Las Vegas Republican debate: Winners and losers
The eighth Republican presidential debate — and fifth in the last six weeks! — is over.
LAS VEGAS, NV - OCTOBER 18: (L-R) Former CEO of Godfather's Pizza Herman Cain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry participate in the Republican presidential debate airing on CNN, October 18, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)We liveblogged the whole thing but also made time to scribble down a few of the best — and the worst — moments of the night.
Our take is below. Have thoughts of your own on the debate? The comments section awaits.
WINNERS
* Mitt Romney: It wasn’t his best debate but, as usual, the former Massachusetts governor found ways to come across as forceful and presidential. Romney was clearly put on defense on health care — by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum of all people! — and was on the verge of the sort of “gang up” moment that he had successfully avoided in the debates to date. But Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann threw him a lifeline by changing the focus from Romney’s health care plan to President Obama’s health care law. (She wants to repeal it, in case you were wondering.) Romney’s answer on his Mormon faith — and religion’s broader role in the political space — was an absolute masterpiece. Romney didn’t coast in this debate as he had in the few that had preceded it. But he managed to navigate most of the rough patches with minimal damage done.
* Rick Perry’s aggression: The Texas governor made up his mind that after several dull and uninspired debate performances he was going to come out with both barrels blazing tonight. And, boy did he. At times, that change in style worked in his favor — particularly in the first 30 minutes or so of the debate when Perry delivered a cogent, energetic answer on energy and jobs. But, aggression giveth and aggression taketh away. (See below).
* Anderson Cooper: Moderating any event where two or more politicians are gathered on stage is difficult. Moderating a presidential debate with seven candidates is next to impossible. Cooper deserves tons of credit for keeping the debate lively, asking open-ended questions that invited interesting responses from the candidates and knowing when to step back and let the likes of Perry and Romney simply go at it. Job well done.
* Debate lovers: Overall, a terrific debate. As we have said many times before, elections are about choices and the best way for voters to make an informed decision is to watch the candidates not only make a case for themselves but against the other guys (and gal). Back and forth exchanges are a good thing. And there were lots (and lots) of them tonight.
* Food imagery: Apples! Oranges! Cakes being baked. The Fix needs to not watch these debates on an empty stomach.
LOSERS
* Herman Cain : For the first ten minutes of the debate, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza was under near-constant attack over the specifics of his “9-9-9” plan. For the rest of the debate, he was almost nonexistent. Cain’s attempts to dismiss criticism of “9-9-9” — the apples, the oranges — weren’t terribly convincing and are ripe (wink, wink) for follow-ups in the coming days. And, when it came to foreign policy and national security, Cain seemed distracted at best and totally out of his depth at worst. His answer on the Guantanamo Bay prison was, um, not good.
* Michele Bachmann: Almost every answer the Minnesota Congresswoman gave was the dictionary definition of a non sequitur. Bachmann seemed intent on proving to anyone watching that she, more so than the other candidates on stage, really doesn’t like President Obama and wants to undo everything he has done. But, Bachmann seemed so intent on hitting her lines — she threw in the “we are going to make Barack Obama a one-term president” bit in a head-scratching coda to the debate — that it left the impression that she was participating in a conversation entirely apart from the one happening on stage. Just odd.
* Rick Perry’s bullying: Measured aggression in a political debate is a good thing. Unchecked aggression isn’t. And there were several times when Perry came dangerously close to stepping over that fine line. His repeated attacks on Romney employing illegals at his home were decidedly personal — although he did force Romney into an explanation of exactly what happened. Perry brought his swagger tonight but he may have applied it a bit too liberally at times.
* Ron Paul’s suit jacket: The Fix is, admittedly, a bit of a clotheshorse. But, anyone who has ever worn a suit could see that the Texas Congressman’s coat was at least two sizes to big. The ill-fitting coat made Paul look tiny, never a good image to project when you are running for president.
Republicans mock Obama’s teleprompter use
Romney calls Cain ‘brother.’ Why?
Perry attacks Romney on illegal immigrants
Cain sounds confused on hostage swap
Herman Cain and Godfather’s Pizza: Are both full of empty calories?
- Spam
- Obscene
- Duplicate
Blog Contributors
Chris Cillizza
Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider’s Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.
Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country’s leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.
Ed O’Keefe
Ed O’Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.
Aaron Blake
Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for “The Fix,” the Post’s top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.
Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan covers national politics for “The Fix.” Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline’s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.
Scott Clement
Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.
Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.
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