Who won the NBC debate?

[RI]

Santorum, if only because Romney and Gingrich were absolutely awful and petty. That five minute exchange between the two on Freddie Mac irritated/bored me to no end.

Mitt dodged everything as usual, but the laughs he got when he said "self-deportation" were comical.

The concept makes a lot of sense. I have espoused it for the better part of five years as being the best way to deal with illegal immigration, rather then rounding people up or giving people who have broken the law in a serial fashion (Props to Santorum for pointing this out) a free pass and encouraging the next wave to come. I would have to say that the real winner of this debate was the immigration issue. Because for the first time we had an honest discussion that we should have been having all along. The only reason people laughed is because they have it engrained in their heards that the only two options are McCain/Kennedy/Obama/Bush or the Tancredo Hitler style racist approach. With a debate of four, two of whom are Romney and Santorum, the discussion has improved greatly on this issue. There is no McCain/Giuliani and there is no Tancredo. With Perry gone, there is no more talk of a Chuck Norris employment plan (Ranger Recon Teams) or bashing Romney for not racially profilling his lawn care workers. Get used to the term "Self-deportation". 


I think Romney's position of pro-legal immigration and embracing Newt's military only concept of a Dream Act, while still being firm in border security and internal enforcement (E-Verify) is a solid and well thoughtout stance, contrary to what certain Gingrich supporters claimed a few months back. And one that is still very much electable and not that desirous on Hispanic support (I can easily see Romney still getting a sufficient 39-41%, even with this position depending on the campaign being run and proper amount of definition and nuance being firmly established by Romney). Romney also appeared to articulate a path to legalization, that also included touchback or leaving the country and getting at the back of the line (The only way I would support a legalization plan). This explanation helps clarify what Romney meant in December 2007 on Meet The Press. Touchback solves the "Serial Amnesty" problem of creating the next wave) and is completely consistent with opposing Amnesty. Another alleged Romney flip flop can be tossed in the trash, though none of the Anti-Mittens people will notice or care. The question about supporting English as a national language while still campaigning in local languages was well articulated by Gingrich as to why that isn't hypocrisy. Unlike 2008, when that question was butchered and used as a way to bash Romney and others who were doing that. Ron Paul also had a good point about how Florida should have the right to do it's ballots however it wants regardless of what the feds do.

I think Santorum did the best overall. Romney and Newt kind of hit each other into a draw (versus each other) and put each other into second place to Rick with that beginning interaction. Ron Paul had some good points as usuall. However, if Mitt Romney wants to win Florida he has to do better though. He needs to win the next debate.

I agree with you on the matter, but there were nevertheless a number of people who laughed at the debate when he said it.

[LastVoter]

It was a mediocre debate for Newt, and a merely OK one for Romney (you could tell that his new debate coach had worked for Bachmann, and that isn't a good thing). Their confrontation was the most interesting moment of the entire thing but it's not clear whether anyone came out on top, though it does something to undercut Gingrich's (absurd) argument that he's the best candidate because he's a good debater.

Santorum, mostly by default, won (obligatory dismissive parenthetical mention of Ron Paul). But he can't shed the irritable troll persona and present himself as a unifying figure. Unfortunate for him, because Romney's current travails represent the best chance that he's had to be a serious contender, and it seems as though he's incapable of taking advantage of the opportunity.

Anyway, I don't think that it matters. Tonight's debate doesn't change anything. Thursday's CNN debate, which will probably have a more animated audience, might be different.

To be honest, Romney almost KO'd Gingrich in the heated exchange where he almost had a Perry moment(paused for a while), but it was a second too short to be really awkward.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Santorum, if only because Romney and Gingrich were absolutely awful and petty. That five minute exchange between the two on Freddie Mac irritated/bored me to no end.

Mitt dodged everything as usual, but the laughs he got when he said "self-deportation" were comical.

The concept makes a lot of sense. I have espoused it for the better part of five years as being the best way to deal with illegal immigration, rather then rounding people up or giving people who have broken the law in a serial fashion (Props to Santorum for pointing this out) a free pass and encouraging the next wave to come. I would have to say that the real winner of this debate was the immigration issue. Because for the first time we had an honest discussion that we should have been having all along. The only reason people laughed is because they have it engrained in their heards that the only two options are McCain/Kennedy/Obama/Bush or the Tancredo Hitler style racist approach. With a debate of four, two of whom are Romney and Santorum, the discussion has improved greatly on this issue. There is no McCain/Giuliani and there is no Tancredo. With Perry gone, there is no more talk of a Chuck Norris employment plan (Ranger Recon Teams) or bashing Romney for not racially profilling his lawn care workers. Get used to the term "Self-deportation". 


