Fox News GOP Florida Debate: Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich Shine – 9/22/11

The Fox News / Google Republican Debate just ended in Florida tonight, and it featured some great back and forth between the nine candidates on the stage.

I think two candidates really stood out in a positive way tonight – Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain.

In debate after debate, Gingrich has given the best overall answers to virtually every question he has received. He did that again tonight, and I think he will continue to move up in the polls in the weeks ahead. He’s had a great month with these three GOP Debates, and the upward movement he has begun to show will likely continue.

Herman Cain was great tonight! He gave one of the most powerful critiques of ObamaCare you will ever hear as he explained why he would likely not be alive today if ObamaCare had been in place when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Colon and Liver Cancer in 2006. He reeled off everything that happened with him in a nine-month span in terms of testing and treatment, and then explained that if a Government bureaucrat was making decisions about his care, he would not still be alive. That was a fantastic and heartfelt answer.

Rick Santorum was his usual attack dog self on Rick Perry, and while he scored some points against him tactically, he stepped on it by coming across – as always – as the “angry guy” who you might agree with sometimes, but not the guy you would really vote for to be President. It’s much easier to attack than to have your own record – or lack thereof – scrutinized. When you are are 2%-3% in the polls, you spend a lot of time attacking.

Rick Perry was very much like he has been in the other debates. He scored some against Mitt Romney early, pointing out Romney’s own change in his book on RomneyCare from hardback to softback in order to help his election chances. Romney was visibly upset by that, showing Perry had stung him by pointing that out. He also gave a strong answer when attacked, once again, on the whole HPV issue, pointing out the issue was about saving lives for him. But much of the night, Perry missed opportunities to score against opponents, and to state his views more clearly. Debates are not Perry’s best forum, but he mostly holds his own. One thing I think voters will respect about Perry is that he does not back down on his positions, even when he knows they could hurt him with some people.

Coming out of this debate, I would look for Perry and Romney to remain at the top of the polls. Romney may gain some on Perry, but they will remain close. I would look for Newt Gingrich to move up, and perhaps Herman Cain as well. Those are the four candidates I see at the top of the field moving forward. We’ll see how it plays out.

Posted by Brian on Thursday, September 22nd, 2011   |   13 Comments »
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  • Anonymous

    As little as Herman Cain actually gets to speak, he still comes out on top. Perry destroyed himself with that “then you don’t have a heart” line. How DARE he tell millions of Americans who have lost jobs & thousands of Americans who have become homeless for the 1st time in their lives, that if they don’t want to pay for a college education for illegal aliens, that they have no heart. Who does he think he is?

  • Anonymous

    If I understand it correctly, the Texas DREAM Act gives “in-state tuition rates” to the children of illegals who were brought here as children. It does not give them a free college education, but allows them to attend Texas Public Universities at the same rate as someone who lives in Texas. Unlike the Federal DREAM Act, it has nothing to do with amnesty, or providing a path to citizenship. Perry is not very good at explaining this in debates when it is brought up. It was wrong for him to say, “then you don’t have a heart,” because that’s simply not true of many conservatives who take a different view than him on how to deal with these very difficult issues. He just created more difficulty for himself.

  • Anonymous

    If I understand it correctly, the Texas DREAM Act gives “in-state tuition rates” to the children of illegals who were brought here as children. It does not give them a free college education, but allows them to attend Texas Public Universities at the same rate as someone who lives in Texas. Unlike the Federal DREAM Act, it has nothing to do with amnesty, or providing a path to citizenship. Perry is not very good at explaining this in debates when it is brought up. It was wrong for him to say, “then you don’t have a heart,” because that’s simply not true of many conservatives who take a different view than him on how to deal with these very difficult issues. He just created more difficulty for himself.

  • Anonymous

    If I understand it correctly, the Texas DREAM Act gives “in-state tuition rates” to the children of illegals who were brought here as children. It does not give them a free college education, but allows them to attend Texas Public Universities at the same rate as someone who lives in Texas. Unlike the Federal DREAM Act, it has nothing to do with amnesty, or providing a path to citizenship. Perry is not very good at explaining this in debates when it is brought up. It was wrong for him to say, “then you don’t have a heart,” because that’s simply not true of many conservatives who take a different view than him on how to deal with these very difficult issues. He just created more difficulty for himself.

  • http://perceptionasreality.blogspot.com/ Mike Brooks

    Romney, Cain, Gingrich big winners…
    Perry, Bachmann, Santorum big losers…

    Gingrich is hitting his stride quite nicely… VP?

  • Anonymous

    I think that’s a good analysis, Mike. Newt is a great thinker, and I just have the feeling he could come back from the dead here and make a run for it the way McCain did in 2008. We’ll see if he gets a surge in the polls over the next couple of months.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-WarHawk/601138736 Jennifer WarHawk

    Santorum’s record: “lack thereof”?  Really?  REALLY?  How on earth do you even begin to support that statement?  Santorum has a rock solid record on just about any Conservative issue you can imagine.  If you need me to educate you on his record, I would be happy to do so.
     
