Last night, Romney owned Gingrich.
ADDED: The phrase "Romney owned Gingrich" also appears in this MSNBC piece, introducing this text:
If Mitt Romney wins the nomination, we'll look back and say the first hour of last night’s debate and say that was when he finally put it away. Romney dominated Newt Gingrich -- from the opening barbs over immigration to his effective response to Gingrich on Freddie/Fannie money (“Mr. Speaker have you checked your own investments?”) to squashing Gingrich’s attempt to co-opt the audience once again (“Wouldn’t it be nice if people wouldn’t make accusations somewhere else that they aren’t willing to make here?”). Romney was aggressive without being petulant. He finally looked comfortable sparring. He looked for the first time like he deserved the moniker “front runner” on stage. And it certainly helped that he had a new debate coach. Romney just wasn’t the same guy.
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48 comments:
I don't know, AA. That might border on a pwn.
Well the "consensus" seems to be that Romney did a better job.
Though I'm usually suspicious of consensus.
Newt is probably going to get frustrated and do something idiotic this weekend.
Romney called him "unhinged" yesterday, we'll have to see if Newt lives up to the billing...
Quite agree, Ann. Mitt won the skirmish last night.
At some point, Jay, this weekend or later, Newt will surely live up to the billing.
Santorum owned both of them.
It's two drama queens.
The plus is that neither will destroy the country on purpose.
The minus is boredom.
The minus is boredom.
Prior to having a family, I probably would have agreed with you. Now, with four kids, a mortgage, etc, I say give me uninteresting times.
If either one knew any actual economics none of the hits would matter.
Just explain what has been poorly explained or understood again.
That's the movement of ethics.
Romney romped.
Neutered Newt.
On to Obama.
Gingrich seems desperate. He's scraping the bottom of the populist barrel. I'm not impressed. Gingrich is also a DC insider pretending that he's not a DC insider. Gingrich is a life-long politician and we already have one of those in the White House.
That said, I prefer Gingrich over Obama in terms of philosophy.
Romney doesn't have a single bone in his body that connects to reg'lar folk. If the Republican establishment manages to foist him on the voters it will be a huge gift to the Dems.
Romney called him "unhinged" yesterday, we'll have to see if Newt lives up to the billing...
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Better to find out now than when Obama and his handlers use that line of attack on him later. Yeah, try every line of attack Obama would use on both these men now, so it becomes redundant when Obama actually does do that later.
"...I'm not impressed. Gingrich is also a DC insider pretending that he's not a DC insider. Gingrich is a life-long politician and we already have one of those in the White House...."
The 'Gingrich is a DC insider' meme has been flogged to death.
He has been gone for 17 years and more to the point,everyone inside the Beltway (the current DC insiders) have been near hysterical in their opposition to the Newt. Name one prominent establishment figure on Team Newt.
Santorum did the most damage.
I promise you the "it's not worth getting mad over" line from Romney about Obamacare will really end up hurting him.
Romney seemed scared to me.
He was forced into defending the natural order of things in RomneyWorld: that we still have a government of the money, by the money, and for the money.
All voters with money left to protect certainly agree with that approach. The rest of them do not agree. What are the numbers in those two categories?
Romney does the job of reassuring the GOP establishment that their money is safe again from unhinged grandiosity... a moon base, phooey.
And not appreciating how hard it is to hide that much money in cross your fingers and promise not to look Trusts, or in Swiss Banks, or in Cayman Island Partnerships is socially unacceptable to the proud citizens of RomneyWorld.
Newt has worked hard to communicate a warning that RomneyWorld is over confidently walking into the trap laid out by Axelrod, OWS, and the media consensus that we have unfair incomes, which has carefully been set up to massacre Romney over the last 2 years.
Romney money bad.
Clinton money good.
Romney money bad.
Soros money good.
Romnney money bad.
Warren Buffet Money good.
Private wealth bad.
Fannie and Freddie graft, Solyndra, and other government waste, good.
I think the problem Gingrich had last night is that he's not the relaxed personality he was when he was a long-shot challenger four months ago.
The peeved Newt Gingrich along with the undisciplined "new big idea a minute" Gingrich were both on display last night.
