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?