The meme last night was Newt lost b/c he didn’t get a standing ovation. Before CNN had their analysts do post-debate discussion, including, Ari Fleischer, I saw Ari walk up to Mitt with a look I haven’t seen since chicks saw the Beatles on US television. He was smiling ear to ear, shaking his hand, and telling him what an amazing job he did. He then went back to his seat to give analysis. Go figure.
Ari Fleischer is probably looking for a slot in a Romney administration. He’s a Bushie, and the Bushies have lined up behind Willard.
Watch the applause come back in full force the next time ‘Rats debate.
I don’t think Romney “won” anything; he blustered and engaged in non-stop personal attacks, and even when he was shown to have lied by saying he knew nothing about the ad that said Gingrich had called Spanish a ghetto language (Gingrich said nothing of the sort, just that everyone who is here must learn English and he would pass laws supporting English and making it mandatory in official correspondence, etc.) he just blustered and attacked Gingrich on some other off the wall thing. And even when given the chance to move the debate back to the issues, he refused and continued his attacks. I don’t think he looked good at all, even though, as usual, he was given about 3 times the amount of time as Gingrich. Even Santorum got more time for his answers than Gingrich.
But that said, I read that there were only 800 seats available to the public, while almost all the rest except for the press had gone to the RNC, which distributed them to its local party groups. And you know whose side the RNC is on...it was a very stacked audience.