Winner, winner, chicken dinner? Not exactly, but Mitt Romney has got to be feeling lucky this morning, after his rivals handled him with kid gloves (not mittens) in the New Hampshire Republican presidential debate last night at Saint Anselm College.
Two hours worth of exchange, mostly collegial among the seven candidates. As the leader in most polls, including a hypothetical matchup with President Obama, Romney walked away unscathed and grinning. The press afterward immediately cast him as the winner, if, for nothing else, because he did not stumble and not one of his adversaries was going to kick him in the shins. But "winner" is a decidedly subjective term here. Stories are still rolling out about who scored points. Some said Michele Bachmann was a winner. The stories, and and viewers I bumped into -- the so-called real people, the voters -- said Ron Paul, Herman Cain, and Tim Pawlenty did well, too.
But were they winners? Check their Facebook pages. Bet they think so.
He's not going anywhere with his campaign except perhaps trying to find a way to get richer by pretending to run, but I gave Newt Gingrich the "star" rating. I thought he sounded like he actually thought through the issues, and because of the depth of his background he probably has.
Mitt Romney didn't "win." He needs to solidify his base -- these early "polls" mean nothing at this point, as we've seen time and time again in the NH First-In-The-Nation Primary. Romney probably wanted someone to pick on him so he could look "presidential" by taking them on -- and I bet he was well-rehearsed to do so. He lost an opportunity.
And Michele Bachmann or Herman Cain? Give me a break.
Actually, I think the eventual Republican nominee will be someone we didn't see on stage, though one of the 7 might end up being the VP choice.
Posted by: Jim Splaine | June 15, 2011 at 12:50 AM
Coke or Pepsi, Jim?
Posted by: Dan Tuohy | June 15, 2011 at 08:28 AM
Orange. Reminds me of oranges.
Pizza Hut or Godfather, Dan?
Posted by: Jim Splaine | June 15, 2011 at 11:16 AM