Last night's GOP debate (and yes, if it seems like they're happening every two weeks that's because they pretty much are) was more entertaining than most. Gloves came off, handbags were drawn. Possibly the key exchange of the night is the one above. It shows Perry dredging up a story from four years ago about Romney once having illegal immigrants working in his home. Perry's record on immigration is, from a GOP primary perspective, a big vulnerability, so this was an attempt to deflect attention and go on the offence. Romney allows himself to get a little testy here - he can come off sounding like a priggish head boy, over-keen to enforce the rules - but I think he gets the better of Perry.
Overall, most commentators scored last night as a win for Romney, though only just. The other candidates are finally starting to land some punches on him. But they're also landing punches on each other; Cain's 9-9-9 plan came under sustained attack for the first time - you can watch it being artfully dissected by Romney here (apples and oranges?!). Perry showed signs of life, being more aggressive and on his game than in the last couple of debates. But the truth is he's just not smart enough or disciplined enough to do well in these forums.
When Romney is gently patronising him, Perry has the most extraordinary look on his face - it's like watching a pug being teased by a cat.
The Daily Dish's round-up of responses here.
It was very noticeable that the audience were strongly pro-Romney, and disliked him being attacked by Perry. caused some debate on the Economist's live blog- was it because Romney is now inevitable and they're getting behind him, or because he has stronger than usual support in Nevada.
Posted by: ejoch | October 19, 2011 at 11:48 AM