Posted on 01/24/2012 5:55:37 AM PST by xzins
Are we watching the meltdown of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney?
Fending off pointed attacks by fellow GOP candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum ... Romney looked ...flustered, stiff, and at times just babbled
In comparison, Gingrich looked like he still had all the momentum from Saturday’s South Carolina primary win. He calmly answered questions ...(snip)
The biggest surprise in the debate: Gingrich was not asked about his personal transgressions, ...
...After his 12-point South Carolina win, Gingrich has surged ahead in the Florida polls, leading 41% to the former Massachusetts governor's 32%.
Still, Romney does expected to win Florida. Almost 200,000 absentee ballots have already been cast in the state... favor Romney. ...
But as Gingrich showed ... debate very much matters.
One point Gingrich hammered Romney on was his tax rate. Gingrich forced Romney to announce that he will release his tax records on Tuesday. ...He reaps millions of dollars a year from his former work at Bain Capital, though, maintains a low tax bracket. Gingrich in comparison pays a 31% tax rate.
Romney blasted Gingrich for his work at mortgage giant Freddie Mac, but ignored his own financial links to the organization.
...snip...Romney, though, had as much as $500,000 invested in Freddie Mac. All GOP candidates have blamed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for contributing to the housing crisis that helped to drag the nation into the Great Recession.
Ahead of next week’s Florida primary, Gingrich looks like he is gaining incredible steam. Romney — shell-shocked ...— looks like he’s out of answers.
And it might be a two-man race soon. In Florida, Rick Santorum is currently polling 11% ...
Monday’s debate turned out to be the slug fest most pundits thought it would be, with Gingrich the last man standing.
(Excerpt) Read more at policymic.com ...
I didn't know that and it explains why it was so quiet. Whose is the control freak?
I am an older voter and I spend a lot of time on the computer, Much of it right here.
I would bet that many here in Free Republic are retired and spending a lot of time here.
True. He was spewing so furiously, I thought he was doing an impression of an Irish Setter on a car roof.
You miss the point. My Father is 82 and is a computer nerd. Dont classify most retired as computer bafoons.
Most people that dont have computers and dont understand the issues are not watching the debates either.
The debate was not available to watch in many areas. I would not worry
to much about this debate 1/2 the population could not watch. I live in
CA.(unfortunately) and I could not get the debate. Tried like the dickens
to get it on several different sites with no luck. My information came from
following all of your posts (by the way thank-you all). As far as this debate
was concerned very few sheeple saw it!!!!!
Kindly refrain from attempting to put words in my fingers. I didn’t call the retired “bafoons” of any sort, computer or otherwise.
republican debates
http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012-debate-schedule/2011-2012-primary-debate-schedule/
I suspect since the majority of the public focus
I suspect since the majority of the public focus on the dueling Mitt/Newt causes a similar focus on undecideds - with Mitt/Newt in mind, they choose between the two, leaving Santorum in the dust. Should be good for Newt.
Newt would be wise to get with Santorum. I’ve always also liked Santorum, so I would be happy to see him as a VP selection or in some cabinet position.
At 70 MPH. One false or misleading accusation after another.
I have no idea how much of the viewing audience caught the details of Newt's rebuttal; or even the "You're a liar" gist of Newt's rebuttal. But if Romney thinks last night was the end of it, as in getting the last word in, he's mistaken. Romney's investments with Fannie Mae will come out, and so he too benefited from bad government policy of bailout.
Not that my gut feeling on election politics is reliable - Lord knows my history on that is negative - but my sense is that Romney is going to take another beating, this time in the FL primary. HE has no up-side potential. It's all down hill from here. It'll be Romney trying to recover from being a disgrace; and Newt will move on to discuss how his policies will benefit the nation, should he obtain the presidency.
here’s the money quote
“Still, Romney does expected to win Florida”
Agree with you... just like Newt made similarly good moves with Sarah and Bolton (well, at the time it was... but since, John has gone awry).
Indeed, Romney may get bruised in FL and he really can’t afford to lose any more of his chrome.
Post-debate I heard commentators discussing his deficiencies in a way that indicated the scales have begun to fall from their eyes. Mr. Thirty Percent is looking less inevitable by the minute. But Newt must continue to shoot and stake the zombie until the Sunshine State comes through.
There was a crawler on FOX during the debate about his 500,000 investment in F &F
This AM information about a staff member or the like being a lobbyist for F&F has hit the internet....just a matter of time until it gets bigger.
IIRC It was Stalin who said: “Acuse others of what you are doing yourself”
CORRECT.
I'm laughing so hard at the truth in this, that I've got to go and shower.
Problem is that the presidential debates always have the rule that the audience can’t make any noise. It’s probably better that they get practice working under that rule now.
That's funny ...and true at the same time.
[Still, Romney does expected to win Florida. Almost 200,000 absentee ballots have already been cast in the state... favor Romney. ...]
Bull Crap! The absentee ballots account for only 10% of the expected turnout, which is guaranteed to be very much a near record, if not a record. Many were also cast for Newt.
There will be such a landslide of voters for Newt that all the Romney tricks in the book won’t matter. Newt will smoke him like a cheap power strip.
Excellent point !
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