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The Spectacle Blog
Here are my final thoughts on tonight’s GOP Debate in Charleston, South Carolina which aired on CNN.
Ron Paul - He was marginalized in the debate. It was too much for the audience which forced moderator John King to include him on a question concerning abortion. Paul was right to say that as a medical professional, an OBGYN in particular, his views might be worth hearing.
In the limited time allotted to him, he performed reasonably well. As with other debates where foreign policy is on the backrunner, Paul kept the hysterics to a minimum.
Newt Gingrich - You know a candidate has done well when he receives not one, but two standing ovations in the first five minutes of the debate. Even Ronald Reagan didn’t get two standing ovations when he said he was paying for that microphone. I mean when Quin Hillyer comes to Newt’s defense, well, then you’ve got something.
Newt provided good detailed answers about SOPA, illegal immigration, reasonably defended Rick Santorum’s criticisms on health care, illegal immigration and abortion. When discussing returning veterans he reminded Ron Paul there is such a thing as the GI Bill. And for good measure, he released his tax returns online.
I think Newtmentum is going full speed ahead.
Mitt Romney - He had a better debate tonight than he did Monday but he still struggled with the tax return question. That he can’t give a simple answer to a simple question is mind boggling.
However, Romney did defend his record at Bain far more ably than he has in the past noting that its profits benefitted both pension plans and charities. Like Newt, he also reasonably defended Santorum’s criticisms on health care, illegal immigration and abortion.
Romney even drew laughter when asked what he would have done differently in his campaign, replied, “Well, I could have had 25 more votes in Iowa.” But then he also drew applause when he said he would like to spend more time focusing his attention on President Obama rather than his GOP rivals.
But whether Romney will get his wish remains to be seen. I don’t think he did a good enough job to quell the doubts that have been raised in the past week.
Rick Santorum - He went on the offensive against both Romney and Newt on health care, illegal immigration and abortion. But both Romney and Newt answered his criticisms effectively which only seemed to exasperate Santorum. His agitation reached his peak towards the end of the debate when he ripped into Ron Paul’s record on abortion after he thought Paul was talking about him. The only problem was that Paul said, “I wasn’t even thinking of you,” which seemed to take the wind out of Santorum’s sails.
Santorum doesn’t do acerbic and angry well. The problem is that he is acerbic and angry far too often.
The next GOP debate is scheduled to take place next Monday night in Tampa, Florida. It will air on NBC at 9 p.m. EST.
View all comments (28) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Aaron Goldstein
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/01/19/cnn-sc-gop-debate-post-mortem
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bill| 1.19.12 @ 11:06PM
SC Primary Result:
Winner: Gingrich
2nd:Romney
3rd: Santorum
4th:Paul
Newt won the two SC debates because he showed that he has the courage, conviction, charisma, statesmanship, and solutions to take on Obama and the Dems.
Romney was robotic, as usual.
Santorum was confusing and angry.
Ron Paul sound like he is the only person in the stage who read the US Constitution.
WL| 1.19.12 @ 11:41PM
Right on.
mjs_pa| 1.20.12 @ 7:19AM
Our attempt to break out some winners and losers from the proceedings is below. Agree or disagree with our picks? The comments section awaits.
WINNERS
* Rick Santorum: The former Pennsylvania senator is an underrated debater and he proved it again tonight. Time and time again he took the fight to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, seeking to lump them together as ineffective change agents in voters’ minds.
Santorum’s best moment of the night came in an exchange with Gingrich in which he effectively made the case that the former Speaker was a risk for Republican voters due to his tendency to say and do controversial things. “He has no discipline, no ability to pull things together,” Santorum said of Gingrich. If you were on the fence between the two men, that exchange may have tipped you over to Santorum’s side.
The danger in debates for Santorum is always that he looks petulant, complaining about his speaking time (or lack thereof) and his opponents’ attacks. He kept that to a relative minimum tonight.
Santorum was the central mover in the debate. And that makes it a win for him.
mjs_pa| 1.20.12 @ 7:22AM
The Corner
The one and only.
Rick Santorum won Thursday night’s debate in South Carolina. In doing so, he may also have forced a major turning point in this presidential campaign. Before Thursday, Newt Gingrich, I believe, was seen by many voters as a flawed candidate, who nonetheless remained a viable choice for the Republican nomination because he was the best debater among the non-Romneys in the Republican field. After last night, that is no longer true. Santorum has become a better debater than Gingrich. Why? First, because unlike both Romney and Gingrich, Santorum is clearly expressing his heartfelt beliefs — a rare thing among American politicians, and a thing, I believe, that is recognized and prized by voters. Second, Santorum’s well-stated attacks on both Romney and Gingrich hit their marks and Romney and Gingrich did not effectively rebut them. This was especially true of Santorum’s point that both Romney and Gingrich supported an individual mandate for health insurance — the most important reason people who love liberty reject Obamacare. Finally, unlike Gingrich, who incessantly tells people he is a “Reagan conservative” — which is a very good thing, to be sure — Santorum has shown the courage, including in last night’s debate, to lay out his own unique vision for the future of America. That vision, which is generally consistent with conservative principles, seems to be drawn from his personal experience and from his personal analysis of the present historical situation rather than from his desire to associate himself with a great conservative hero of the past.
