Thursday, February 23, 2012

My Take On Who Won The Arizona Debate

Tonight, Mitt Romney gave another stellar debate by going on the offensive and giving solid answers. The biggest loser in tonight's debate is Rick Santorum.

Mitt Romney was agressive towards Rick Santorum the moment the debate started. When the issue of support for Congressional earmarks came up in the debate, Mitt Romney mentioned that Rick Santorum supported the Bridge to Nowhere. Rick Santorum tried to defend himself by pointing out that he accepted government money for the Salt Lake Winter Olympics. Mitt Romney gave a memorable response: "I was trying to save the Olympics while you were trying to defend the Bridge To Nowhere." The audience went wild.

About half way through the debate, Mitt Romney mentioned that Rick Santorum supported Arlen Spector over Pat Toomey. Rick Santorum never recovered from that attack and it went down hill from there for him. Mitt Romney reminded the audience his support and endorsement for Arlen Specter was essentially a vote for ObamaCare since Specter supported ObamaCare. Later during the debate, Rick Santorum's explanation for endorsing Arlen Specter was that the George W. Bush Administration instructed Santorum to support him so Arlen Specter could be chairman of the judiciary committee. Although it was not mentioned in tonight's debate, Arlen Specter was the 60th vote to pass the $787 billion stimulus.

Later during the evening, an audience member asked about No Child Left Behind. When it came time for Rick Santorum to respond to this question, he looked like a someone who was confessing to a Catholic bishop for supporting the law and was looking for forgiveness from the audience. Rick Santorum's excuse for supporting No Child Left Behind was that he voted for it because the Bush Administration wanted him to.

Rick Santorum did not come across as a leader tonight and he admitted that many times tonight. Nothing speaks to the American people like leadership as confessing taking one for the Bush Administration. While Santorum was being strictly honest about his record in Congress, the fact that he confessed to making too many mistaken votes did not impress conservatives across the country.  I don't think that Rick Santorum realized that when he was confessing his sins for supporting No Child Left Behind and Arlen Spectrum, he essentially admitted that when he followed what the Bush Administration instructed him to do, it was also admitting to be the ultimate Washington D.C. insider because he was willing to take a couple for the Bush Administration.

Rick Santorum lost big tonight because he couldn't defend his record. Mitt Romney exposed Santorum as someone who isn't a conservative as he claims to be and Santorum didn't help himself with his multiple confessions tonight. Rick Santorum hurt himself by exposing himself as someone who isn't a leader.

This article was cross posted from Conservative Samizdat

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18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mitt Romney won the debate tonight. He is the candidate who will bring pride and prosperity back to the USA. When he speaks, his love for this country comes through. He is not in this for a power grab as is Santorum. Why would Romney give up a successful career? It’s because he wants to get this country back on track. It’s not the establishment republicans only who back Mitt Romney, it is the common person like me. We are the ones sending in our $25 to help him win this election. We don’t care that he is a Mormon, we look beyond the “categories” and look to a person who deeply wants to set this country on the right track. Let’s elect Mitt and watch a real American presidential campaign in the fall.

Anonymous said...

Actually enjoyed a candidate trying to defend their past mistakes, rather then pass it off as an excuse, blame somebody else etc, or trying to pull a 180. Showed a smidge of character that doesn't exist too often in politics. Does he still lose? Sure does, people are notoriously stupid for jumping on the bandwagon or whatever is the safest bet. Romney WAS LINSANE TONIGHT. See what I did there? But it's nice to see somebody ACTUALLY try to defend a fuckup as a human being, and not some robotic chatty cathy doll catch phrase.

Also tired of seeing some crass pompous ass who wants to chalk another legacy note in his memoirs 20 years from now, answer a question with "You ask what you want, and I'll answer how I want" being touted as something special. The guys a dick, and doesn't give two fucks about you, nor america. Being president is FOR HIM, you will find out in time.

Anonymous said...

J, you are exactly right. Santorum really did prove tonight that he is essentially a DC insider.

I think the line, 'took one for the team' was probably the worst moment for him.

-Martha

Anonymous said...

Anon @10:49

Mitt Romney passed MassCare because he was pressured by the lasw of the state. The Massachussettes 85%legislature could pass it without his approval so he might as well have some input and not make the legislation so terrible.

Rick Santorum, as a congressman, has no excuse for his votes. He had the opportunity to vote his convictions but chose his paycheck and re-election, instead.

Romney just doesn't like to complain and whine,so he takes the hit and responsibility for MassCare.

