Recapping the GOP debate: Mitt's snit, Cain's crash, Perry's push

The seven Republican presidential candidates on the stage during the GOP debate in Las Vegas Tuesday slapped, swatted, slashed, jabbed, picked, and poked at each other for two hours. As might be expected, most of the emerged bloodier and more ragged than when they walked in.

But then, these things are contests—largely political sporting events. So if a winner must be crowned, make it Rick Perry, who showed some fire in his willingness to go toe-to-toe with Mitt Romney, whose aura of inevitability waxed and waned during the debate. Perry was just about the only candidate who has reason to smile today.

Romney, under attack for most of night not only from Perry but from the likes of Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, was at times peevish and other times rattled, particularly on the subject of immigration. At one point, Romney lost his cool and touched Perry on the shoulder as he was interrupted....

[skipping to my favorite part -- the LA Times likes it too and printed a partial transcript]

Romney went on to lecture Perry on debate etiquette: "You have a problem with allowing someone to finish speaking," he said. "And I suggest that if you want to become president of the United States, you got to let both people speak."

Back to the immigration issue, Romney got candid: "So we went to the company and we said, look, you can't have any illegals working on our property. That's -- I'm running for office, for Pete's sake, I can't have illegals. It turns out that once again they hired someone who had falsified their documents -- and therefore we fired them."

“IMO” as I haven’t proof. But the GOP Establishment had been bemoaning last year that Palin would have an advantage simply by being the only woman in the primary field. It’s one of the most basic and time-tested of political strategies to put other candidates up to running so as to give your preferred candidate a favorable balance in the field.

Then Rep. Bachmann, just elected to her third term, emerges as a candidate. She’s got a book deal in the works and she had worked with Karl Rove back at the start of her Congressional career. What’s more, she emerges as a Palin look, act and campaign-alike, aping not only Palin’s position and style, but even trademark phrases. Dick Morris and others through the summer trumpet that there’s “no room” in the race for Palin now that Bachmann is already in. While she was a factor, she had the shadowy Ed Rollins, who’s been known to handle this sort of campaign, come in to boost her prominence. What’s more, Bachmann steadfastly refuses, even at the brief height of her popularity, to attack Romney, though she’s absolutely no problem going after first TPaw and then Perry.

Herman had worked with the Koch brothers’ American for Prosperity for a few years, and back last winter started to hint that we might be seeing him as a ‘dark horse’ in the race. Indeed, he emerged with 999, fashioned in part by AFP operatives, as the only real plank in his platform. He clearly has spent zero time trying to learn even the rudiments of foreign policy—and he has no intention to bother doing so. Instead, he lined up a book tour and showed all the signs of a certain type of long-shot presidential candidate—the happy book tour warrior.

Meanwhile, he had backed Romney in ‘08 and was being handled and having his one little platform boosted by Romney supporters as well. While he has been quick to attack Perry, suggesting he’s the only one of his fellow candidates that he wouldn’t be willing to serve as VP with, he hasn’t landed a blow on Romney. Over the past two debates he crowed about how he was going to attack Romney, but he never followed through with such in any substance. Also, he said he’d pick Romney for his own VP if only Romney would support his 999 plan.

Both Bachmann and Cain were IMO meant to split the conservative vote and Bachmann (and then Perry) were particularly meant to discourage Palin’s entry. (Perry’s vast fundraising, again IMO, is probably the biggest factor that put Palin off actually entering herself.)

Don’t be mistaken, the Establishment backs Romney first and foremost, but would make do with Perry, who is someone they “can work with”, if the heathen base absolutely insists on a non-Romney nominee.

But neither Cain nor Bachmann has the organization, funding, or substance to get the nomination. I’m quite sure that the Establishment is confident Romney, or at very worst Perry, will be the nominee.

That’s exactly how they planned it.

I don't view Perry as an "establishment" candidate, unlike Romney. There is no debating that Romney fits that mold. Perry might have deep-pocket backers, but people confuse that with establishment money. "Establishment" is D.C., Wall Street, and primarily the northeast republican machine. Perry has NO support from this group. Wall Street and the Washington elite is behind Romney.

Perry has some oil money interests backing him, real estate conglomerates, and very few "insiders" or elites.

The media (Fox News) is in the pockets of the establishment and Mitt Romney. Last night was so sickening to me, I'm just about done as a viewer. Fox is equally as biased for Romney as CNN is biased for Obama. That's become clear.

Perry is an outsider just like Cain.

You've been dishing out the insults for quite some time.

No, I've been posting the truth about Perry's record which has garnered me insults from his fangirls. Have I fired back? Sure. But that's what it takes with their type.

Figured you needed some of your own medicine.

It's not my medicine. If you read my posting history you will see I have been respectful of all who show respect to me. When I do not show respect to a poster it is because they have a history of disrespecting me.

Below is a prime example. You're free to read the entire thread or at least the posts of mine. And if you do so you will see I did nothing but speak out against Rick Perry's Gardasil mandate. And what did I get in return? I was asked why I "hate Texas females and want them to die of cancer".

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2777844/posts?page=85#85

It's easy to jump on bandwagon when you only know one side of a story. But you really should get all the facts before you do.

Have a nice day.

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