My take on the Western Republican Presidential Debate

I participated in a CNN iReport tonight after watching the Western Republican Presidential Debate. The video can be viewed here: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-691309, the text transcript is included below.

In regards to tonight’s CNN Republican debate, there are a few things that stuck out to me as a potential republican voter.

First and foremost was that Herman Cain handled himself well under pressure. Although we don’t have enough details on his 9-9-9 plan yet, he was under heavy attack from the beginning and came across as straightforward and confident.

Second: Romney, Perry, and Santorum all spent too much time arguing and yelling and too little time proposing real solutions to the problems facing America. Their choice to argue instead of answer the questions is discouraging.

Third: Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich both came across as honest and transparent and that makes me think they’re worth paying attention to.

And finally, Michelle Bachmann, much like Romney, is a strong speaker that often chooses to ignore the question to promote their own campaign rhetoric.

I think Herman Cain is the man to watch right now, but ignoring Gingrich or Paul would be a mistake. Romney will continue to be significant due to his recognition and finances, but was not tonight’s strongest performer.