On the Republican Debates

"How can we conceive of these candidates and their background? Are they part of an power elite? What are their stances on the major issues facing the country? How do they differ from President Obama?"

This was a very general question for a sociology class. We were told to watch one of the republican debates for about 30 minutes and answer this question. I watched one but I feel like I need to watch many more in order to answer this question.. Does anyone have any advice or information? Anything is appreciated. In case anyone was wondering which debate I watched, I watched this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffYucaFkCHY

Thanks guys, appreciate what you do here.