[Cincinatus' Wife]

[Huck]

My debate reaction, reposted. (Romney won, Perry stinks, Cain lost the 9-9-9 argument, Bachmann and Santorum still there, Newt is Newt):

Still going through the debate. Everytime Romney is attacked on an issue I see him counterpunching and defending himself very effectively. On health care, Santorum attacked him, but he held his ground, refuted some points, and then sequeways into the need to repeal Obamacare and ends up with a solid applause line.

Newt then attacks him on health care. He seems to be doing a very effective job of criticizing Romney both on pragmatism and principle. But then Romney gets Newt to affirm that, as a member of the Heritage Foundation, he at one time advocated for an individual mandate. Newt's left looking foolish, and Romney is still commanding the debate.

Perry remains ineffectively slow, inarticulate and clumsy put up against pretty much anyone else on the stage. I continue to fast forward over most of Michelle Bachmann.

I didn't think Cain's defense of 9-9-9 was very effective. Apples and Oranges. Read OUR analysis. I think Newt effectively summarized the political problems with the concept. He did it magnanimously, but the bottom line was shitcan 9-9-9.

Ron Paul is not a commanding speaker, with his sing-song pitch, and unpolished delivery. But sometimes his 100 proof libertarianism is a welcome thing. Like his answer on the tax question. He also lambasted 9-9-9, but then gave a good quick talk about how SPENDING is the source of our woes.

[alicewonders]

Gov. Perry did great last night - he is the first candidate to finally attack Romney - and he drew blood!

The next thing will be on the 25th when Perry unveils his economic plan - this will get his ideas out there on the front burner & allow people to contrast his plan with Cain’s. I believe this will help Perry.

I think that after last night’s latest flip-flop from Cain and closer scrutiny of his 999 plan, that he’s probably peaking - he got a taste of what it feels like to be the front-runner in a debate.

I’m getting a sense of a new trend after last night too (I think an indication that Cain didn’t do that well) - that Newt seems to be the new “flavor of the week”.

[Uri’el-2012]

Myth Romney

He demonstrated that he can not tell an apple from an orange.

But he will try to sell you a lemon.

[Tennessee Nana]

Romney became visibly angry and actually put his hand on Perry’s shoulder for a moment
________________________________________

Wasnt it Romnbey who “put his hand on (the) shoulder” of a passenger in a plane ???

Pretty aggressive if you ask me...

Nobody even told lil Willie Mitty to “keep his hands to himself” ???

[toddausauras]

I thought Perry kicked but last night.

[nhwingut]

Cain could not withstand the barrage on 9-9-9; kept on saying “apples and oranges.” Not quite.

In NH we have a 0% orange tax. And they’ll hit us with a 9% apple tax.

No thanks.

[MEGoody]

Perry launched a new attack (new to this campaign, at least; it had beenbeen used in the 2008 campaign) on Romney for hiring a landscaping service that employed illegal immigrants.

I personally thought this was pretty lame and made Perry look petty. Can Perry prove that he checks the immigration status of every worker of every company he has ever used? When he does that, he might have a leg to stand on. But I doubt anyone does that - who has the time?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

What frightens me is many people will pay no attention to what is said, but will vote for the man who APPEARS to be most presidential based simply on looks.

I remember the Kennedy-Nixon debates in 1960. Those who heard the debate on RADIO said Nixon won hands down.

Those who saw it on TV said Kennedy won. Nixon looked TERRIBLE in that televised debate and that cost him the presidency.

I am afraid it will be the same with the Republican debates.

Sometimes I think it is best to go back to choosing a Presidential candidate by using the “Smokey Back Room” method.

[Hoodat]

If Cain takes the South, Romney wins the Northeast, and Perry wins the West, we could possibly have a split convention. In which case our delegates could choose any candidate they wanted. Palin? Rubio? Christie?

[TBP]

And he still hasn't been asked about the stringent cap-and-trade law in Massachusetts.

[montag813]

Mittens was NEVER a “Teflon” candidate. The other losers were just too interested in being his VP choice to piss him off, and Perry was too ‘tired’ or too unprepared to mount a serious attack. Perry’s attacks were still lame last night, but FINALLY he kept AT them, and broke Mitt’s cool. Nice work, Rick. Finally the entitled one is exposed. Unfortunately the problem with debates like last night’s is that if they keep going on like this, the only winner will be Obama.

[hinckley buzzard]

For a number of years I used to watch TV political food fights, mostly on cable. I don't watch them much now but I did formulate a very useful and valid Buzzard Rule of Thumb: The one who interrupts most, talks over the other, and works hardest to monopolize the airtime, is the one who is lying.

You can take it to the bank. It works equally well for these idiots-on-parade "debates" as well.