Waaaaaay different from the last one.  The 2 remaining contenders were cordial and there was no splintering or spinning or catty fighting.

Hillary looked much better this time around.  Much better.

But if I’m being honest (to borrow a phrase from Simon Cowell), I was so disillusioned by Hillary’s campaigning during/after the last debate that I don’t think there’s any redemption for her in my mind.  One of the reporters covering the debate tonight put it well.  He said, having worked with her, that there have always been two very different sides to Hillary, and when she walks into the room you’re never really sure which one you’re going to get.  I find that unsettling and a turnoff for a presidential candidate.

I also am very convinced that if there’s a national healthcare plan put in place, that it shouldn’t be mandatory.  Obama was/is apparently the only democratic candidate that agrees with me.

So on the Democratic side, I guess I’m really rooting for Obama.  If it comes down to Obama vs. McCain,  I think I’ll end up going Democrat this year.

If someone else manages to eek out the nomination on the republican side, well that might be an election worth having.

Just watched the Republican debate. Gah.

I am not a fan of John McCain. If he gets the nomination, I will be sorely disappointed. “Mr. Straight Talk” resorted to Hillary-esque spin tactics and cheap shots tonight, which I have no patience for.

And that little grin he gets just drives me up the wall. It’s the “I’m the man, and even though I just looked like an idiot, I’ve got my head stuck so far up my own ass that I couldn’t tell” grin. That, and his answers to everything fall under “I knew Ronald Regan,” “I was a POW,” and “I’ve been in government longer than God.” And occasionally he skips the justification entirely in favor of “because I’m John McCain.”

Speaking of Ronald Regan, is it me, or does the goal of the Republican party nominee seem to be “Be Ronald Regan?” I know he was a good president and all, and managed to unite the country pretty well, but what about doing something new, looking forward?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: WHY IS RON PAUL STILL AROUND? McCain looked like he wanted to shove his boot through Ron Paul’s face while the man was talking. Sometimes I could sympathize with that idea. Though I will give Ron Paul props for effectively shutting up McCain and Romney during their little spat (which was really McCain’s little spat in which he was trying to make a point that wasn’t actually a point and WOULD NOT LET IT GO even though it was obvious he was wrong).

Huckabee had a decent showing for the time he was given. He’s kind of the stepchild in the debates these days, which is unfortunate. Though there are certainly some things I don’t agree with him on, I do like the Fair Tax idea. The transition might be a little rough but I think it would do a world of good for this country’s economy.

And I just got offered a massage if I came to bed. Goodbye.

I heard Button talking in her room this morning so I opened the door to say good morning.

“Is it light outside yet?”
“Yes it is.  Would you like to get up?”

She thought about it for a minute.  Then she stuck her finger up her nose.

“I’m gonna get a booger and give it to YOU.”

Um…thanks… ?

Well, we’ve officially begun it.

You know, the “it” that has had me shrinking away in anticipation and cringing at the very thought. The “it” that I have successfully procrastinated on starting for almost a year. The IT that means my every move for the next several months will be strategically planned around access to the nearest bathroom.
Yep. Potty training. (insert duhn duhn DUHN music here)

LB did very well yesterday, and successfully peed in the potty at least 3 times (could have been 4, I lost count). Each time she pees in the potty, she gets a “special treat,” which usually means a small fistful of M&Ms or Reece’s Pieces.

We’ve found “special treats” to be a huge motivator, as our child has inherited her mother’s sweet tooth. Not entirely unpredictable, since she was pretty much fed chocolate intravenously during the entire 9 months of my pregnancy.

This morning she was attempting to go pee in the potty, and it just wasn’t happening. She started giving herself a pep talk about if she goes pee in the potty, then she can have a special treat.

Daddo: “What kind of special treat do you want?”
Button: “Money. I need some money.”
Daddo: (blink, blink)

OH, LORD HELP US.

The Republican debate was rather different, IMO, than the democratic ones. With the exception of Ron Paul, who is sort of the pariah of the bunch, you really get the feeling that the Republican candidates are all friends behind the scenes. There were no claws out between candidates, and they all commended and supported each other throughout the debate. The other big difference is that, naturally, they cover different issues.

Mitt Romney made a nice and, I think, appealing appearance. He handled himself well. Though I don’t think everything he said was accurate - particularly about the democrats. Specifically, he made several comments about Hillary Clinton’s quotes and stances that weren’t… well, true. Some of it was misinterpreted, and some of it was confusing her plans with John Edwards in areas where they are actually different. And it appears that his plan for getting everyone health insurance only extends to catastrophic coverage, or whatever it’s called in that industry. I’m not sure that’s going to be sufficient. It certainly isn’t preventative. Still, there’s something about him that I find appealing, but perhaps it’s just that he reminds me a little of my dad.

I find Mike Huckabee to be a likable guy, in the same way that I find Barrack Obama to be a likable guy. As revolutionary as it may be, I also like his Fair Tax plan. I’ve done some reading on it and it appears that there are actually answers to most of the questions that had me backing off from it at one time. However, he is very supportive of President Bush, and I can’t tell if it’s to avoid the backlash of being negative, or if it’s because he would be following in Bush’s footsteps.

John McCain was John McCain. I know he’s the most experienced of the candidates - believe me, he won’t let you forget it - and perhaps that’s my problem with him. I don’t think he really brings anything fresh to the table.

Rudy Giuliani was … forgettable. I think he’s kidding himself about not needing to impose government restrictions on pollutants. Among other things.

Ron Paul strikes me as , I dunno, not a real politician. He’s like your spouse’s weird uncle who has opinions on everything and never shuts up about the problems of the world and what needs to happen and tells the same stories of years gone by 15 times because he can’t remember who he’s already told, and then keeps going even if you tell him you already know this one. Or am I the only person who knows someone like that? You can tell the other candidates kind of think he’s a joke by the way they smile at everything he says.

Whereas the Democrats seem only to be concerned about running against John McCain, the Republicans focus all their energy on Hillary Clinton. That seems odd to me, as I think the Democratic nomination is even closer than the Republican one.

One of the major issues in both R & D campaigns is the economy. All the Republicans have various renditions of the same stance: cut spending, don’t raise taxes. Or, in Giuliani’s case, attempt “the largest tax cut in American history” (cough, cough). What I haven’t heard though, is what exactly they’re going to be cutting spending on. It’s apparently not the war in Iraq, which has just about doubled our national debt, and seems to me to be one of the most obvious ways to get the “out of control spending” back under control.

The Democrats may have plans to increase spending, but they also have definite plans for funding that spending, and clamping down on the hose that is the war in Iraq. I have to appreciate that.
I’m sure there are government programs that could use some budget adjustment. But there are also those which I would object to having the funding squeezed on. And it’s starting to sound like the “cut spending” plan means across-the-board cuts in … well, everything. This has me a little concerned.

The other thing that wasn’t really even touched on during the debate is education. Education is an issue that is very important to me, as my child will be entering the school system within the next 4 years.

It appears that all of the major Republican contenders are in support of No Child Left Behind, as well as standardized tests. Having received a very good public school education (10 years ago) in Texas, and comparing that to what I see now in our schools, I am confident that NCLB has all but destroyed the merit of our school system. The kids hate school. They do nothing all year but practice for the standardized tests. If it’s not going to be on the test, it’s not worth learning because it doesn’t earn the school money. I have a large degree of disgust for a system that makes kids hate to learn.

And so I find that issue hard to ignore. The Democrats haven’t ignored it.

This is really going to be a tough election.