The debate was not what I expected at all. I expected more Newt fireworks but after the first question, things got kind of boring. Still, I think Newt performed strongest in the debate overall. Here is my take on how they ranked:
***Winner*** Newt Gingrich - Not by a large margin however. Newt knocked it out of the park by rocking the moderator on his heels on the first question. The rest of the night, Newt gave competent enough answers to remain in first place overall. His closing statement was sort of strong also.
Runner up was Mitt Romney. Hate to say it but Mitt had a much better debate than Monday night. His only stumbles was over his tax returns and the abortion issue. Otherwise, he had a strong performance overall and also had a very strong closing statement.
Ron Paul finished a strong third. I still think Ron Paul is crazy but he was very likable in this debate.
Rick Santorum...what can I say. Big disappointment and he is finished as a serious candidate. He spent the entire night attacking his fellow Republicans (especially Newt) and came across as a whiny, petulant crybaby. Seriously lacking in charisma and likability. If nominated, he'd lose to Obama in a landslide.
Barring the extreme long-shot of Sarah Palin getting into this in February, these are the four candidates we have left. Ron Paul and Rick Santorum are basically finished. So it's between Romney and Gingrich.
I'm going to have to go along with JimRob and throw my support behind Newt Gingrich. He is the one with passion and the intensity that is needed to beat Obama in November. Yes, he has a lot of personal baggage but if the nation can re-elect a scumbag like Bill Clinton who had oral sex in the White House from a intern, then I'm not too worried about the fact that Newt has two ex-wives. I must say however, wife number 3, Callista, creeps me out a little. Still, she'd be an improvement on the current First Lady.
I have to agree. Newt, Mittens, Ron, then Rick.
As for Calsita, She would be a WORLD of positive difference. Shoot a bag of wholewheat rye bread would be a better first lady than that *itch schlepping in MY house married to an Usurper. See, Obama isn’t a constitutional POTUS and everything he has done is illegal. I also believe he owes EVERY American reimbursement for all the money his twitt of a wife has spent on vacations, as well as a the money wasted by protecting and ferrying around a criminal. I WANT REPARATIONS and JUSTICE!!!
/soapbox
With the exception of Paul, the men on the stage would be FAR better than Obama and his racist wife.