I enjoyed your article, Ed.  I agree that Fiorina was like a breath of fresh air in the place of all tired talking points and political hacks. 

I hope she capitalizes on her success and moves up.   It is far more of a crap shoot in the GOP primaries than it should be since the Establishment crowd doesn't want anyone that won't play their game, the Religious right is doing their litmus tests for who is extreme enough for them to support, and then there are those voters that wouldn't make their way to polling booth in the last general election because Romney was a Mormon (and I'm sure they blame Romney for us being stuck with Obama), and there will be some this time who wouldn't make their way to vote for Fiorina in the primary because she is a woman.  Oh, well.  We'll see.

Huckabee said that if he were elected he'd issue some kind of executive order, or have legislation passed, that decreed that "personhood" begins at conception and therefore, he said, the 5th and 14th amendments of the constitution will apply to the "unborn."  He claimed that we should move in this direction now because with DNA advances in recent years we know so much more!  Someone needs to tell him about Mendel and his peas back in the 1850s and Watson and Crick's work in the 1950s.

(To be fair, I loved Huckabee's defense of the Fair Tax, but I know that even if he were elected, that would be put on the back burner while he worked away on his various religious agenda till he burned up all of his political capital.)

I remain stunned at those who are still excited about Trump, and that huge, cheering crowds show up for Bernie Sanders.  I really have grown too old to recognize this country.

That's true... the luck of the draw on the questions (or the bias of the moderators... Fox is more religious right than just plain bread-and-butter conservative).

Huckabee is a big government guy.  I think that Kasich has gone that direction as well (becoming a "compassionate conservative" as he aged, and not a budget-cutter like he makes himself out to be in his younger years.)  It is notable that the religious right, the fundamental Islamists, and the progressives all are willing to tell lies as long as is gets them closer to their goal - an ethical failing that probably has it roots in their epistemology.

Here is the question I'd like to hear asked of ALL the candidates: "Most GOP candidates will say they are for a smaller government.  But we know that if someone is serious about something like that, they will have thought about HOW small should it be, and HOW successful might they be in say their first term.  If you were elected and the if Republicans still have majorities in the House and Senate, what percentage in the reduction of overall spending will you hold as a reasonable goal for your first term?  And, please share with us what you see as a desireable long-term goal in the size of the federal government as a percentage of what it is now?"  And if they start to spin or waffle around, they should be asked, "Are you unwilling to share with us your vision of the proper size government in a more specific fashion?  It doesn't have to be exact.  Are you thinking of getting a 10% reduction at the end of four years? Twenty? Forty?"

Here's another question, for late in debate, after they've given some talking points about their pet bias (e.g., religion or military intervention, etc.) "You have spoken of the importance you believe should be attached to [fill in their key talking point].  If you could be successful in that pursuit or in acheiving a sizable reduction in the size and scope of government, but not both, which would you choose?" 

My favorite comment to the "sexism" video:

Bob • a month ago

Oh yes, this is going to win her the presidency, by disenfranchising half of her voter base! I agree, many times men patronize females and it isn't right, but two wrongs don't make a right. Also remember there are poor mannered and incompetent Men and Woman and Carly is a poor mannered and incompetent woman. She almost single handily destroyed HP before she was eventually fired and how did she get her job at HP? On the heels of an apparent meteoric rise at Lucent, which was later smoke and mirrors from cooking the books. How did she climb the ladder at AT&T/Lucent, well when she was in a stereotype female role of an admin, she was sleeping with the boss, who put her in a management training program and pushed her along, he later left his wife and married Carly and then quit his job.

Can anyone corroborate or refute Bob's claims about the "secret" behind Fiorina's "success"?

If the story were true we would have heard about it by now, from a credible source. Safe to cross it off your list.