Mitt Romney on Rick Perry: I would vote for him, if he stood a chance

If Rick Perry were the nominee, I’d be voting for him. I believe every single person on the stage in that last debate would do a better job than president Obama.
Mitt Romney • Claiming, during an interview over the weekend, that he would vote for Rick Perry, the man he savaged during last week’s debate. But would Rick vote for Mitt? SUSPENSE! source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

Hello, and welcome to yet another GOP debate! YAY WE’RE SO EXCITED! Hopefully Anderson Cooper won’t screw this up (don’t take any tips from Wolf Blitzer, bro). Here are a few things to look for during tonight’s debate:

Herman Cain …has the most to gain, and the most to lose. He could solidify his standing as the co-frontrunner and anti-Romney candidate by giving thoughtful answers to substantive policy questions, but if he’s caught flat-footed, it’ll confirm to many that he is, in fact, the (pizza-toned) flavor of the week.
Mitt Romney …has so far been able to coast along simply by not screwing up, but this debate could be different. Given Cain’s momentum, Romney will have to go at least somewhat on the offensive, or risk getting flattened by The Cain Train. It’ll be interesting to see whether he goes all-out against Cain.
Rick Perry…could, in theory, make a comeback tonight. But that was true about the last debate, too, where he not only failed to capitalize on the opportunity, but didn’t even really seem to care about capitalizing on it. On the plus side, his performance will likely be hailed as a success if he doesn’t fall asleep at the podium.

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

The Cain Brain: In advance of tonight’s GOP debate, everybody is tabbing new polling frontrunner Herman Cain as the man to watch. Since last debate, however, he’s absorbed scrutiny over his foreign policy credentials (or lack thereof), which has been exacerbated by Cain’s refusal to name his advisers. He himself spoke to this strategy in Tennessee last week: “I’m not going to tell you! They’re my advisers, not yours. They just want to know who my smart people are so they can attack them.” This is a tact that we don’t think will benefit Cain. Voters like to feel as if candidates are being more open than they need to, not less. Employing a “need to know basis” sort of argument over his adviser’s very identities just comes off badly. source

Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Oct 2011 10:33