I think Romney's position of pro-legal immigration and embracing Newt's military only concept of a Dream Act, while still being firm in border security and internal enforcement (E-Verify) is a solid and well thoughtout stance, contrary to what certain Gingrich supporters claimed a few months back. And one that is still very much electable and not that desirous on Hispanic support (I can easily see Romney still getting a sufficient 39-41%, even with this position depending on the campaign being run and proper amount of definition and nuance being firmly established by Romney). Romney also appeared to articulate a path to legalization, that also included touchback or leaving the country and getting at the back of the line (The only way I would support a legalization plan). This explanation helps clarify what Romney meant in December 2007 on Meet The Press. Touchback solves the "Serial Amnesty" problem of creating the next wave) and is completely consistent with opposing Amnesty. Another alleged Romney flip flop can be tossed in the trash, though none of the Anti-Mittens people will notice or care. The question about supporting English as a national language while still campaigning in local languages was well articulated by Gingrich as to why that isn't hypocrisy. Unlike 2008, when that question was butchered and used as a way to bash Romney and others who were doing that. Ron Paul also had a good point about how Florida should have the right to do it's ballots however it wants regardless of what the feds do.

I think Santorum did the best overall. Romney and Newt kind of hit each other into a draw (versus each other) and put each other into second place to Rick with that beginning interaction. Ron Paul had some good points as usuall. However, if Mitt Romney wants to win Florida he has to do better though. He needs to win the next debate.

I agree with you on the matter, but there were nevertheless a number of people who laughed at the debate when he said it.

It is because they don't understand it. They think it is some kind of voluntary system which would be ludicrous. No one would voluntarily leave without incentives. We have seen the economic collapse provide it's own incentive and thus this has already happened in many sectors. Using E-verify, you spread that to all sectors. The thing about doing it at the federal level is that you can put in place a Guest Worker program and combined with a "Touchback style legalization plan" (legalize for a short time then require them to leave and get at the back of the line.), you can create a transition that doesn't leave you in a GA/SC/AL situation of economic ruin for lack of workers for several years.

If we had more debates like this on the issue, with more depth on the specifics, people wouldn't be laughing at the idea, they would be too busy thinking.

[Napoleon]

Paul won by, believe it or not, being less of a psychotic extremist than his opponents.

[Smash255]

Barack Obama

This ^^^^

[J. J.]

Mittens.  Newt looked like GOP version of Tip O'Neil, and a lobbyist.  Santorum was close, but the South American al Qaeda comment made his look like a bit of a nut (even if he's right).

[ucscgaldamez]

Newt B-
Santorum B-
Romney C
Paul C-

[Jacobtm]

Newt has shown what simply putting on a stern face and changing the subject can do for you.

[Ⓐnarchy in the ☭☭☭P!]

Newt tried to play the populist but failed because his strength is apparently fueled by audience applause.

Romney tried to be a tough attack dog, but failed because he's still inhabited by the Ghost of Rick Perry's Debate Performance.

Paul and Santorum did okay I guess, though "winning" a debate like this says nothing.

[Politico]

Newt tried to play the populist but failed because his strength is apparently fueled by audience applause.

Take away the applause Gingrich gets from sideshow debates, not real debates like the one last night, and Gingrich is pretty much the Republican version of Chris Dodd: An angry, old, fat has-been with lackluster ethics/morals.

[angus]

Rick rises above.

I agree.  I voted for Santorum in the last two debate polls.  I don't know if his solid debate performances are helping him in the primaries, though. 

[CARLHAYDEN]

Santorum had the strongest performance, but I think Newt is still best positioned.

Pretty good evaluation.

[Bacon King]

If it wasn't for that first commercial break, one of Newt or Romney would have imploded last night, with the extended fight leaving one of them too flustered to make a save. Newt Gingrich, in his last response, seemed like he was almost going to bring up that one Bain Capital company that committed a bunch of Meficare fraud. I guess he's saving that attack for the next debate though (or later? You would think Medicare fraud would be a big deal for old Florida voters, but they gave Rick Scott a free pass there).

[TheGlobalizer]

No one really won this.  Everyone was par for the course, so Paul and Santorum "win" by being functionally indistinguishable from the "leaders".