Posted on 09/22/2011 8:12:40 PM PDT by dangus
Newt Gingrich won again. I'm actually starting to get excited for him. In fact, if Sarah Palin doesn't run, I'm going to have to consider him, in spite of his personal life. He came off as the smartest, most capable guy in the room, but also, again, the most feisty and courageous.
Michelle Bachmann continues to fade into the background, despite explaining her Gardasil comments. Much better than the last two debates.
Herman Cain gave a great performance, a huge improvement over a couple debates ago when he was a non-factor. I think his 9-9-9 is idiotic, since a sales tax is BOTH regressive and crushes spending, which might have been a plus in 2005, but is a killer to hopes of an economic recovery. But his *performance* was strong.
Rick Perry was absolutely terrible. He was so stiff, he looked as stiff as Charles Krauthammer and as propped up as Mike Dukakis, and so incapable of annunicating his attacks on Romney that they fell apart with a simple denial by Romney. His answers about illegal immigration were complete crap, forcing him to run away from Rick Santorum's painfully simple question.
Romney in contrast played a game of "I'll deny this, but I'll admit this," openly acknowledging that there's stuff in his past that people will have problems with, but denying each of Perry's specifics. To me, his admissions in general to unpopular stances, but denials of specific accusations by Perry actually made his specific denials credible, and Perry seem weak.
Santorum was excellent, second only to Gingrich in his sharpness and boldness. Too bad he's unelectable, but he actually started to seem vice presidential to me.
How can Ron Paul top siding with Ahmadinejab? How about making the US into the Soviet Union and the Mexican border with the Iron Curtain? Despicable. Loathesome. Insane.
Gary Johnson came off as the credible libertarian candidate. An awkward delivery style, but he avoided the bizarre statements and embarrassing positions of Ron Paul.
Jon Hunstman quit attacking Republicans and actually started to sound like one. Not a bad talker, but too much like Romney. Not at all because they're both Mormons.
The big winner: Newt Gingrich, with Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Rick Santorum being strong. Johnson takes the libertarian title.
The big loser: Rick Perry actually manages to top Ron Paul in offending the most people, by calling opposing giving special $100,000 tuition breaks to illegal aliens, "heartless."
Still waiting for Sarah.
The real loser was Fox News. What a pathetic format.
Yeah, I think it was produced by the same idiots that came up with the voodoo World Series coverage.
Newt and Cain were both outstanding. MB and RS made me like them even less. Romney was smarmy. I wouldn’t buy a car from the guy. Perry was really off his game...he needs alot of work! I support him but he needs to get some practice in, quick. Nobody else on the stage matters enough to mention.
What did Gingrich say that Megan Kelly said was the best of the night?
Someone phoned me so I missed part of this.
Agreed.
yep.
fox news lost control of the debate.
Why wont Paul go to the dem party were he belongs? He is aggravating more each day, dottering old fool.
There is no way I am voting for a RINO.
Still waiting for Sarah.
Cain. Sorry he’s not even a longshot.
This concludes for me, Sarah Palin is the answer no one on the stage tonight has the plan. Oh sure, tonight once again, they are like rabid dogs trying to attack each other, point fingers, and like Obama, have no plan.
Sarah does.
Perry's stamina issues both physically and mentally again remain a challenge for him. He does not take spotlight very well and rightly so, he has way to many skeletons to carry the TeaParty Torch.
Romney was right in closing saying things about him to some would make him unelectable is correct and prophetic.
This debate tonight opened up the field....eliminated in my opinion Perry and Bachmann and sets Romney up for another fail.
Cain won the debate hands down.
I’ve been saying for a long time that Newt needs to be the 45th president’s chief of staff. Now I’m thinking he ought to be the veep. I truly appreciate the fact that he is focused on defeating Obama, he makes that clear every debate.
Herman, Herman, Herman....I love you man.
Cain and Newt were the winners, and Johnson’s dog finished second.
The one who stayed on the sidelines, keeping her powder dry... watching while all the GOP midgets kick each other in the shins.
Oh, that was Megan Kelly. I was wondering what Christina Applegate was doing hosting the debates. HHOK. I’m not sure what she was referring to.
Can’t argue with your assessment. Perry is boxed in by the tuition problem. The majority of R primary voters are opposed to this, but the Texas legislature overwhelmingly voted for it so it was not prudent at the time to veto it as he had to run for governor and needed Hispanic votes. Just as Romney felt he had to support State sponsored health insurance as the governor of the most liberal of liberal states.
Santorum is forceful and knowledgable on many fronts and Newt would be formidable if not for his moral and personal failings.
Romney is the most “presidential” in style and appearance and will likely be the one standing at the end. Romney/Santorum .... I could live with that!
Agree. Really liked Newt and Cain but Newt is too cozy with the left for me. Remember the climate change ad with Pelosi? I like Cain, then Perry, Bachmann....
Can’t argue with your assessment. Perry is boxed in by the tuition problem. The majority of R primary voters are opposed to this, but the Texas legislature overwhelmingly voted for it so it was not prudent at the time to veto it as he had to run for governor and needed Hispanic votes. Just as Romney felt he had to support State sponsored health insurance as the governor of the most liberal of liberal states.
Santorum is forceful and knowledgable on many fronts and Newt would be formidable if not for his moral and personal failings.