Santorum is perfectly capable of being pressured in to a situation and later just sayig...whoops, my bad.

Anonymous said...

Heard David Gergen, analyst at MSNBC say that Romney was really great at the debate tonight. Seniors living on modest incomes, my husband and I will contribute another $10 to his campaign and hope like heck that he wins Michigan and Arizona. Santorum is a whiner, and I'm appalled that nobody asked him at the debate about his Protestant-bashing in his now "famous" Satan speech.

Anonymous said...

Oops - meant to say Gergen, analyst at CNN.

Anonymous said...

anon 10:49

sorry you feel that way... you got sucked into Santys ship and can't tell right from wrong now...

mitt2012:)

Anonymous said...

The only one that would not lose to Obama in a debate and also has the best ideas on how to get the country back on the right track is Newt. Romney says the same thing every debate and Santorum took a dive tonite. Ron Paul is.... well Ron Paul! Can you imagine him in a debate with Obama!!! All he would whine is "we have to stop these wars!!" He's toast even if he has the college anti war group behind him.

Anonymous said...

Look all, Mitt Romney is a good man. Tonight he showed discepline, one that will take on Obama in a debate, and leadership. You may like on other candidate, but you cant deny that Mitt kicked some butt tonight.

Anonymous said...

Anon @ 12:08am:

When are people going to realize that Obama and his media buddies aren't going to allow him to be embarrassed in a debate....therefore...how one of our guys "would do" in a debate is so freaking irrelevant to this campaign anymore. By the way, Newt got his arse handed to him in the 2 Fl debates he participated in, so I don't know where your confidence is coming from. And, "ideas" are nice, but only if you have the ability to actually do something with them. Remember, going to the moon was one of Newts great "ideas".

Matt

Anonymous said...

ron paul Romney is a joke

Anonymous said...

What a stupid and useless article. There were 4 people in the debate sh*t for brains.

Anonymous said...

@Anon 2:40 and 10:49

Welcome back RW!!

Anonymous said...

I'd have to agree that RW is back.

-Martha

Terrye said...

Romney did very well last night.

Gingrich was not bad, but he is still unelectable.

Santorum was sad. The whole thing with Specter was very telling, at least he did not try to blame Bush this time.

Machtyn said...

I'm glad Romney takes ownership of what he does. MassCare is only a problem because Obama tried to make it a problem in 2009, after he won election, but still fearing Romney's attempt in 2012. Obama has never left the campaign trail. Sadly, the Republicans have fallen for the ploy.

In a state or commonwealth, the buck stops at the Governor's desk. Romney knew that, so he made the plan as Conservative as possible. By and large, he was very successful with that endeavor.

Back on the debate, yes, very good. I thought Gingrich's slow talking pace appeared like he wasn't ready, might have been on some medicine. In any case, I didn't think it played well. Perhaps he did that on purpose. Santorum was pretty good, but he needed to be great and he wasn't. But having his record laid open for all to see was clearly embarrassing for him. He was smart enough not to lie about it on stage, but it didn't make him look good or in control. Granted he complained that Romney was lying, but didn't say about what. Then he went on a whine and cheese tour on Fox News after the debate.

Santorum's pretty good points came in some of his counter-attacks. Particularly, the section on MassCare. Except Romney didn't get to answer, for which Santorum is lucky because he misstated some points and would have been embarrassed with Romney's smack down.

There is a narrative starting to build about a Romney-Paul coalition. While I don't doubt they are friends and that they have been soft on each other, Ron Paul has released a fairly effective attack ad on Mitt. Still, I don't think, as some might suggest, that we will see a VP Ron Paul come September.

Big E said...

Yet another epic fail by yet another Rick by yet another miracle candidate served up to us by a constituency that is long on bowel gas/hot air, and short on wisdom.

Buh bye Ricky, it's not been nice knowing you:)

Romney AGAIN shows true strength, cunning and courage. When all the pressure was on he brought it, did it and was good enough to bury it in the process.

Obama didn't sleep well last night, guaranteed

Anonymous said...

Read John Ziegler to all anti Romney *sshats.

Politics is a FAR more set game than you think. You need steady, strong, consistent and resolute to win. Going into a campaign about 80% of the narrative and meme is set. THAT IS WHY YOU NEED A VERY CONSISTENT, INTELLIGENT, STEADY CANDIDATE. If there is one thing all the moronic non Romney supporters should have picked up by now after 98 ABRs come and go is consistency kills. Santo has been all over the place last two weeks because he was dumb enough to buy the latest press clippings on him.

And the same moron press puffing him up last will will BURY him next week.