Opinion: GOP debate, round 4: The night’s best salesman, gadfly and overall performance
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Tonight’s GOP debate scorecard:
Loser: Rick Perry -- again. The Texan plummeted in polls after uncertain performances in earlier debates; he needed to land some punches and, more important, sound more like a president than a governor. He failed on both counts. Asked to outline his economic plan at a long-scheduled debate over economic policy, he promised a little lamely to unveil something in the next few days. What, the dog ate his homework?
Winner: Mitt Romney -- again. Many conservatives don’t love the former Massachusetts governor and probably never will. But he sure knows how to take a question and turn it in the direction he wants. And he’s getting pretty good at the Ronald Reagan gambit: sounding conservative without frightening voters in the center. Obama won’t enjoy running against him one bit.
Best salesman: Herman Cain. He seized every opportunity to tout his 9-9-9 plan (and as you surely know by now, that means a 9% income tax, a 9% corporate tax and a 9% sales tax). Does the plan make sense? Not really. But as Cain pointed out, it’s a lot easier to remember than Romney’s 59-point blueprint.
Sharpest gadfly: Newt Gingrich. He can’t run a presidential campaign, but he’s a wickedly effective polemicist. His Fox News contract, suspended for now, beckons.
Best overall performances: Panelists Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post and Julianna Goldman of Bloomberg News. They asked tough, smart questions that put all the front-runners -- Romney, Perry and Cain -- on the defensive. Some partisans will complain, but it’s exactly what panelists are supposed to do. As Harry Truman said: If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
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