If you want to be a conservative hero for the future, you better have a compelling vision for the future as well as the ability to persuade people to follow you toward it. Last night, Santorum demonstrated he may be developing exactly that ability.
mjs_pa| 1.20.12 @ 7:29AM
Debate grades:
Rick Santorum: B+ - Santorum definitely had the best defenses, the best exchanges, and some of the best stances of the night. His poise and preparation in sparring with the other candidates might have won him some fans, and a lot of people had to be pleased with how he went after Mitt on Romneycare with more fervor than has been seen so far in the campaign cycle.
Santorum's end-of-the-night pitch for himself as a bedrock conservative with a good electoral track record against Democrats had to resonate with Republicans concerned with both authentic conservatism and electability for a general election candidate. We'll have to see if Santorum's performance was enough to build sufficient momentum to counter the recent Gingrich surge and earn him a top position in the Palmetto State.
Newt Gingrich: B- - Gingrich wins a lot of points for his answer on his personal life. Seriously. Go watch the above video again. It was a bit of a softball, but the fury with which Gingrich responded successfully prevented any follow-ups and diffused the issue for the rest of the night.
Newt had a few unsatisfying answers on other questions - for example, he attempted to take credit for Romney's business success with his leadership in Washington. Santorum landed a decent attack on his "grandiosity." And, as I said before, Santorum's volleys about his support for an individual mandate were effective. All in all, a good night for Newt. He might have more appropriately earned an "incomplete" grade, because the full interview with his ex-wife, and all the potential bombshell allegations, will air later tonight. We'll see what kind of traction that gets.
mjs_pa| 1.19.12 @ 11:22PM
Aaron your angry and agitated comments could have come right out of the paultard playbook.
Santorum blew romrich right out of the water.
He didn't rip into paul at the end because he was agitated. He took an opening to illustrate paul's poor pro-life voting record and illustrate the complexity/fallacy of paul's 50 state strategy to end abortion.
Max Dragonard| 1.19.12 @ 11:42PM
You can call us "paultards" if you like but if Paul runs independent, the Republican Party will not see the White House this year.
WL| 1.19.12 @ 11:49PM
Well Congratulations Max...........
Is that what your movement is all about? Re-electing Obama?
I am starting to think it is. Why is it that you people are like that. You people huff and puff more than the democrats.
spike59| 1.20.12 @ 6:26AM
max, i'm sure ObaMao appreciates the support of all you Paultards
WL| 1.19.12 @ 11:43PM
mjs_pa....
Did you just smoke a doobie?...because from here, your unhinged rant about Mr. Goldstein's "angry and agitated" comments...are simply DELUSIONAL.
Get outta here.
WL| 1.19.12 @ 11:46PM
Goldstein is right every now and then...
This is one of those times. Keep up the good work Mr. G...you and HILLYER are starting to come around.
mjs_pa| 1.20.12 @ 12:20AM
doesn't seem like Quin agrees with you or Aaron
Santorum Won, Solidly
By QUIN HILLYER on 1.19.12 @ 10:05PM
Tonight was by far Rick Santorum's best debate. He dominated the proceedings. He still has a big problem with saving his best line for last, sometimes after mind-numbing stats or details that come BEFORE his main point rather than to illustrate a point he already has made. But he was on target all night, and drew blood from the others on a number of occasions.
Newt Gingrich's best moment was at the beginning. He absolutely blew away John King's question about his marriage. After that, Newt was Newt. It was hardly his best performance, not by any means, but he was mostly effective throughout.
Ron Paul is losing his effectiveness. He is now rambling all over the place. He's fading.
Mitt Romney had an excellent night for most of the two hours. But he did an absolutely horrible, memorably horrible, job dealing with a question EVERYBODY knew was coming, which was his whether he would release his tax returns. It REALLY detracted from his otherwise very good performance. It made him a net loser in the debate -- EXCEPT that I don't think most voters really care about his tax returns. So I'm just correcting what just said: His overall effect was neither a political net plus or net minus. THe good and bad, in terms of political effectiveness, cancelled each other out.
mjs_pa| 1.20.12 @ 12:20AM
the doobie smokers are the paultards. you know the ones who want to see obama re-elected.
Sam Spifnet| 1.20.12 @ 12:32AM
Paul did well, as always. When they give him a chance to speak he is always on the money. And to reply to WL, the purpose of the election is not to get anyone but Obama, it is to get the person who will best represent our founding principles and do so constitutionally. RON PAUL is that man. If the GOP ignores him and it splits the vote, blame the GOP and media for trying to blackout someone with such huge influence over the election.
spike59| 1.20.12 @ 6:28AM
if, by 'Paul did well, as always', you mean he didn't shriek "PORK AND BEANS!" and run around the stage, waving his arms hysterically with a diaper on his head, i'll have to agree
aware| 1.20.12 @ 2:20PM
The usual response we've come to expect from neocons.
