Scorecard: Tonight’s 2012 Republican Debate
NEW: MY SCORECARD FOR THE JUNE 13, 2011 DEBATE.
Tonight’s Republican debate, the first of the 2012 presidential race, officially marked the beginning of next year’s presidential election. Unofficially, it marked the beginning of spring training.
The biggest headline from tonight’s debate had less to do with the candidates who showed up than the candidates who didn’t. Mitt Romney was nowhere to be found. Mike Huckabee was absent. So were Newt Gingrich, Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, and Donald Trump.
Of the five Republicans taking the stage tonight, only one (Tim Pawlenty) is viewed as a viable contender for the GOP nomination. But this post won’t focus on their odds of winning the nomination; rather, it will focus on their skills as communicators.
Here are their grades for tonight’s debate, from best to worst:
Who He Is: Pawlenty, also known as “T-Paw,” was governor of Minnesota from 2003-2011.
How He Did: Pawlenty managed to throw red meat to the Republican base while not saying anything controversial enough to offend independents. He made no unforced errors, allowing him to remain near the top of this B-list. Pawlenty wasted his first 30 seconds thanking everyone from the Fox News Channel to Greenville, SC. In doing so, he looked like a typical, uninspiring, boring politician.
He wisely deflected when given an opportunity to attack fellow candidate Mitt Romney, preventing news organizations from reporting a “Pawlenty vs. Romney” story line. His crowd-pleasing language regarding President Obama’s health care plan was a winner: “[Democrats] jammed down our throats one of the most partisan pieces of legislation in our country.”
When booed by his audience about his previous support for cap and trade, he wisely made no excuses and diffused the issue early in the campaign cycle by saying:
“We’re going to have a few clunkers in your record, we all do. And that’s one of mine – I just admit it. I don’t try to duck it, bob it, weave it, try to explain it away. I’m just telling ya I made a mistake. I’m looking the American people in the eye and telling them I made a mistake.”
Pawlenty looks a bit uneasy in his own skin. His awkward gestures are reminiscent of a combination of Al Gore and Will Forte’s fictional Saturday Night Live candidate Tim Calhoun.
Grade: B
Who He Is: Cain is the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, and a former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
How He Did: Cain refused to describe his policy on Afghanistan, saying he didn’t have access to “confidential” information. He also refused to describe his views on Syria and Libya, again retreating to his talking points about the need to clearly define a military strategy.
Cain deserves credit for delivering numerous media-friendly sound bites.
When asked about his lack of government experience, Cain earned a laugh by saying:
“I’m proud of the fact, quite frankly, that I haven’t held public office before…most of the people that are in elected office in Washington, DC., they have held public office before. How’s that working for ya?”
When asked about President Obama’s decision to kill Osama Bin Laden, Cain said: “One right decision doth not a great president make.”
When asked why he no longer supports Mitt Romney, he said: “I’m running now rather than supporting Mr. Romney because he did not win, so I’m going to try my time.”
I’m reluctant to say that Cain occupies the same role in this debate as Al Sharpton did the Democratic debates in 2008, because readers may assume I’m making a comparison based on race. I’m not. Rather, I’m comparing both men’s ability to elicit laughter from audiences with witty, media-friendly one-liners. But he’s not running for comedian-in-chief, and it’s tough to see him moving beyond the second tier of candidates.
Grade: B-
Who He Is: First elected to the House of Representatives in 1976, Dr. Paul has earned the moniker “Dr. No” for his refusal to vote for most legislation that would expand government. He is a libertarian popular with the Ayn Rand crowd.
How He Did: Paul wins points for his authenticity and passion. It’s tough to imagine anybody who regards him as a phony. Although he got off a few good lines, he too often resorted to using more professorial language. For example, his attacks on the Federal Reserve play well to his fans, but leaves most of the country cold.
To his credit, Paul managed a presidential debate first – he earned the approval of a South Carolina crowd while defending the legalization of heroin. But if that’s his high point, he’s in trouble.
Grade: C
Who He Is: A former two-term Senator from Pennsylvania who was voted out of office in 2006 by an embarrassing 17-point margin.
How He Did: If voters elected the most strident candidate, Santorum would win. Of course, they don’t. Otherwise, we’d be in the second term of President Howard Dean.
Santorum’s facial gestures come across as annoyed, defensive and angry, and he doesn’t radiate any of the optimism voters consistently opt for in their presidential candidates.
He fell into the trap of using the language of denial when he proclaimed, “I’m not anti-Islam.” In so doing, he gave the media a perfect four word sound bite – one that does him few favors. He notably received no applause when he declared repealing ObamaCare the most important issue facing this nation.
Grade: D
Who He Is: The former two-term New Mexico governor is also a libertarian known for his socially progressive and economically conservative views.
How He Did: Johnson seems like a nice guy, and would be fun to share a bong hit with. But he wouldn’t know a good sound bite if it punched him in the nose — he’s all facts, no inspiration. At one point, Johnson had to remind the moderators he was still there. When called on next, he offered a wonky, jargon-filled, and uninspiring lecture on Medicare.
Instead of deflecting an idiotic question about “which reality television show” he would like to be a part of, he painfully attempted to answer it. He should have rejected the stupid question and transitioned to something of substance instead.
Finally, what was with his thumbs? Throughout the debate, they were involuntarily dancing while he rested his hands on the lectern – an obvious sign of discomfort.
Grade: D-
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Related: 2012 Election Preview: The Final Rankings
Related: Five Types of Political Humor: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
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Pawlenty was such an obvious phony I had to fast forward through his answers a few times.
“Paul wins points for his authenticity and passion. It’s tough to imagine anybody who regards him as a phony. Although he got off a few good lines, he too often resorted to using more professorial language. For example, his attacks on the Federal Reserve play well to his fans, but leaves most of the country cold.”
