I always like to remind people of the 2000 Mark Steyn column. Being rightly skeptical of debate analysis and polls on who won the Bush-Gore debate, he decided to call random Americans.
Inevitably the conversation went like this:
STEYN: Who won the debate?
RANDOM CITIZEN: Gore
STEYN: Who are you going to vote for?
RANDOM CITIZEN: Bush
As Common Tator often said, debates are about who is the most likable candidate. In other words, when an Oval Office speech is necessary, who would you most like seeing behind that desk on your TV?
People need to think about this when they judge debate performance.
Hah, Mark Steyn has a way about him, doesn’t he?
That is so true. The likeable factor is underrated by the debate observers.
I was on the debate thread last night and a few minds were changed, I think, but not too many.
The way one feels about a candidate and how much one likes him/her really has an impact on how one views the responses.
I thought Perry did the best he’d ever done and his likeability factor came through big time. He’s definitely relaxing and being himself now.
Loved the way he deflected Diane’s attempt to get him to hit Newt into hitting Obama, our true target.
I also feel that we are becoming a little more pragmatic as Bray suggested earlier and realizing that we have to support our candidate.
If Newt goes on to win, I will try to love him with all my heart and some (very little because I have very little) of my money.
But until then, I support a better man.