Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumPaul Begala: The Strangely Silent Jan. 23 Debate in Tampa
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/01/24/paul-begala-the-strangely-silent-january-23-debate-in-tampa.htmlPaul Begala: The Strangely Silent Jan. 23 Debate in Tampa
by Paul Begala Jan 24, 2012 12:10 AM EST
Without the cheering and jeering crowds to whip him up, Newt was oddly subdued. That left Mitt in the spotlight, squirming about his tax returns.
snip//
Lauers NBC colleague Brian Williams gave Romney and his competitors a chance to discuss issues without the cheering, jeering, booing, embarrassing crowds we have seen in prior GOP debates. Without the roar of the crowd, Newt was much less effective. Like all bullies, he feeds off the mob. But tonight, at the urging of Williams, the crowd was mute and Gingrichs faux fury, so effective in prior debates, never materialized.
Romney got what he wanteda quiet room where he could coolly rebut Gingrichs attacks and then launch his own preprogrammed counterattacks. His super-duper PAC is already savaging Gingrich on television, spending millions to inform Florida Republicans about Gingrichs ethical woes, his lucrative Beltway consulting gigs, and his sofa sharing with Nancy Pelosi.
This will not, I believe, stop Newts momentum. And it does not do anything for the central problems facing Romneys candidacy: middle-class voters dont like him and conservative voters dont trust him. Romney simply cannot connect to what Bill Clinton used to call walkin around folks. He looked especially phony when talking about undocumented workers self-deporting and squirmed when asked about his tax returns.
snip//
The tax issue will continue to dog Romney, even after he releases one or two tax returns. Voters will want to know why Romney reportedly has multimillion-dollar investments in the Caymans. Romney will be asked endlessly what hes hiding: were there years when he paid even less than 15 percent? Did he ever pay zeroor close to it? These questions simply will not confine themselves to quiet rooms.
Ron Paul and Rick Santorum, two talented debaters who know their minds and are not afraid to speak them (unlike, too often, Romney) were often left in the dust. Santorum was asked about his aggressive intervention in the tragic case of Terri Schiavo, the Floridian whose husband wanted to honor her wish to be disconnected from life support. You could almost see the thought bubble over Newt Gingrichs head when the topic turned to a helpless woman in a hospital bed: Obviously, you divorce her.
OUCH!
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
2 replies, 1330 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (7)
ReplyReply to this post
2 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Paul Begala: The Strangely Silent Jan. 23 Debate in Tampa (Original Post)
babylonsister
Jan 2012
OP
I think if they have any more debates than it should be like last night's debate without the
southernyankeebelle
Jan 2012
#1
southernyankeebelle
(11,304 posts)1. I think if they have any more debates than it should be like last night's debate without the
screaming and yelling. I hope they put that into play for the general election. It has gotten way out of hand. Audiences need to be more respectful. They waste way to much time and last night they had a chance to answer questions fully.
livetohike
(22,145 posts)2. Boom! Here is the hammer coming down on Newt's character
Thanks for posting this
I haven't watched the debates, but I was wondering when someone was going to bring up Terry Schiavo and Santorum's intervention in a private, family matter.