Mitt Romney outperformed Newt Gingrich during both Florida debates. He apparently has a new debate coach. Romney is now polling ahead of Gingrich in Florida; and if he wins there, Dick Morris feels he can "run the table" during the month of February. A Romney win Tuesday could be very hurtful to the task of identifying a non-Romney nominee.
One of the best moments during the debate tonight occurred when Rick Santorum challenged him on Romneycare:
It was a long overdue attack and Santorum was wonderfully effective. If fact, frequently Santorum's pent up attack was palpable across his face during Romney's replies .
As effective as he was, Santorum had ammo that went unspent.
Posted by: Stryder Polifrog | January 26, 2012 at 11:20 PM
And if Romney wins Florida, I am concerned it may be too late anyway regardless of whatever Santorum does.
The best of all worlds might be for Newt to win Florida so as to keep the nomination battle alive (which seems increasingly doubtful), or for him to drop out and endorse Santorum today (which also is doubtful).
Posted by: Joe Guarino | January 27, 2012 at 06:53 AM
Rick Santorum is likable, principled, and smart. A solid candidate that will provide stark separation from the policies of Barack Obama and the Democrats. He doesn't have any personal baggage either. I look forward to voting for him in May. I do not think the GOP nomination will be locked up before then.
Posted by: Jeff Hyde | January 27, 2012 at 07:33 PM
With regard to your last statement, Jeff, I really hope you are right. I agree with much of what you have to say.
Santorum might have a bit of baggage, but not overwhelming stuff. Opponents can always mine the voting record of someone who served in Congress for over a decade, and find things to attack. I think he is the best of the pack by far, however, and I hope to have a chance to vote for him also.
On Newsmax today is a story about the fact that Goldman Sachs is one of Romney's major donors. This is a battle of the establishment GOP against conservatives. But if Romney is the nominee, we all face the burden of having as our standard-bearer someone who is not likable, and who cannot be trusted as to what he is going to do.
Remember Nixon's old formulation. Run toward the right during primary season; and then back to the center for the general election and when you govern. That is what I expect from Mitt Romney.
Posted by: Joe Guarino | January 27, 2012 at 07:45 PM
Concerning the exchange highlighted in your video, the Weekly Standard has an interesting article. "'It's Not Worth Getting Angry About' __ Tell That to the TEA Party."
http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/it-s-not-worth-getting-angry-about_618705.html?page=1
The last paragraph: "The exchange offered a stark reminder of one inescapable set of facts: President Obama spent the bulk of his first 15 months in office ramming his signature legislation down the throats of the American people. Yet, as his State of the Union Address made clear, he’d rather not bring it up. So if Republicans are going to have a mandate to repeal this unprecedented threat to liberty and fiscal solvency, they will have to bring it up — or, rather, their nominee will have to bring it up. And he will have to know why he opposes it — not merely that he does."
Posted by: Jeff Hyde | January 27, 2012 at 08:44 PM
Yes, Jeff.
The remarkable thing about this exchange last night is that this was the first time I can remember in many months of campaigning and debates that an opponent has even laid a glove on Romney over Romneycare. Santorum had done his homework, and is absolutely right--- Romney cannot credibly bring the fight to Obama on the issue of Obamacare. And yet, this is the single defining issue that determines whether we permanently enter the mode of Eurosocialism.
Do we want a nominee who cannot credibly take that fight to Obama?
Posted by: Joe Guarino | January 27, 2012 at 08:49 PM