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:.
