A look at the Republican presidential candidates after last night’s FOX News/Washington Examiner debate in Ames, Iowa:
Romney continues as a more serviceable John Kerry or Bob Dole. He can at pass for a president. He played front-runner well, making no missteps, but scoring no big points. Although at times he is grating, and his ObamneyCare answer is still unsatisfying, he’s still the kind of guy GOP voters could settle for. Although it would be settling. Most importantly, he can probably beat Obama.
She turned in a good performance, with a couple of small missteps. Her highlight – a robust attack on Tim Pawlenty – was in fact just her being set-up for a brutal Pawlenty counterattack. She probably tied Pawlenty in their one-on-one, but that fight kept her from making a bigger score. The question about submitting to her husband probably won the debate for her. She handled it graciously and in a way that Iowa’s evangelicals will appreciate.
As Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa pointed out, Perry is doing himself no favors in Iowa by announcing in South Carolina on the day of the Iowa straw poll. The timing and location could be a sign that he’s bypassing Iowa, but he really should compete there if he’s serious. The debate was lively enough in his absence that voters probably did not think of him too much until he became the subject of a question.
Paul blew it last night. He had a great chance, being better versed than all his opponents on economics. But precise explanations and clarity have never been his strong point. During the debate, he reminded everyone of the unfocused Ron Paul who never gained traction in 2008, despite building an amazing grassroots fundraising operation. He never wavered from his beliefs, but when he got excited he often came across with arcane and incoherent points. On foreign policy, he pleases his libertarian base. He is too extreme to win many converts, but as always, he benefits from the fact that no one is competing with him for the anti-war Right.
If this had been the previous debate — the one in New Hampshire — Pawlenty’s performance of last night would have been fine. Alas, this was the third debate, and his performance was not up to the grand occasion. Still, it was his best debate performance yet. He rope-a-doped Bachmann on their respective records (“you’re killing us”), clearly catching her by surprise. He was reasonable and clear on foreign policy. Still, his scuffles with Bachmann kept him from landing killer blows against Romney (although he had one nice jab about the size of Mitt’s lawn).
Huntsman was far too low-key to make the splash he has to make. He was itching to hop on a plane to New Hampshire throughout the debate. He’s not competing in Iowa, but he has a long climb ahead if he wants to compete anywhere.
Newt reminded us that he’s brilliant…and prickly. For most of the night, Gingrich was the most fundamentally sound debater in the ring. His attacks on Obama were the most original and most on-target. He avoided alienating the conservative base and also avoided staking out untenable positions. But his repeated attacks against his Fox News interrogators came across badly. It was petty. He reminded viewers how he likes to whine about being misquoted (which he wasn’t). He should have taken a page from Bachmann’s playbook and shrugged off the slights.
Give Santorum credit for his unblinking defense of the unborn. That was his highlight, reminding conservatives what he stands for. He also distinguished himself – for better or worse – on foreign policy, as a counterweight to Ron Paul. Santorum reminded people that he used to be a serious senator. That still doesn’t make him a serious presidential candidate. He didn’t look good plaintively raising his hand and begging for more attention.
The only consolation is that his performance could have been much worse. He still doesn’t inspire confidence, and he could be out of the race come Monday.
The Field
Good idea by McCotter and Johnson to answer questions over the Internet. The only one we noticed was Johnson’s declaration that he is pro-abortion choice. We don’t expect that will help him in Iowa or anywhere else.
