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NH: The GOP Debate
posted at 2008-01-06 00:02 | Last modified 2008-01-06 01:05
Thompson: Turned in an unexpectedly sharp performance. Sounded like a lawyer. Oh, wait, he is a lawyer. Still, really good. At 1%, he has nowhere to go but up, but it may be too late to matter.
Paul: Looked good until the immigration question, when his utter repudiation of the welfare system probably turned off a lot of socially moderate Republicans.
Giuliani: When he wasn’t talking about 9-11, he was pretty good – tough, realistic, unapologetic. But probably not the winner among party faithful, either.
McCain: Solid. Smart, confident, funny, and still statesmanlike. Whatever you think of him, it’s true that when he talks, everyone else shuts up and listens. Which is kind of what you want in a president. Did nothing tonight to hurt his lead, and probably helped it.
Huckabee: Up and down. His elbows were sharper than usual tonight, including a couple of personal fouls on Mitt Romney. But his best, smartest moment was his comment on the differences between himself and his fellow IA winner, Barack Obama. Not that there aren’t differences – Huckabee was careful to emphasize that – but
“We ought to recognize that what Obama has done is touch at the core of what Americans want. …. Let’s pay respect for that. He’s a likeable person who’s excited people about wanting to vote who have not voted in the past. And we’d better be careful as a party, because if we don’t give people something to be for, and only something to be against, we’re gonna lose that next election, and there are some fundamental issues that we’ll lose with it.
He gets it.
Romney: A rough night. But that’s what happens when everyone else bands together to pick on you. (Why he has a target on his back, I’m not sure – he didn’t win IA, and he isn’t the NH frontrunner, either.) He spent most of the night back on his heels - wary, defensive, or flat-out exasperated by exchanges like these:
Romney to Huckabee: Don’t try and characterize my position
Huckabee: Which one?
Romney: (making a face) We’re wise to talk about policies and not make personal attacks.
Huckabee: It’s not a personal attack….
Romney: It’s really helpful if you talk about your policies and things you believe, and let me talk about mine.
(Um, has this guy ever seen a presidential debate?)
McCain: You can spend your whole fortune on these attack ads, but it still won’t be true.
Romney: Is there a way to have this about issues, and not about personal attacks? Because I hope so. Because we have some differences in issues. (see above)
Romney to Huckabee: I don’t agree with [what you wrote about Bush's “arrogant bunker mentality”]Here's the full transcript. Dems in a few...
Huckabee: Did you read the article?
Romney: Yes, I got a copy and I read it.
McCain: Did you read mine?
