Yup. Pretty much why I still think it comes down to Romney and Perry. They can raise big money from the big donors, the others probably won't be able to compete. The people with the big bucks want to back a winner, and they will go with the safest options which are probably Mitt and Rick.
Still, much as I have my doubts about Cain being able to seriously compete, he really does come off as a true happy warrior. He is very likable, and while I don't support 999 because of the consumption tax, I do like that Herman is willing to put big things on the table.
I agree with you that 2/3rds of the electorate isn't paying attention, but I think you diminish the impact of these debates. Just look at Perry. He entered the race and was dominating the polls and it was looking like it was his race too lose. Perry then goes on to several miserable debate performances and his stupid "heartless" comment and he is almost down to single digit territory. While I think he can come back, and tonight was a good start, the debates do really matter because of the significant amount of coverage they get for days and weeks after the fact.
Good points you make FRiend. I see the American public for what they are. Just when they expect a low performance or showing from a candidate, they take strict notice when the candidate surprises them by not fitting the image they had, or the one they were told to expect.
This is a great advantage for Perry at the moment. I expect he will rise up again. There is plenty of time and Perry is an old hand at this kind of thing. How else would Cain, who was nearly done, come back within mere hours?
One thing I am glad about and that is, the debate stage is no longer the big issue from here on out. The real campaign season has officially begun and Perry made it count when he most needed it.