My Thoughts On Last Night’s GOP Debate
I’ve always known Mitt Romney was going to be the nominee – whether the Republican base wanted him or not. They don’t, btw.
That said, he may wrap it up sooner than later.
So what happened last night…
Ron Paul:
I’ll begin with Paul because I want to get him out of the way. I spend half the debate forgetting he’s on stage and the other half wishing he’d stop talking… and talking… and talking. He outlived his usefulness years ago. In past Republican primaries, Paul’s function was to keep the other contenders honest – sorta like Kucinich and Perot. He can no longer function in that role, because while he may make sense on one subject, it’s a subject Republican voters reject. No more war and opening relations with Cuba ain’t flying with this bloodthirsty group. On all other subjects, his ideas are… well… nuts.
Rick Santorum:
Santorum is hitting his stride in debating. Doesn’t matter. Too little, too late. And the more I think about it, the more I think he was taken out by his own party in Iowa. What if… What if… Those words are going to keep him awake at night. What if votes weren’t “lost” in Iowa and he was declared the winner the night of the caucus? What if it resulted in a better showing in New Hampshire? What if that led to a win in South Carolina? What if… What if… What if…
Newt Gingrich:
His schtick is getting old. Attack the moderator. Let’s all get along. Attack everyone with anything and then cry foul when you’re attacked. He didn’t do very well last night, but I feel it had more to do with the fact that there were many Newts on stage. He was all over the place, and it hurt him. Oh, and he really likes the moon. While I don’t think he’ll win Florida (the fact that he had a chance is the real story) he won’t lose by the percentage Romney lost to him in South Carolina. Again, that’s the real story.
Mitt Romney:
He won the debate, but hurt himself even more in the general. All the spin in the world (and the Republican establishment is spinning at levels unseen before) isn’t going to help. He has run so far right that it will be impossible to return to the center in the general. How can he? If he tries, Conservatives and Tea Partiers (ya know, the base) will howl in anger and abandon. They didn’t like him to begin with. If he wins the nomination they’ll do everything in their power to keep him to the right. And he needs them plus independents to win.
About those Independents… even if he tries to don his moderate cred, will they believe him? Lord knows, there are enough sound bites out there to make them not trust him. In fact, no one trusts him. Who the hell knows what he’s going to do if elected?
But here’s the thing about last night… when I woke up this morning only two things stuck in my mind. And both had to do with Romney.
1. “First of all, my investments are not made by me. My investments for the last ten years have been in a blind trust, managed by a trustee.” I’m sure everyone can relate to that! How many Americans have no idea where there money is?
He goes onto say, “Secondly, the investments that they made, we learned about this, as we made our financial disclosure, had been in mutual funds and bonds. I don’t own stock in either. There are bonds that the investor has held through mutual funds.”
Reports are coming in that he may not have been blind to where all his money was:
Yet, according to Romney’s financial disclosure forms, not all of his mutual funds were part of a blind trust. The Boston Globe reported in September that Romney owned between $250,001 and $500,000 in a mutual fund called the Government Obligation Fund that invests in debt notes of various government entities, including mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and he made between $15,001 and $50,000 in interest from those investments.
Now, in Romney world, 15,001 – 50,000 may not be a lot of money, but he probably can’t take that path given how well his dismissing his speaking fees as “Not very much” went over. This may be viewed as yet another “lie.” Which brings me to…
2. This was the most memorable moment of the night. Mitt Romney plays the “Gee, I don’t know, Who me? What are you talking about? Newt, did you say that thing that I’ve never heard? I, Sergeant Shultz, know nothing” card. He’s extremely unappealing in this role.
Those are my thoughts. What did you think?
“He has run so far right that it will be impossible to return to the center in the general. ”
You are forgetting Multiple Choice Mitt can teleport to any political position on the planet. It is his superpower.
Obama will have a difficult time getting to the left of Mitt on taxes. I didn’t believe this until I checked his website, but Mitt wants to keep the Bush marginal tax rates. In that he agrees with Obama, but he is alone among the other GOP candidates, who want to cut the Bush tax rates further. Mitt does want to cut corporate tax to 25%, but then so does Obama.
