Post Debate Review

I just now finished the CNN/Youtube debate but unlike Greg, I did not liveblog it. I took some notes and will here sum up how the major candidates did and whether they helped or hurt themselves with their appearance. First, on the format, I was pleasantly surprised by the first YouTube debate in July and so I was looking forward to this one. I think the format lends itself to a more freewheeling style were you can know the candidate and what he is like better than usual. Tonight was just that way as well.

For the most part CNN and Anderson Cooper were fair with the questions, with the likely exception of one at the end where they ambushed the Republican candidates with a hiding-in-the-closet gay general. This caused some awkward moments, wich I'm sure were by design.

Mitt Romney is on something of a downswing right now when all the buzz seems to be centered around Huckabee. And he showed that he knew it by being a heck of a lot more aggressive than we are used to. He started by attacking Giuliani on immigration and sanctuary cities, and probably got the best of that round. He later on attacked Huckabee for a tuition program for illegal aliens (and rightfully so) and was hitting at a much more personal level than I think I've seen before. The "Mean Mitt" persona is not one I think I liked. He also stumbled hard on whether he believed the Bible is "true" He said it was the word of God and left it at that, indicating that he really did NOT want to go any further.

Giuliani was confident and poise but seemed to spend a lot of the night on defense whether on illegal aliens, gun control or abortion. This also included his brewing scandal about the security detail but he handled that issue particularly well, deftly reminding everyone why he needed security in the first place (the mafia hates him) not bad for a bowl full of lemonades. Giuliani neither helped nor hurt himself

Huckabee did the best. After initially stumbling on illegal aliens, and I mean stumbling hard, where he was essentially defending the DREAM act which is hated by border-issue conservatives. He found his voice again later on with supporting the fairtax, a personal recital of his experiences with the death penalty but was most eloquent when he fielded the question on the Bible launching into definite "preacher" mode and did excellent. Of course I've been raised in churches all my life, so for a non-Christian that part may not come off so well. I'm sure for a GOP crowd he did fine. But it really iced the cake as far as my understanding of why he is doing so well. He can connect with the crowd, he speaks well, has great poise. This is probably the preacher experience coming out, but it's working well for him.

Fred Thompson. Can we talk plainly? I think we can. I really hate to say this, but I think one of the majore problems with Fred Thompson is that he looks so darn old. I know these things don't matter, shouldn't matter, but in personal presence he has the worst purely because of the wrinkles and bags. Which makes me wonder how John McCain can look so young when he is, in fact, older than Fred Thompson. And Fred Thompson most definitely did not help himself. He put out a couple servings of red meat on gun control and social security but was not near enough to wrest the energy back from Huckabee.

John McCain. Poor guy had good presence but sounded low, slow, and almost defeated already. Had a few points of animation notably around support for the surge and a ban on waterboarding, but for the most part it seemed like he had taken quaaludes. A severe low point is when he said he would not go for the fairtax. Lost points with fiscal conservatives there. He also got some laughs directed at him when he stated that the immigration bill was "not amnesty". Not good. My sense on him is the same. He personally has appeal, but between his maverickness against conservative positions and him being the oldest, I don't think the GOP electorate is willing to take a bet on him at this point. Seems like he knows it too.

In summary, Huckabee way up, Giuliani and Romney may have held their own, and Thompson and McCain did not help themselves and remain on the way down.