Insiders: Romney, Gingrich Winners; Huntsman, Cain Losers in Saturday’s Debate
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich were the winners of Saturday’s National Journal/CBS News debate, according to a survey of Republican and Democratic political operatives, campaign consultants, and party strategists, in a special National Journal Political Insiders Poll conducted Saturday. Asked who was the “biggest winner” in the debate, half of Republican Insiders named Romney, with another 30% pointing to Gingrich. Democratic Insiders gave the nod to Gingrich with 55%.
Republican Insiders noted Romney’s poise. He was “best [in] style and substance said one respondent, while another praised his “statesmanlike decorum.”
The New(t) perceived winner of the night was Gingrich, whose candidacy has experienced a resurgence of interest in recent days. “Newt is gaining momentum, is capitalizing on opportunities, politely engages his opponents and continues to come across as the candidate with the most depth on issues,” said one Republican Insider. “Newt shines in this setting,” raved another. “He’s knowledgable, his answers are consistent with where most Republicans are, and his style is one many would love to see go up against Obama.” Some Democratic Insiders agreed. “Poised, articulate, with coherent policy answers and good command of crowd-pleasing code words,” said one. “His self-confidence trumped his intellectual arrogance,” added another.
Some Republican Insiders were frustrated by a sense that Huntsman was advocating foreign policy positions similar to President Obama’s, for whom he served as Ambassador to China. “This should have been his night and yet his most passionate responses basically were justifications for Obama’s foreign policy, particularly in regard to China,” said one GOP Insider. Others simply felt Huntsman failed to live up to expectations. “A foreign policy debate was supposed to be his chance to impress,” said a Republican respondent, “and yet he came off just like any of the other lower-tier candidates.” Said another, “This should have been his debate, but he was hardly noticeable.”
Democrats criticized Cain for a lack of depth, suggesting that the former Godfather’s Pizza executive had failed to become sufficiently informed on foreign affairs. “Herman Cain was vague, lacked serious knowledge, and spent the whole night trying to stay out of trouble,” said one Democrat. “It was a deer in the headlights performance.” Another said Cain “basically bluffed his way through every answer,” while a third said he “tried to muddle through, but was clearly out of his element.” Some Republicans agreed. “Cain looked terribly uncomfortable talking about foreign policy and his answers were those of a novice,” said one GOP Insider. Another Republican agreed that Cain “seemed unsure of the content and simplified answers that relied on basic knowledge of process.” “Simply put,” stated a third Republican, “the weakest aspect of his candidacy.”
FYI Self confidence, depth on issues and intellectual arrogance are qualities that should be required of our future President. Speaker Gingrich is a genius for crying out loud! Have you read ANY of his books? All geniuses give the impression of being intellectually arrogant because they are operating on a different level from the mainstream. That is why he sometimes appears awkward or quirky in public and isn’t a smooth operator like Mitt Romney. Newt is an intellectual, not a salesman. (Speaking of Mitt Romney, he dresses impeccably well! Very handsome tailor-made suits and perfectly color chosen high quality ties! I commend his wife Ann who also dresses very well for helping out in that department.) All of the candidates should try to mimic his appearance because it is really working! Even so Newt’s demeanor Saturday was markedly friendlier. And he scored points with conservatives in responding to a question from debate co-host CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley, who pointed out that al Qaeda recruiter and U.S. citizen Anwar al-Awlaki, who was killed by U.S. forces without trial, was not convicted in court. You don’t get such privileges if you are at war with the United States, Gingrich said. He also offered more red meat to conservative base, who are looking for a consensus non-Romney candidate, when he said he would be willing to attack Iran to prevent the oil rich nation from obtaining a nuclear weapon.