Fireworks on Stage

Whiny
Grumpy
Feisty
Petulant
Affable
Plastic
Exasperated

These were the seven dwarfs of the GOP debate last night.  Oh, right, there were eight on stage.  Forgettable was also there.

The auditorium was pretty big - I'm sure this is where some concerts happen on the campus of Iowa State. And the event was pretty well attended. There weren't a lot of empty seats.

It overlooks the area where the tents are getting set up for the Ames Straw Poll on Saturday. It's a multi-level complex, and we were in the nosebleed section. As usual. That's what the cheap seats are for!

With the crowd being so big, we waited outside a long time before being allowed to enter (through the metal detectors...), but at least it was nice outside. And the people dressed well. :) It was pretty strange to have dozens of well-groomed and polished, good-looking people going by you wherever you walked. Political types were everywhere. And as nice as they looked on the outside, they didn't behave well! The moderators begged the crowd to hold applause until the commercial breaks, but they hollered and hooted as if it were a high school graduation ceremony. Really, now - decorum, people!

And despite the raucous nature of the audience and the rambunctious behavior of some of the candidates, after the debate I'm not sure I'm any smarter than I was before. I'm guessing Saturday at the Straw Poll is going to be pretty fun. Politics is crazy anyway, but here it's not just a spectator sport. The audience takes the field and joins the action.