GOP faithful size up the candidates during debate party

Ventura County Republican Project:

GOP faithful size up the candidates during debate party

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/may/04/gop-faithful-size-up-the-candidates/

By Tom Kisken
tkisken@VenturaCountyStar.com
Friday, May 4, 2007

They dipped chips in guacamole, nibbled on pepperoni pizza, gazed at 27-inch television screens and tried to spot a winner.

About 75 Republicans from across Ventura County watched the debate together in a small conference room at the Grand Vista Hotel in Simi Valley, sitting at tables decorated with Republican buttons and stickers.

Some came looking for a candidate who would unify the party or was most consistent or who hit the right note on the right issue.

Sue Martinez, a home health aide from Simi Valley, had a more specific question in mind.

"Who will beat Hillary?" she asked, predicting the campaign will be vicious. "Who can handle the heat of the campaign? Who can handle the Clinton machine?"

The crowd filled the conference room and then some in an event sponsored by the Ventura County Republican Party. Some scrawled notes or said "yes" when a candidate supported staying in Iraq or not chasing faith out of the public square. Many cheered and a woman wearing a red, white and blue scarf talked back to the screen, starting her own private debate with John McCain when the senator from Arizona said the war had been mismanaged.

"President Bush did not mismanage it," she said angrily.

Looking for hope

Some people focused on issues of morality or national security or income tax.

Steve Ziegler, a painter from Simi Valley, was looking for candidates who inspired hope.

"I like the whole return to optimism. I think that's a big issue," he said.

"I think if we return to a state of optimism, that's what will build the morale of the country."

But Jon Miller of Moorpark, who stood against a tan wall, neither came to nor left the debate feeling particularly inspired.

"I think I saw what I expected to see," he said as the debate neared its end, referring to what he called quibbling and answers that weren't meaty enough.

"It's no different than the Democratic debate. This won't get substantive until it gets down to about five people."

Greg Foster, a 60-year-old tile setter from Santa Paula, came to the viewing party in part because he doesn't have a television set. After the debate, as the crowd waited for representatives from some of the campaigns to lead a roundtable discussion, he sat with a candidate guide and did his own post-game analysis.

'It's like lights out'

"The one I think shot himself in the foot is McCain," he said, referring to the senator's statement that he believes in evolution. "It's like lights out, the end."

A Rudy Giuliani supporter said she was disappointed in her candidate but impressed by Mitt Romney. The former Massachusetts governor opened other eyes as well and inspired an argument in the hotel bar over whether a Mormon could be elected president.

But few people agreed on who won, throwing out names as little known as Rep. Ron Paul of Texas and Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado.

Martinez, who focused on beating Hillary Clinton, rattled off the names of some of the candidates who impressed her: Romney, Tancredo and Rep. Duncan Hunter of California.

"I think any of them can beat Hillary if we all get behind them," she said.

Kimble Ouerbacker, a Ventura lawyer, came to the debate with his wife and his two kids, ages 7 and 5. He wants them to learn about how the political system works.

But as Dad ruminated over whether the best candidate was also the most electable, 5-year-old Kaylan pondered another question. If he had his choice, would he stay and watch the debate or do something else?

He hesitated just a moment.

"Do something else," he said.