HORSERACE-Scoring Sunday's GOP Debate (National Review)

National Review - Campaign Spot ^ | January 6, 2007 | Jim Geraghty

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Sunday, January 06, 2008

HORSERACE

Scoring Sunday's GOP Debate

Winner: Arthur Branch. Okay, I know he goes by the stage name, “Fred Thompson,” but don’t tell me that just as “Law and Order” comes back to the airwaves with new episodes, we just happen to see a deep rumbling baritone from a big guy sitting behind a desk, using a combination of homespun aphorisms and legal arguments to put some wet-behind-the-ears young feller in his place.

I have to go back and check the transcript, but it appears that he just took Huckabee to school on the legal rules regarding captured al-Qaeda at Guanatanamo Bay.

Over in the Corner, Rich described him as “the cranky conservative one-man truth squad,” and that’s a role that fits him. He doesn’t overpromise, he doesn’t seem too much like an overeager car salesman. Whether that will sell in New Hampshire is another question...

The focus group on Fox hates him. Ah, what do they know?

Silver: Rudy Giuliani. Mr. Mayor, you had me at, “I told him where he could put it.” [Referring to the Saudi Prince and the $10 million check that came with criticism of U.S. policy.]

The only flaw is that you can see the mental checklist of points he wants to hit – “the terrorists’ war on us” “Ronald Reagan” “raise taxes like the Democrats would” “when I was the number three in the Justice Department” “my twelve commitments,” etc.

Bronze: John McCain. Tonight’s jovial performance actually makes last night’s look worse. In retrospect, there was something peevish and small about the visible glee with which he jabbed at Romney. Tonight he was a bit more laid back, and there was something constricting about the “ball control” style he displayed much of last night. Tonight he looked like a man who knows he’s going to do well Tuesday, and thus he’s going to enjoy it.

Most Improved: Mitt Romney. If he disappoints on Tuesday, his folks will wonder how things would have gone if he had performed as well as he did tonight. The blood was flowing; for the first time in a while, you could see what gets his fans in the Corner and elsewhere so enthusiastic.

For what it's worth, it seems Frank Luntz's focus group really liked him.

May Have Stumbled a Bit: Mike Huckabee. I can’t help but get the feeling that tonight was the first night where you could see the seams, so to speak, where his endlessly affable style may have not worn well. Huckabee has a great attitude, but any time he has to get into the policy nitty-gritty, he seemed to want to step back to generalities. Something slippery about the way that he said, ‘I’ll let Wallace be the moderator’ instead of taking on the candidate challenging him.

01/06 09:37 PM

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Geraghty sees it the way we like to see it!

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Ping

[The Electrician]

HORSERACE-Scoring Sunday's GOP Debate

Whew! I misread the first word in the title as "HORSEFACE", and was momentarily taken aback by the prospect of John Kerry scoring the GOP debate...

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LOL

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[Reagan Man]

I thought Rooty, McCain and Willard all did well tonight, but Fred won the debate. Mike Huckabee was the big loser. The Huckster came across very shallow and seemed very defensive tonight.

GO FRED!

[fantom]

Ron Paul hardly said a word..

[Grunthor]

I would like to be able to agree with the author, as I am and have been a Fred supporter for a long time. That said, I really thought Romney helped himself a lot tonight. I could see voting for either man.

[cquiggy]

I thought Ron Paul made a lot of sense tonight. If he will just disappear for the rest of 2008.

[Reagan Man]

Did you notice the Ron Paul signs through the back windows of the room that Frank Luntz was using for his focus group?

LOL

[rintense]

I agree Fred won, and Mitt was most improved. But McCain? He’s down there with Huck.

[Defiant]

Someone calling me?

Oh, you said Horse Race. Never mind.

[Nervous Tick]

>> The Huckster came across very shallow

Well then... at least he was HONEST for a change.

[pgkdan]

I’m a Fred man and I hope like the hell he pulls it out in SC but I really thought Mitt won tonight and Fred came in second. Fred did great every time he got to speak...and I loved it when he took Gomer to school about Gitmo vs Leavenworth...ole Gomer still hasn’t got a clue what Fred was talking about. But Chris Wallace made a decision tonight to highlight who he thought were the main players...Mitt, Mcain and Gomer. And Mitt was clearly the best of that bunch. That sort of thing is really starting to piss me off and I’m about through with FOX News.