GoLocal Goes to New Hampshire: Winners and Losers of Last Night’s Debate

GoLocal Goes to New Hampshire: Winners and Losers of Last Night’s Debate

Seven top Republican candidates may have come to St. Anselm College in Manchester prepared for a verbal sparring match, but they left having sounded more like old high school pals than opponents vying to be the nominee for President.

In a debate that was far more timid than many pundits predicted, the candidates avoided taking shots at each other and focused most of their attacks on President Obama, blasting the commander-in-chief for failing to turnaround the economy and for his overhaul of the health care system.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich kicked off the Obama bashing during his short introduction, saying, “I'm Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House. And when 14 million Americans are out of work, we need a new president to end the Obama depression. “

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The candidates did differ on some of the issues, but their relentless attacks on the President often made the group sound more united than not.

Candidates Were Solid

The consensus from many pundits was that while no candidates pulled away from the pack last night, no candidates watched their hopes of being President come to an end either. Even Herman Cain, who Republican Senate Candidate Barry Hinckley has donated to, managed to recover following a portion of the debate where he had to answer difficult questions about a recent statement made about not wanting Muslims to serve in his administration.

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, the candidate believed the be running just behind former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in terms of early favorites, opted to avoid attacking Romney during the debate. It was believed that he would go after Romney of health care, but Pawlenty chose to play it calm instead.

Bachmann, Santorum Impress

Minnesota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann, the candidate that had the most support from Rhode Islanders (thanks to State Rep. Doreen Costa), made her presence known early when she took the time to announce that she had filed papers to officially run for President.

On the issues, Bachmann managed to get across her Tea Party values without coming off as a far-right ideologue. The Congresswoman drew applause a number of times for demonstrating that she’s unwilling to fall completely in line with her Party.

“I fought behind closed doors against my own party on TARP,” she said at one point. “It was a wrong vote then. It's continued to be a wrong vote since then. Sometimes that's what you have to do. You have to take principle over your party.”

Rich Santorum, the former Pennsylvania, also came off with a more refined message than expected. Santorum is still struggling with name recognition, but the candidate got applause for his criticism of Obama early in the debate.

“What's happened in this administration is that they have passed oppressive policy and oppressive regulation after—Obamacare being first and foremost,” he said. “The oppressiveness of that bill on businesses—anybody that wants to invest to get any kind of return, when you see the regulations that are going to be put on business, when you see the taxation.

Paul’s People Work The Spin Room

Whenever seven people are on stage and none of them are attempting to attach each other, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. But Congressman Ron Paul, a veteran in the race, knew exactly what to do.

As each of the frontrunners spoke, Paul’s campaign spokesperson sent out blast e-mails to the entire media, criticizing Pawlenty for supporting “Obamacare” and Romney for his stance on health care reform.

Romney also caught heat from Paul’s people on his jobs record. An e-mail from Paul’s spokesperson Gary Howard cited statistics that suggested Massachusetts was the worst state in the country for job growth one year after the former Governor took office.

Romney’s Strong Night

Most pundits believe Romney is in the driver’s seat at this point, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to take the Bob Dole approach and sail to the nomination without ever getting a message across. Romney clearly wants to establish himself as the business-friendly candidate.

“There is a perception in this country that government knows better than the private sector, that Washington and President Obama have a better view for how an industry ought to be run,” Romney said. “Well, they're wrong. The right way for America to create jobs is to—is to keep government in its place and to allow the private sector and the—and the energy and passion of the American people create a brighter future for our kids and for ourselves.

The Final Takeaway

The first real debate of the political season was quiet on most fronts with candidates unwilling to attack each other too much. That will come in time. It appeared as though they were just feeling each other in this debate and next time, it is likely that actual fireworks may occur.

For now, much like in professional sports, it’s back to the video room, where candidates will analyze their strengths and weaknesses and figure out how to go after their opponents.

And without a true frontrunner, don’t expect so much love in the room next time around.

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