidential Debates, especially for the Final Two. She was sweet, respectful and oh so funny, especially when she let the OT food fights keep going. I loved her snarky about the day she left the Bush White House and thinking she’ll never have a job harder than that, until she started working with Bob Beckel (The Five on Fox).
~Jay Sekulow knocked my socks off. He’s a constitutional lawyer who happens to argue SCOTUS cases and I could tell, despite my never having heard of him, why he wins most of them. Guess I don’t watch enough Fox News to have missed him as a “contributer”. As both sides of this Clash debate knocked the Supremes pretty hard. He set the record straight, it’s not the Supreme Court, it’s the fools who disagree with their judgements, and the “elections have consequences” is the real rule of the land. BAZINGA ! <—sorry, couldn't help that, but it's what I thought.
~Newtie, buy his books/snork. The US is not doomed, low informed voters are. Stop beating ourselves up, yada, yada, yada. He even picked on his debate partner's, Sekulow, claims the SCOTUS Rulez, Newt: No they don't, weakest link in the Constitution, Voters, Strongest link.
~Plouffe/Axelrod,drove an important point home, but I stopped paying attention to Team Obama long after I resigned from Team Edwards (before he fell from zippergrace) and was thrown off TeamKosDU for not supporting Obama unconditionally in 2008. Don’t get me started on why I never joined Team Hillary, she crapped out before I had a Dem backup choice 😦 Ok, I digress, they won. Team Obama WON. It was ugly to hear, but they were right. The Davids slew the Goliath Audience yesterday, and we were nodding. Kudos to our American Political Process, right?
Stealth Magnolia 