I think the bottom line is, there was enough beating up of each other tonight [between Romney and Perry] that we didn’t have to get in. You know, never interrupt your enemy when they’re in the process of destroying themselves is an old adage.Michele Bachmann campaign consultant Ed Rollins, who recently took a demotion • Discussing Bachmann’s debate performance on Wednesday. Bachmann, once the toast of the campaign, disappeared for long stretches last night, no longer standing out as a frontrunner, leading some to claim that her campaign was “finished.” Rollins apparently feels that way himself, recently calling the race “a Romney-Perry race.” Was it the Newsweek cover that did her campaign in? Or does she need another one of those? source (via • follow)
adancewithdaffodils asks: Thanks for the play-by-play of last night's debate! Do you know where (if) we can watch the debate online? No cable, and internet decided to go out RIGHT before the debate. Thanks!
» SFB says: Sure! MSNBC has the full video over here. If you want to watch again, guys, be sure to play at home with our debate coverage! — Ernie @ SFB
Decoder’s main takeaway from the debate tonight: Read Shortformblog, with whom we partnered to blog/tweet/enjoy the Reagan Debate. We’re just a button in their cap - but we have a lot of fun hanging around. (On Twitter, @Shortformblog.)
Aww, you say the nicest things. And let’s not forget the Christian Science Monitor’s DC Decoder, who did some great work covering and analyzing the debate on the fly. They are worth a follow for sure. We look forward to covering more debates with them. Check out tonight’s coverage, including any follow-ups over the next day or so, over here.
From the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza comes the “999 Plan.” Is that like Domino’s “555” deal? And if it’s tax policy, wouldn’t you rather have a “555” plan? That’s a lot lower than 999.
Via Shortformblog, we would also remind you that this is the man who quoted a Pokemon poet in his last debate appearance … so it could be said he certainly searches far and wide to draw his inspiration.
Herman Cain: Always coming up with the weirdest angles to hook his arguments on in a pinch. We hope he references Pokemon explicitly during the next debate, rather than implicitly.
Here’s why I find it impossible to be a Republican: any crowd that instantly cheers the execution of 234 individuals is a crowd I want to flee, not join.Andrew Sullivan on the debate crowd’s positive response to the large number of executions that Perry resided over while governor of Texas. (via liberal-life)
In order for the republican party to win, we can’t run from science… By making comments that don’t reflect the reality of the situation, you turn people off.
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, easing off direct attacks on Texas Gov. Rick Perry, among others in the GOP field, for a general point about the Republican party.
One question:
(via dcdecoder)
Huntsman was doing great up until this; it was similar to when Tim Pawlenty backed down from his “ObamneyCare” comments a few debates back. Huntsman still turned out what was overall a charismatic and commanding performance, but this wasn’t the best note to end on.
I was surprised that Romney was not more rattled and deflated.Al Sharpton, setting a low bar for Mitt Romney in the MSNBC wrap-up.
The question isn’t, would we favor a tax increase. The question is, how would we generate revenue?Newt Gingrich, taking a bit of a risk addressing revenues. He got an enormous applause.
Hello everyone, Seth here. A friendly reminder to check out our Twitter feed, where Ernie’s holding it down, and DC Decoder, which is doing some really smart coverage of this debate.