The event was held in a half-ballroom (with Bill Clinton giving a talk on the other side of the divider) in the Manchester Raddison hotel. It started with a panel of Mark Steyn, Jonah Goldberg, and Rob Long before the debates. Rob is the only professional funny-man in the group (he wrote for "Cheers") but he was upstaged by Jonah and Steyn who are more used to public performances. That was followed by the actual debates and that was followed by the same panel doing a post-debate wrapup. Eight hours is a looong time and we really didn't plan on staying for the whole thing. But we did, and it was worth it.

Watching the debates in a group is like watching a movie in the theater. The laugh lines are reinforced by other people laughing and the cringe-worthy lines are magnified by a hundred murmurs. Actually it was even better than watching a movie in a theater because there was free food (scallops wrapped in bacon, Mmmm) and a cash bar.

A straw poll of attendees showed Romney strongest, Fred a little behind, and Guiliani/McCain well after that. You could spot the lone Ron Paul supporter because he was the guy who stuck out like a sore thumb and asked the question about Bush being the new Caesar (seriously).

Thankfully there weren't any true believers in the audience, just regular conservatives. One NRO intern was wearing a bright red Guiliani T-shirt and straw hat (straw hat? dunno, but she pulled it off) but otherwise there were no buttons or banners to be seen. A minority of the Romney folks clapped at less-than-applaudable Romney lines. But no Rah-Rah partisanship overall.

Did I say a room full conservatives? That's a fib. Hofstra University sent a field trip up to New Hampshire for the week and some of the kids were sitting in at the NRO gig. That's a pretty cool field trip, good on ya Hofstra. bobsalive and I pointed out to one of the students (an Obama supporter) that the bar wasn't carding.

During the Republican debate Fred Thompson got the best reaction with the crowd laughing with him and roaring at the especially dry jokes.

jackdied: [Fred answers "No" to the "windfall profits tax"] Did he just tell the moderator to stop asking stupid quesitons?
bobsalive: Ayup.

The crowd halved before the Democratic debates. A drinking game was proposed: drink once for every mention of "change." The idea was quickly abandoned because people had to drive home. Overall the reactions were more muted during the second half and there was some laughing at instead of with. John Edward's attack on Hillary had the crowd roaring in a kind of "oh-no-you-didn't!" One of the Hofstra sorority girls clapped when Hillary promised "the end of Republican Domination." Domination of what? The house? The senate? There was some head scratching when Hillary endorsed the "Bush doctrine" (but not by name).

bobsalive thought he heard the following converstaions

Huckabee: I hate corporations, big oil, and rich people!
Edwards: ZOMG! Me too!!!11eleventy!

and

Edwards [to Obama]: can I be your vice president?
Edwards [to Obama]: can I be your vice president?
Edwards [to Obama]: can I be your vice president?

Edwards: If elected, I will bring Christopher Reeve back from the dead.

Lots more happened - it was eight hours after all - but that's enough from me.