Romney is the most “presidential” in style and appearance and will likely be the one standing at the end. Romney/Santorum .... I could live with that!
Can any of them actually beat Obama? Ron Paul is Wally Cox/Kuchinch lite. Gingrich would be a great candidate but he is damaged goods. Name recognition hurts most of the others. Romney is too liberal...period. Perry’s hair is smashing his brain and he is toast. We had better get it right or Obama will be re-elected.
Your assessment matches mine 100%
Oh, that was Megan Kelly. I was wondering what Christina Applegate was doing hosting the debates. (Samantha WHO?) HHOK. I’m not sure what she was referring to.
Frankly, not worth watching. I’ll wait and see if Sarah Palin announces. Otherwise, no relief in sight.
I didn’t watch it (will catch the replay) but from reading posts from a diversity of people on Facebook and Twitter, most seem to like Cain, Perry, and Newt’s responses. Even Paultards were facepalming his answers and most of them were shifting to Johnson. Bachmann seems to be fading, people weren’t even mentioning her.
Newt is still the smartest guy on the stage. People forget he was the one who engineered the Revolution of 1994, the first Republican takeover of the House in some 40 years. Although it went astray as time went by, it was an historic achievement.
Purists will continue to sputter about his personal life but by next year most voters will be in such a desperate state they won't care. Newt gets it and that's what will count.
The bumbling and fumbling by the "front-runners" is pushing that ad into oblivion from where I stand.
Gingrich-Cain '12.
You know, I have to agree with you. This is the first debate of 2012 I’ve watched. If Palin’s been watching these, I think she knows there’s still plenty of time to jump in. Her poll numbers are going up......she might just be the shrewdest politician of our time. And I don’t mean that in a bad way.
>>What did Gingrich say that Megan Kelly said was the best of the night?
>>>Someone phoned me so I missed part of this.
Newt said when Ronald Reagan was running for the presidency, if your brother in law was unemployed, it was a Recession.
If you were unemployed, it was a Depression.
When Jimmy Carter became unemployed, it was A Recovery!!
Wait until the others hit Perry with his attempt at state taking over land by eminent domain for a Trans Texas corridor...another big government non conservative approach... couple with HPV ... he can’t defend those as anything but government overreach...
Can any of them actually beat Obama? Ron Paul is Wally Cox/Kuchinch lite. Gingrich would be a great candidate but he is damaged goods. Name recognition hurts most of the others. Romney is too liberal...period. Perry’s hair is smashing his brain and he is toast. We had better get it right or Obama will be re-elected.
Newt of course won. Not even close. What a waste.
Perry’s done over the tuition for illegals issue and his BS about it being for kiddies when it’s actually for young adults - hiss.
Santorum tore Perry up.
Format was gay.
I only saw the 2nd half. Perry stumbled on his attack about which Myth showed up. He should quit using pre-written lines. He’s much better just talking straight than trying to sound clever.
Gary Johnson’s joke about his neighbor’s dog was the best line of the debate. He seems to be Ron Paul lite.
Newt is very high on my list, so is Cain.
Don’t make it like Perry was dragged into the Texas DREAM Act. He was a champion of it, and just about every other sop to illegal immigration he could invent.
* Opposes the border fence
* Opposes E-Verify
* Opposes English as the language of instruction in the classroom
In other words, he doesn’t want to enforce immigration externally or internally, and he doesn’t want to integrate those who do come. I’ll admit I was thrilled at how Perry came off stiff, bumbling and incoherent, because I absolutely will not vote for Obama, and I absolutely would hate to have to vote for an un-American traitor like Perry.
A humble vanity ?
about pontificating politicians?
I think at least two of the best debaters are not the best candidates,
With the economic news worsening, we’re going to need someone who will make Ronald Reagan look timid. The next president is going to have a terrible time of it.
If my federal income tax drops to 9%, AND my capital gains tax drops to zero, AND my tax on dividends drops to zero according to Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan, my purchasing power just tripled based on discretionary money available to me.
So I would be thrilled to pay 9% sales tax in lieu of all those other taxes going away. If this becomes law, the economic boom would be astonishing.
Romney’s immigration position is FAR more conservative than Perry’s and that for me is a big issue.
Chief of staff... very interesting proposal for what to do with Newt.
the guy’s got great ideas and articulates them very well. I think he’d run a tight ship...learn from mistakes in the ‘90s.
Bad news... you’re missing a ‘9.’
Yes they did mention Bachmann. And the Paultards clogged the site, as usual.
I’m for Palin, but keeping an open mind on Perry if it comes to that.
I watched two minutes of the debate. Happened to catch Perry talking about Romney’s flip-flopping. Perry was not doing so well with it.
“So he was for gun control before...after...he was for..against it. And before Obamacare he, before he was for it, and then after he was against it, and ...” (Well - SOMETHING like that - it was all messed up.)
Too bad he couldn’t have caught himself and said something like “I’m sorry, but he flip-flops so much it is REALLY hard to keep straight”.
I don’t think so. Rip socialism out by the roots.
Remember why it went astray, though. Newt is an idea guy. He didn't have the focus or attention span to consolidate the Revolution of 1994. He got bored and lost interest in administering the Revolution -- and that's when he got into "trouble".
Newt's not a CEO. But he is somebody you want in the "kitchen cabinet".
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