Still I will be pleased if Mitt is the nominee, because he will force Obama to continue to run as a progressive and put some legislation behind his new rhetoric. Obama will have to propose specific tax increases on the rich – which he has not done – simply to contrast with Mitt and get on his left.
I’m getting the feeling that Santorum is in this for positioning 4 years hence. I feel like Romney is dead meat facing off against Obama for the reasons you point out. If he tries to shift to the center, he’ll confrim the flip/flop story line. If he continues with the wingnut talking points he’ll simply look crazy.
it’s hard to tell anymore if they were booing Rmoney for not knowing anything about his own ad (or not having the guts to admit it to Newt’s face) or if they were booing the evil leftist elitist media for making them look bad with liberal conspiracies like “truth” and “reality”.
I dunno jason, Newt is in second place. according to GOTP dogma, he is the next nominee. Can you imagine Newt VS Elizabeth Warren?
The audience was only there because they couldn’t get Jerry Springer tickets.
Newt’s “Book and Speaking Fee Enhancement Tour of 2011/12” worked out better than he probably expected. Hell. He probably met the next Mrs. Gingrich in South Carolina.
I wonder if Callista will be surprised when she gets sick, cuckolded, and dumped.
You are forgetting Multiple Choice Mitt can teleport to any political position on the planet. It is his superpower.
I’m not seeing this happen. Conservatives/Tea Partiers will hold his feet to the fire. If he turns his back on them, they’ll walk away from him – many have already walked. To them I told you we would lose if we ran another moderate who isn’t Conservative enough will be much easier to deal with than 4 years of defending Romney.
I agree with Pandora. A Romney loss versus Obama is terrible for the GOP in that it keeps teabag mythology alive for another 4 years.
As for Santorum, he could finish second to Mitt this year and according to GOP rules, that gives him the nomination in 2016.
I think Newt was playing a bit to Paul’s base. My guess, after Florida, Paul endorses Newt. Also, I think Mitt’s “money problems” are far more consequential than you believe them to be.
I also agree that Newt’s attack the elite media schtick is old and manufactured, however not if you are stupid and seeing it for the first time. Remember, to predict these things, you have to think like the republican base.
I’m bucking the trend based on my sphere of influence and intel. My money is on Newt.
Full disclosure:
I live in Sussex County, Delaware. The greater Georgetown area (Don Ayotte country) at that.
I hear there’s a whole lot of praying down there. 😉
“it’s hard to tell anymore if they were booing Rmoney for not knowing anything about his own ad”
“R-money”: perhaps the most appropriate typo ever. 🙂
@Ben – just for you!!
Puerto Ricans make up 28 percent of eligible Latino voters in Florida – just behind Cubans who make up just under one third at 32 percent. Overall, of the more than 1,473,920 registered Latino voters in Florida a little over 452,000 are registered Republicans and more then 564,000 are registered as Democrats.
Read more: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/politics/2012/01/27/insulted-puerto-ricans-slam-cnn-debate-republican-candidates/#ixzz1khIHq2Vl
Just before DDay, Dwight Eisenhower wrote two speeches, one speech he would give if they were successful, and the other if the mission failed.
I am assuming all you guys who are saying that Obama will beat Romney in the General, have also written another speech to post the day after the election.
rustydils,
Yep, beginning with the line…’It’s racist!!!’
thanks aoine! I’ve not gotten very interested in America’s territories. I hate stumbling on knowledge gaps.
*now gotten. stupid spelling.
QP, perhaps by accident, has a point. Aside from racism, what is keeping the GOP afloat?
As for Rusty. Anything can happen. Romney gets the benefit of running against a Democrat who spent three years beating up his Democratic base – so I’m not counting Romney out.
Jason, what is keeping the GOP afloat other than racism?
homophobia, distrust of Europe, distrust of Asia, distrust of Canada, South America, Africa, Americans who vote democratic, americans who vote Republican… but not republican enough; distrust college students, distrust of poor people, distrust of anyone not from their town, distrust of people from their town who they dont quite know about yet… distrust of Christians not from their church, distrust of christians FROM their church who have only been there for 5 years, distrust of Christians from their church who have been there more than 30 years, fear of Stalin, fear of Lenin, fear of Lennon, fear of the Roosevelt’s…..