    And that’s not anger, that’s passion.  I understand how you would have a hard time recognizing it when you support ole Dead Eyes Perry who has about as much passion as a wet rag, but that’s what you get when you are confident in your record, your stances, and your knowledge…you have passion.  We can’t go wrong by supporting a candidate that has a passion for Conservatism.  Without it, you just have a politician that’s telling you what you want to hear.
     
    This is why I have had to, and probably should continue to, take a leave of absense from Freedom’s Lighthouse.  I just do not see eye to eye with many of your analyses and since I do love the site so much, it’s very hard for me to contain MY passion when my own analyses are in direct opposition to yours. 
     
    I’m sure we’ll see eye to eye again once the nominee is chosen. 
     
    Until then….may the best man (or woman) win. 

  • Anonymous

    Mad Jen,
    When someone, like Perry, has an 11-year record as an Executive, it provides a lot of fodder for attack. That’s just reality. Rick Santorum has no record of governing anything, and it makes it much harder to attack specific decisions that he has made or not made. That was the point of my statement. I did not mean that I don’t agree with many of Santorum’s positions. In fact, I am at odds with some of Rick Perry’s views on in-state tuition for illegals, although it is wrong to equate the Texas DREAM Act with the Federal DREAM Act that can lead to citizenship.

    We will have to just agree to disagree on Santorum being a viable GOP Nominee. I just don’t see it. He could not defeat a lousy candidate in Pennsylvania in 2006 as a sitting U.S. Senator. I can’t see how he would do any better against Barack Obama. With me, it’s pragmatic on him, not so much his positions.

    With that said, I am disappointed in how Perry did in the debates – especially last night. He does not articulate well, and he really bungled his attempted attack on Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper. That gives me concern as to how he would do in a debate with Obama. 

    I think Romney will really move up after this. Whoever wins this nomination, we must all get behind because the real goal must be the defeat of Barack Obama..

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Jennifer-WarHawk/601138736 Jennifer WarHawk

    If you’re talking about no record as a Governor, ok…that also goes for about half of the current candidates.  But he HAS a record, a very solid one of getting very important Conservative legislation written and passed.  That speaks volumes not only for his abilities, but for his leadership, and loyalty to the Conservative issues.  If one examines Perry’s “record” closely, they will be very disappointed to find that it is anything but a Conservative one on most of it. 
     
    As far as 2006, no Republican could defeat candidates in Pennsylvania that year.  Let’s not forget that Pennsylvania is a very liberal state and he DID beat out liberal candidates prior to 2006; the year people got mad at Republicans and a whole heck of a lot of them lost their jobs.  Now, were he running in a Conservative state and he lost to a lousy Democratic candidate, that would be something to hold against him. 
     
    Reagan wasn’t a viable candidate months before he beat Carter either.  Everyone was complaining what a mistake it was giving Reagan the nomination because he just “didn’t have what it takes” to beat Carter.  The joke was on them then, and it can end up being on those who underestimate Santorum now. 
     
    I guess time will tell. 

  • Anonymous

    This is a very good example of Perry not being clear at the debates. A – all residents of Texas get in state tuition. The children – who are here illegally AT NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN – are also residents of Texas so they also qualify now for instate tuition. 

    B-  the “heartless” comment very much applies considering that these children find themselves in complete catch 22 -there is no way to legalize their stay as things are right now,  they can’t work, they can’t drive, they can’t buy a house, they can’t travel outside US, they can’t do anything. So this is basically the bare minimum that again – is not any kind of a handout. Any other child living in Texas gets instate tuition. 

    Other than heartless, opposing something like this is fully and completely stupid – having brilliant children educate themselves so they can contribute to our society vs. having brilliant children cleaning toilets illegally without being able to pay taxes – just think about which one you’re picking and how smart that makes you.

     I do believe this hysterical opposition to Dream Act is, aside from stupidity, linked to jealousy. These kids are obviously very intelligent, not everybody can get into college, and some of those “simple-minded” to put it kindly, foam at the mouth because of it. . 

  • Anonymous

    No way Gingrich can do anything here on top of the ticket, he was running for VP from the get to, look how he always singles out Bachmann and says something positive about her during the debate. She would desperately need someone like Newt as VP, so would Cain. But Romney and Perry do not, maybe Romney but I doubt it. Perry definitely doesn’t need Newt, Perry needs Cain. (although it would be fun watching Gingrich vs Biden debates – lmao). Of course neither Bachmann nor Cain are gonna win.  The problem with Newt is that he simply doesn’t feel like campaigning, he’s just not into it, anywhere he goes he wants to show his films, it’s like some kind of expensive campaign for his personal projects.

  • Brad

    I agree Jennifer.  Santorum has a terrific conservative record.  But he gets no media time from the liberals and rhinos.  Except of course for Greta :)

  • Brad

    He doesn’t win some elections because he is unwilling to compromise on his convictions.  He is “tragically” conservative even on social issues.  He is the one that made democrat senators eat their lunch on abortion.  He has the guts to stand strong when few others will.  I agree he won’t win but it’s not because of his capability or solid conviction.  It is because the people that want representation are not moral enough.  


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