I think the public likes both in very small doses. But with Newt you don't get anything else other than those two personalities.
He's not capable of doing the calm, mature leader thing. If he was, he'd likely still be in Congress.
Comin' up on the outside, it's Santorum.
Romney/Santorum 2012, do you have your bumper sticker yet?
Comin' up on the outside, it's Santorum.
Santorum sucks, and secretly also wants to control people's lives.
"Last night, Romney owned Gingrich."
Think of the capital gains tax he'll have to pay when he sells him.
Lars, Gingrich left elected office 17 years ago, but he's still been spending lots of time in DC, making bank on his status, knowledge of the game and whatever influence he has.
EMD - I don't think it's a secret that Santorum wants to control people's lives. Even if I disagree with him, he is quite up front about it.
As I said last night, I think Newt's already peaked.
The baggage is catching up.
He'd need a John King moment right before every primary to sustain him.
I was listening on the car radio at that moment in the debate. Didn't hear much of what happened before. For what it's worth, you probably know I prefer Romney.
That said, I have to admit the original question from Wolf to Newt (and maybe the one before it?) was so obviously intended to stoke a fight between the Romney and Gingrich, I kinda sided with Newt's "not in a national debate" response.
I wasn't thinking that Newt should have to answer for what he said about Romney in a question from the moderator. If one candidate raises it, fine, but the moderator shouldn't repeatedly steer the discussion into those shoals.
Wolf's intent seemed so transparent, Newt's anti-media response at that moment seemed reasonable to me.
Go figure.
...to squashing Gingrich’s attempt...
Quash. Not squash.
Wasn't there a time when reporters cared about words?
EMD - I don't think it's a secret that Santorum wants to control people's lives. Even if I disagree with him, he is quite up front about it.
Well, like a lot of left-wingers, it's cloaked in a "for the children!" type of concern.
I appreciated Romney calling Newt out on the manufactured (by Newt) hysteria of deporting illegal immigrant grandmothers. As Newt wailed sentimentally about the unfairness of ripping grandmothers away from their grandchildren, Romney said matter-of-factly something like "our problem is not 11 million grandmothers."
Romney/Santorum 2012, do you have your bumper sticker yet?
Why would Mitt Romney pick Rick Santorum as his running mate? I get that Pennsylvania is seen as a “swing State” but Santorum lost his last Senate election and it seems unlikely that he’d help Romney carry it in 2012.
Think of the capital gains tax he'll have to pay when he sells him.
After Newt’s performance last night, I think that Romney would appreciate the write-off.
Last night, Romney owned Gingrich.
ADDED: The phrase "Romney owned Gingrich" also appears in this MSNBC piece, introducing this text:
If the press decides to use a colloquialism like "owned", I'd like to see them spiff it up for the times and (geek) culture:
"Mitt pwned Newt Moonbase..."
Thorley Winston said...
Romney/Santorum 2012, do you have your bumper sticker yet?
Why would Mitt Romney pick Rick Santorum as his running mate? I get that Pennsylvania is seen as a “swing State” but Santorum lost his last Senate election and it seems unlikely that he’d help Romney carry it in 2012.
Good point. If Milton takes a Conservative running mate, it's going to be a better Conservative than Santorum, and one from a state (or ethnic group) that's within reach, but not quite there.
GodZero's approval is in the mid 30s in PA. I have a feeling it's going to be an ABO state.
If the Republican establishment manages to foist him on the voters it will be a huge gift to the Dems.
Look at the alternatives. One Washington Insider, a Senator who lost re-election, and an old man.
The best VP pick would be a young gun not a baby boomer. Santorum is not a young gun and his negatives are sky high I bet.
That's really good. Now we can get the GOP version of Leviathan. I can't wait to see the Romney's ideas on green jobs.
AJ Lynch said...
The best VP pick would be a young gun not a baby boomer. Santorum is not a young gun and his negatives are sky high I bet.
That would depend, where and with whom.
He's got a record as a big spender. That's how Bobby Casey nailed him.
And very much the statist on social issues.
It always veered into pandering IMHO.
AJ's right about a young gun, but most are too young - Haley, Matinez, Rubio, Walker, and West only have a year on the job.
