I saw a bit of the GOP debate at the Reagan Center on MSNBC earlier (and I'm going over transcripts of it). There are a few snap comments I can make on it:
1. Rick Perry is both aggressive and new to the debate rounds. He often came off as assertive and in command, but when he didn't, it showed. He was, to some extent, right about Social Security being a "Ponzi Scheme", but substantially, he didn't really explain why, and how he'd remedy it. He also flubbed a very easy question about Climate Change, falling too easily on his Texas record than he should have.
2. Mitt Romney came across as in command. He was rarely on the defensive, even when there were attacks on his record as Governor of Massachusetts. He also got some of the best lines in there about the GOP field being united in their dislike of Obama. Good stuff, but he didn't get the knockout blow he wants against Perry.
3. Newt Gingrich had the best line(s) of the night, when he attacked the MSNBC moderators for their conduction of the debate. He effectively showed how they were trying to get the GOP candidates to fight each other, and that their questions and moderation was essentially one giant "Hey everybody! The GOP is nuts! Trust us!" MSNBC totally beclowned themselves here, with alot of obvious liberal "red meat" questions that were disingenuous at best, and hostile at worst.
More after the jump:.
4. Ron Paul continues to be a total waste of space. I might be a "little l" libertarian, but I know where I get my conservatism and I vote Republican practically and pragmatically. Paul just reminds me that Jeffersonian Democracy didn't work back then, and it doesn't work now. And his 9/11 comments reek of a fallacious "third worldism" point of view that lays everything at the feet of America, all to generate a straw man argument in favor of a hardcore isolationist viewpoint. The world doesn't work that way, Ron. I'd throw him off the stage if he wasn't such a good foil for the other GOP candidates to work off of.
5. Out of all the fringe candidates (Paul and Newt included), Michelle Bachmann did a good job, but not a great job out there. Most of that was because she didn't get that much airtime (I blame the MSNBC stooges for it), but when she did, she held her own. Her comments about Libya were spot on.
6. I really loved MSNBC's craven attempt to bring up Texas over and over again as some sort of "hey, look at that silly cowboy country over there! They're nuts, right?" statement. Especially galling was their attempt to slime Governor Perry on the number of Texas executions, and their disdain at the Reagan Center's cheers for the death penalty. I can understand some consternation with the death penalty (although I think Perry's response handled them very well here), but MSNBC wasn't attempting to do that. They were desperately trying to showcase Texas and Perry as evil, and they really didn't care about the moral and legal nature of the death penalty issue. If they try that in the future, I hope Perry makes them eat their words, with his fists.
7. Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum need to get off the stage fast. They both came across as desperate, snide, and pandering. Huntsman is a braggart who thinks too highly of himself (with nothing to show for it), and Santorum needs to shut up about Reagan's greatness (we know he's great).
I think, in the end, it was a tie between Romney and Perry. Which is probably for the best, since it'll allow Perry to develop a debating style and find a comfort zone out there. Plus, the GOP crowd generally (Ron Paul excepted) handled themselves well out there. They conducted themselves well, against hostile moderators and gave people substantive answers to tough questions (and stupid questions, too). I'll be honest as well: I think Perry and Romney will find a way to join forces as a VP/Prez either/or combo, in the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment