CNN Debate

Just a few thoughts on tonight's CNN debate:

Enjoyed Huntsman's performance much more tonight :)

Cain has to get some rebuttals beyond exhorting us to check the math for ourselves on attacks to his 9-9-9.  I think there are some, but he needs to get some people looking at the critiques and address the substance and provide specific counter points.  I don't think he did badly tonight.  He's having to walk back his statements about releasing terrorists.  At least he's walking them back.

Romney needs to thank Rick Perry.  Perry attacked him on his vulnerabilities, but in such a clumsy and specious way that Romney looked good anyway.  He should have stayed away from the religion issue.  Newt had perhaps the best response and Romney just couldn't resist opening his mouth.  He should have stopped at "I've heard worse."  Not really thrilled with his statement that he created jobs when he was in the private sector and would do so as President and "not just watch others create jobs."  Uh, actually I want the President to just watch others create jobs.  His job as President is to get government out the way of others creating jobs.  It's those little things Romney slips in that worries me about his fundamental outlook.

Bachmann will probably maintain her current (low) support for a while, but she didn't do anything to reclaim support from other candidates.

Santorum made some good points, but his delivery and demeanor just undercuts any of his substantial points he makes.  I can hardly believe he made an extended point about him being the best candidate because he's the only one to win election in a swing state.  That's a pretty hard argument to make when you got turned out of office by 18 points in a swing state.  At least Mitt had sense enough to run for president before he could get turned out of office in Massachusetts.

Gingrich is just so smooth and substantial in these debates.  He has a way of getting to and addressing the heart of the question.  At least he saved his "lean six sigma" stuff for Greta after the debate.  He'll never be president.  But he is as able a defender and expositor of conservatism as there is today.

Perry had succeeded in lowering the bar so much in previous debates that he practically guaranteed a better performance tonight.  He was definitely more engaged.  But his attacks on Romney were just so clumsy.  I was embarrassed for him.  He started sounding serious and substantial on how to secure the border.  But then he went back to attacking Romney as "the worst of them" for the illegal immigrants his lawn service hired.  I think it was Ramesh Ponnuru observed that Perry seems to have a problem finishing a point and seems to get lost before he wraps it up.  I think he's spot on on that observation.  I expect Perry to shed more support.  He would be a disaster as the nominee.

Not much to say about Ron Paul.  A voice of profound clarity, like Gingrich, on some things.  And profoundly obtuse on others.  And always fixated on the Fed.  He'll be in for the duration.

It's still a Romney / Cain showdown, with Gingrich running a little interference for Cain while the others hammer Romney.

--dmac