Kenny| 1.20.12 @ 4:22AM
I can see that Sam is the only one on here who actually watched the debate. Ron Paul is the only person who has the people's best interests at heart and has a plan to get us back on track. For the others here cheerleading for Rick "McLovin" Santorum and "The Grich who stole your money" I ask this...look up the NeoCon history and their agenda. They are DANGEROUS for the future of our republic. Get a clue people...sheesh!
Nathanael Greene| 1.20.12 @ 5:17AM
While I breathe, I hope
In God We Trust
Ron Paul for President
spike59| 1.20.12 @ 6:29AM
that is NEVER EVER EVER going to happen.
EVER.
aware| 1.20.12 @ 2:21PM
And unfortunately, neither will fiscal sanity.
dane| 1.20.12 @ 5:26AM
WHAT?? At a Thursday night Debate a man running for President of the USA was appalled and indignant because
he was questioned over his morals character? And then turned on the crowd, in essence saying,
"We have all made mistakes like I have." NO!! NO!! NO!! We have NOT all COMMITTED
ADULTERY ON OUT 1ST WIFE AND THEN DIVORCED THEM!! We have NOT all then married our
Mistress and COMMITTED ADULTERY ON OUR 2ND WIFE MISTRESS!! We have NOT all then DIVORCED
OUR 2nd wife and then married the MISTRESS as our 3rd wife!!!! NO!! We are NOT all dirty Cheaters!!
We are NOT all Adulterers!! We are NOT all Whoremongers!! And we are NOT all running for the highest office in the land!!
Clint| 1.20.12 @ 6:20AM
" Gingrich isn’t much more popular among groups like Freedom Works than Romney. In May, when Gingrich sharply criticized Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform plan, FreedomWorks Chairman Dick Armey reminded National Review that Gingrich had been a serial offender:
Citing Gingrich’s support of Dede Scozzafava in the 2009 congressional election in New York’s 23rd district, his backing of Medicare Part D and TARP, and his commercial with Nancy Pelosi about climate change, Armey observes that “Newt entered the race with serious ground to make up with these 2 million Tea Party activists.”…
Brendan Steinhauser, director of Federal and State Campaigns for FreedomWorks, reports that the Tea Partiers he’s talked to are “irate” at Gingrich… “I never met a single Tea Party activist that supported Newt Gingrich for president,” he adds."
The Tea Party Rebellion Is In South Carolina.
spike59| 1.20.12 @ 6:32AM
The Tea Party Rebellion Is In South Carolina.
and could care less about 'DrPaul'...who is going to crash and burn in SC, and has already written off Florida
it's over, Clint...time to take off the tinfoil hat-it's over
Ted R.| 1.20.12 @ 6:54AM
You got that right. Once Paul passes from the scene, the last man to make a religion out of Constitutional 'Originalism' will be gone. Good riddance, and long live the Living Constitution and the Supreme Court!
Mimi| 1.20.12 @ 10:51AM
Our Constitution was never meant to be a LIVING anything! It was meant to be enduring, one for the ages, for generation after generation...for our posterity.
PROOF..? see AMERITOPIA by Mark Levin
EVERY LINE, give's us tears and wonder,and great gratitude at what the FOUNDERS profound GIFT bestowed on us...the people ofAMERICA!
Clint| 1.20.12 @ 6:55AM
" CBS Poll: Independents Prefer Ron Paul Vs Obama
In a head to head match up with incumbent President Barack Obama, the indie voter chooses Ron Paul, a CBS News poll suggested on Monday.
A total of 47% of independent voters said they would choose Ron Paul compared to 45% of independent voters choosing Mitt Romney against Obama, and 41% of independents saying they would choose Rick Santorum. If a Paul-Obama showdown were ever to take place, 47% of independent voters would vote for Paul, 81% republicans and 10% Democrats for a total of 45% of the vote. Obama would get just 40% of the independent vote in that contest, with 85% of the Democrats choosing Obama and 9% of Republicans choosing the President on election day in November. Obama would win the general election by a narrow one point margin if the election was held today between the two."
The Tea Party Rebellion Is In South Carolina.
JimH| 1.20.12 @ 8:34AM
The media dragging out Newt's past can help him. It can make him a more sympathetic character since people seem to love a repentant sinner.
Oldefarte| 1.20.12 @ 11:43AM
Whether all of us like it or not, it's going to be Romney as the Republican nominee. This process needs to put into third gear and get on with it. IT'S THE DEMOCRATS, STUPIDS! As Romney I think indicated, it's time to begin critiquing Obama/Democrats and their radicalized socialism agenda which is destroying this country, period!!!!!!!!!!!!