I remarked on that in the live thread also. Newt translated national economic issues into real terms that affect the people in the audience, 1 of 5 of which he said depend in some way on the Port of Charleston for their livelihood. That was masterful debating, and it takes not only a keen mind but a command of the issues to do what Newt does so effortlessly. The contrast between Newt and Obama or Biden is like comparing an 8 core Xeon processor with an 8080 ;-)
(OK, in Biden’s case it’s like comparing a Xeon vs. a broken abacus)
BTW, somebody I know who lives in Charleston told me that one of the roadblocks to the Port of Charleston/Navy Yard project in Charleston was Gov. Haley, who directed all the money to a different project because she had gotten a pay-off in the form of heavy campaign donations from the developers of that project. Naturally, Haley endorsed Romney. She apparently goes to the highest bidder.