I analyzed the Republican candidates’ ability to respond to direct questions with clear answers in the third debate. The results were surprising and revealing. I’m even handing out awards based on their performance!

The goal was to determine who among them is most likely to answer the question asked, who prefers giving hollow answers by speaking about a question but never actually answering it, and who’s given to avoiding the question altogether. I didn’t evaluate the merits of their answers. That’s a value judgment for each voter to make.

I reviewed the debate transcript and broke down the candidate’s responses into five categories and valued them accordingly:

• 4 points = clearly answered a direct question
• 3 points = clearly answered a question posed to another candidate
• 2 points = gave an empty answer to a direct question by discussing the subject without answering the question
• 1 point = gave an empty answer to a question posed to another candidate
• 0 points = Didn’t address the question subject at all

I also didn’t give any points for clearly taking a position on a question that nobody asked. And now for the awards ceremony.

The winner of The Straight Talk Award for being the one most likely to give a clear answer to a question is:

1. Tom Tancredo (90% likely)
2. John McCain (88%)
3. Ron Paul (86%)
4. Duncan Hunter (75%)
5. Sam Brownback (67%)
6. Rudy Giuliani (61%)
7. Tommy Thompson (60%)
8. Mike Huckabee (55%)
9. Mitt Romney (44%)
10. James Gilmore (36%)

The DC Shuffle Award goes to James Gilmore and Mitt Romney for actually being more likely to give an evasive answer than a clear one.

The Penn & Teller Award goes to the one who is most likely to give the illusion of answering a question without actually doing so. And the winner is:

1. James Gilmore (55% likely)
2. Mitt Romney (39%)
3. Rudy Giuliani (28%)

The Put Up or Shut Up Award for never giving an empty, hollow answer goes to Tom Tancredo. He may have avoided one question but he never tried make it look like he was answering a question when he wasn’t.

The Buck Stops Here Award for never avoiding a question goes to Ron Paul. He may have given a couple empty, hollow answers but he never ignored the question entirely.

A special Moderator’s Pet Award for being asked the most questions goes to:

1. Rudy Giuliani (16 questions)
2. Mitt Romney (15)
3. John McCain (13)
4. Ron Paul (12)
5. Sam Brownback & Mike Huckabee (11)
6. T. Tancredo, D. Hunter, T. Thompson, & J. Gilmore (10)

I have to say that a number of the questions that Wolf Blitzer asked of the candidates were so soft or muddled that almost anything to come out of their mouths would serve as an answer. The fact that Wolf directed nearly 50% more questions at Giuliani and Romney than he did to six of the other candidates meant that Rudy & Mitt had a lot more face time with the camera also. Democratic Presidential Candidate Chris Dodd even posted a “talk clock” on his website that shows how much speaking time each Republican candidate had during the debate.
I’ll address Wolf’s cream puff moderation style as well perform the same analysis on the Democratic debate candidates in upcoming posts.

I determine who I am going to vote for by not only evaluating where the candidates stand but also whether they will give a straight answer to an honest question. Obfuscation politics is the primary tool of a shyster and a bane to democracy and proper governance. Those who rely on it are more interested in power than in governance and leadership.

If you found this analysis helpful, let me know.