You'd want somebody with about 4 years under their belt, minimum.
Wolf Blitzer owned Gingrich.
He's got a record as a big spender
I agree with you.
My complaint is that song is now in my head and it won't get out.
The minute you walked in the joint....
Well the "consensus" seems to be that Romney did a better job.
The consensus on the debate is clear -- the masterful President Obama crushed whoever debates him in the fall.
What's that? The debate(s) with Obama aren't for several more months now, so how can there be a consensus that he won?
So what? He won.
Patrick said...
Lars, Gingrich left elected office 17 years ago, but he's still been spending lots of time in DC, making bank on his status, knowledge of the game and whatever influence he has.
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I know that but with the unanimous oppositon of the inside-the-beltway crowd, I'm trying to figure out how he prospered in his rent-seeking. He looks like he's persona non grata without exception. I'm baffled as to how he made all those big bucks.
Everyone keeps posting about his insider exploitation of the system.
I'd like some examples (except Freddie/Fannie.
FWIW, according to Yahoo News (I know...), Santorum's going back to PA to do his taxes.
Anybody want to lay odds he stays there?
Don't forget Lars, that Newt also is really a lib. A thoroughly anti-conservative lib. Even though all the Dems hate him with a passion.
It is rather apparent that you cannot expect logical arguments from the establishment Romney crowd.
Romney just wasn’t the same guy.
That's what Willard's critics say--he's a different guy every day.
I see Willard's flexibility as a virtue. He's easily reprogrammed and isn't bothered by memory issues.
The Willard 2012 is nearing perfection.
hmm, guess gingrich isn't the debate king conservatives, here and elsewhere have said he is lol. And sigh, he'll never have that chance to go up against Obama and prove his imaginary debate prowess.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda ...
But Rep political operatives er elders, hierarchy, establishment are breathing a little bit easier today as mittens is on his way to winning the nomination by default ...
finally. :D
Lars, after Gingrich resigned, he did nothing except work for various policy orgs, and consultant work. He worked only in DC. He managed to increase his wealth by about $4 million bucks by his various companies, all of which were policy - lobbying - related.
This sort of thing doesn't disqualify him, but he is most definitely not an "outsider."
OK, so I just heard for the first time (on Rush) Romney telling Santorum that the individual mandate of RomneyCare was "nothing to get angry about."
Let's be entirely clear you Romney supporters -- despite his dishonest assertions to the contrary, Romney will NOT repeal ObamaCare. He might amend some aspects of it, but he will NOT REPEAL IT. He will not repeal it because HE SUPPORTS THE MOST ODIOUS ASPECT OF IT, the individual mandate.
"Nothing to get angry about." Throughout the campaign, Romney has shown that he is, at best, a clueless buffoon when it comes to people's objections to RomneyCare. More likely though, with his continued advocacy of it, and with his dismissive attitude toward those who are extremely angry about it, Romney is all too eager to continue the worst parts of ObamaCare.
It is the number one disqualification that there can be to be the Republican nominee. But if you Romney hacks want to destroy the party by nominating him, well, there will be blood.
Bender said...
"It is the number one disqualification that there can be to be the Republican nominee. But if you Romney hacks want to destroy the party by nominating him, well, there will be blood."
Wow, that is a target rich comment. Just to reduce the size of my response, I'll focus on your last paragraph. Calling Romney supporters hacks is childish, disrespectful, and inappropriate. Accusing Romney supporters of wanting to destroy the GOP is absurd. Saying there will be blood if Romney is nominated is at least melodramatic and maybe even deranged, depending on what you actually mean.
Your comment was more heat than light and unlikely to persuade anybody to change their mind. A more rational and less emotional approach is much more likely to persuade GOP and Indy voters.
Romney won, but at what cost? Romney is showing himself to be quite dishonest. I wouldn't have expected it of the man.
I recall quite clearly how Romney said everyone here illegally goes, when it was convenient to hurt Gingrich on the idea that it's simply inhumane to kick out illegals who have been here for years even with the nod and wink from the federal government.
Now Romney says "I won't deport them either."
Romney has shown what he is, and I'm shocked. I wouldn't have expected that from him.
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