Despair at Dartmouth

The Bloomberg/Washington Post Republican Debate

You may or may not have caught the Republican debate last night on Bloomberg News channel. According to Jim Geraghty of National Review it was “The first debate where the studio audience was bigger than the television audience.  It did have it’s points though. Having the candidates seated together around a table made for a better debate than having them standing at podiums. Still the constant repetition of Democrat talking points by the moderators continues to be tiresome. Perhaps that’s the price to be paid for having MSM types as moderators.

Everyone’s eyes were on Herman Cain last night and he acquitted himself well, but he is going to have trouble defending that 9 9 9 plan. The other candidates began to zero in on his plan and Rick Santorum, in particular, scored points by asking the audience if they were up for a federal sales tax. Needless to say there were no takers.

Jon Huntsman is just not likeable. He continues to be an unctuous version of a despised brother-in-law. The fact that he was the fair haired boy of the liberal media does not help him.

Did Otter grow up to become Mitt Romney

Rick Perry seemed to sleep walk through the debate. Maybe he was just being polite, but he seemed not to mind being ignored for much of the night. One can not help but feel that Rick Perry never thought out why he wanted to be president.

Newt was Newt. Always interesting and always entertaining, but going nowhere. Too much baggage both personal and professional.

Michele Bachman has lost all traction. The Tea Party voters have switched to Cain and she is unlikely to get them back. Romney thinks so little of her chances that he served up a soft ball for her when his chance to ask a question came up.

Rick Santorum seems increasingly desperate. He is an accomplished debater and is strong on the social issues, but he just can’t seem to break through with voters.

Ron Paul seemed less cranky last night than he usually does. That might be because the world seems to be coming around to his position on the FED. Both Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street protesters want to end the Fed.

Mitt Romney was his usual suave and disciplined self. But one can’t help but to think of Otter of Animal House when he appears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROxvT8KKdFw