GOP Presidential Debate: Winners And Losers

GOP Presidential Debate: Winners And Losers

Did you catch last night’s Republican Presidential debate? GoLocalProv asked its MINDSETTERS™ to break down all the winners and losers.

Winners

Don Roach: Mitt Romney - in 2008, he couldn't overcome the Bush hangover. Now, he looks like the centrist and far more polished. He was very impressive and I'm not a Romney fan by any stretch. I also feel Perry was very good for his first time out.

Rob Horowitz: Mitt Romney won with John Huntsman a close second. Rick Perry acquitted himself fairly well and certainly exceeded the low expectations expertly set for him by his campaign staff. But Perry hurt himself even with Republican Primary voters with his answer on Social Security. He was unable to successfully pivot from the fact he called Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme” to how to fix it today

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Donna Perry: Romney won the moderate wing; Perry easily won the conservative wing. I think this debate marks a distinct shift in who is leading the GOP field now – and I think it’s become more of a Rick Perry/Mitt Romney contest now, with Michele Bachmann Bachmann’s dominance fading.

Romney did a better job than in previous appearances in drawing out a clearer distinction between himself and Rick Perry and he has now firmly emerged as the more moderate candidate. Perry’s description of social security as the great Ponzi scheme –though many Americans may actually believe that---was an ill-advised remark that’s now problematic for him. Romney had his strongest moment when he responded to Perry’s “Ponzi scheme” line by saying “our Party’s nominee cannot end social security. We need a nominee who will pledge to save it.”

Aaron Regunberg: First of all, hat's off to President Obama for making a decision on the EPA's air regulation standards capable of getting serious accolades from Michele Bachmann. I guess Obama's political advisers have decided that the best pathway to reelection in 2012 is to win back all those Bachmann-type voters who have deserted the president...instead of, you know, all those independent voters who want their kids to breathe non-toxic air. Obama also got some nice praise from Newt for his tenacity in fighting teachers unions and spreading corporate education reform--if such a champion of low-income and minority Americans as Newt Gingrich thinks Obama's doing the right thing, I guess he must be!

Losers

Don Roach: No one dropped the ball, but Santorum sounded completely out of touch to me. Perry's 'Ponzi' scheme comments about social security will get him in hot water, but I understand his point. If Perry can spin this well, it will be a great point of debate.

Rob Horowitz: Michele Bachmann hurt herself because she was unable to draw any real contrast with Perry on the issues and they are competing for the same voters and he already has a significant edge.

Donna Perry: Michele Bachman drew no distinction with Primary contenders. She thinks she’s running only against Obama.

Aaron Regunberg: All of them. But it's tough to stay down on Obama on a night like this, after hearing such an unadulterated stream of hate, bigotry, greed, and piss-poor economic rational. Whether it's Mitt Romney--whose economic plan consists mostly of slashing taxes for millionaires, billionaires, and huge corporations--saying that, although he hates tax increases, poor people need to start paying income taxes (in case you didn't know, low-income Americans already pay a greater percentage of their income in overall taxes than the wealthy do); or Rick Perry likening the dwindling few who deny the vast scientific evidence of climate change to Galileo (that guy who was executed for putting science above superstition); or Rick Santorum claiming that dismantling food stamp and affordable housing programs is the best way to honor Catholicism's command to care for the poor; or Ron Paul going on a heated diatribe against the minimum wage; there's one thing we can all agree on. These are the people who have the best interests of America's working families and middle class at heart.

Who Should Drop Out?

Don Roach: Santorum & Huntsman. But, in all honesty Bachmann needs to go. She struggled to express herself in the debate and doesn't seem like she has the energy for the long term.

Rob Horowitz: If anyone should drop out at this early date it is Rick Santorum who sounds like a legislator, not a President.

Donna Perry: Rick Santorum, Herman Cain

Who Could Be A Good Vice President?

Don Roach: Newt Gingrich - he'd be an asset on the ticket, and after his fall I never knew we'd ever say that.

Donna Perry: Jon Huntsman

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