I think you underestimate the number of Americans finally paying attention to economics.
Sure the Defender of the Constitution gets a C ? Love the left handed attack with the Legalizing Heroin crack… I guess understanding what Dr. Paul is saying about Freedom just fly’s right over your head! Suggestion, Put your personal Neo Con bias aside and read a few books so you can understand what Dr. Paul trying to convea… Ron Paul Supporters are use to these bias attacks… Riddle me this… did any of the other people in this debate raise a million dollars in a day last week? So Shhhh the Grown ups are talking!
Ron Paul a grade C? Are you kidding me? His courage to ask everyone if they would do heroin if it was legalized gives him an A in my book.
The fact that journalists think that discussing the end of the drug war means “trouble” is, itself, troubling.
I don’t disagree with you that Mr. Paul took a courageous stand regarding the decriminalization of drugs. But I can’t think of a single Republican who’s ever won the nomination on such a platform, and have little reason to believe it will be more successful this time around.
You show your lack of understanding of the people outside of the beltway when you put Pawlenty above Cain. If you have not watched the focus group after the debate, watch it.
As Cain becomes more visabe he will be a real challenger. If he had the exposure Pawlenty has had, he would be far ahead of the present debators.
David,
Thanks for your message. Cain-like candidates often have early appeal – think Howard Dean, Pat Buchanan, and Ross Perot – but rarely win. I suspect you’re right that he’ll pick up more support along the way, but no historical trend suggests he’ll be able to pull off the nomination.
Thanks for writing in,
Brad
Brad, thank you for the review. It seems to me that these guys think they are auditioning to see who can bash Obama the best.
For the comments I read that say Brad needs to look at outside information, you forget that this was a review of the debate, not the candidates as a whole.
Finally Brad, I think you are mistaken in thinking that these are the B team. Serious Republican candidates are afraid to take on Obama right now. Think back to 2004 when Hillary Clinton would have been a shoe-in for the Dem nomination. Why waste your shot going after an incumbent? It’s a political calculation. Not to mention, I looked at this image from foxnews.com http://bit.ly/j0xMPy
Apperance does make a difference. While T-Paw is the tallest, Gary Johnson and Herman Cain are the only 2 who look even remotely presidential.
My prediction, T-Paw will get the nomination, and will get obliterated in the 2012 General Election.
Brian
Hi Brian,
Thank you for the thoughtful comment – I always appreciate respectful disagreement.
To your main point, I think you’re right that a lot of contenders are staying away due to what they perceive as President Obama’s electoral strength – Mike Huckabee even said as much. John Thune, Jeb Bush, Haley Barbour, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Mike Pence, and Mitch Daniels may forgo the election, and your calculation was likely in the forefront of their minds. Mitt Romney may yet prove formidable, and there’s always a chance for an unexpected person to announce their candidacy.
Thanks again for your comment.
Brad
David Kramer, the focus group was a hack job. Watch it again. they were all handpicked to say good things about Herman Cain. The media has a disgusting bias. Just as they shut out Ron Paul in 2007, they are trying again.
My serious analysis is that Pawlenty flat-lined. I (and everyone else) expected him to give canned, professional politician answers and he delivered. No surprise there. The ONLY thing he has over Romney is that he is not an obnoxious self-absorbed flip-flopper.
The best debater IMHO was Rick Santorum – I was SHOCKED! Having seen him numerous times on Greta, I thought he was a pointless, snobby politician wasting our time. But, it must be said that he answered every question with un-reserved passion, intensity and honesty. Too bad I disagree with him on the issues. But I do respect that he stood firm. He was not boring. He loses points for trying to pull a Giuliani and attacking Ron Paul on Afghanistan. Thankfully the moderators nipped that in the bud.
Cain – He was one of the three I was looking forward to. He lost my vote, so the debate was worth it just for that. I have no interest in electing a babysitter who wants to censor pictures. As for his answers, he is a talk-radio host, so his succinctness was to be expected and left MUCH to be desired – he gave no real answers. History proves he has no chance – Ross Perot lost once it came down to the nitty-gritty.
Ron Paul – Surprised me! He was much more clear than he usually is, and the heroin quip was a riot! I was shocked that the uber-conservative crowd reacted positively; that alone was worthwhile – we NEED to reassess the waste of resources the War on Drugs has cost us, not to mention the National Security problems coming from Mexico. He fumbled his closing statement, but otherwise he was the winner. But, he can’t win because his negatives from the last time around are too high.
Gary Johnson. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. He was WAY TOO NERVOUS. A total BUMMER for me because he has the BEST record of any governor our country has ever seen. He would definitely make the best President, and he COULD have carried on Ron Paul’s torch. He doesn’t have to overcome Paul’s high negatives, so he is truly our country’s best hope. This was only the first debate, so he still has time to redeem himself, but the podium will be over-flowing with professional politicians from here on out, so he has a STEEP hill to climb. He has got to get out there and and expose his great record as governor and explain his stances clearly to the public, but he’ll have to make an effort to go on TV to do this.
Ron Paul crushed this debate! If the mainstream media circus will give him fair coverage this time around I think he will win. His stance on foreign policy is right on the money. I’m in the military and have actually been on the front lines, literally, and what he says about the cost of war both economically and through worldwide credibility is spot on. How WOULD we like it if Rusiia was playing around in Mexico establishing bases?
If people actually listened to what he said about heroin, all he was saying is that it should be up to the states to decide what is legal and how to enforce it, not the government. I definitely wouldn’t use heroin if it was legal and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t either! You know why!? Because that stuff destroys lives! There is alot of truth to the fact that drug cartels exist because these things are illegal.
Its sad that you only pay attention to what he said about the legalization of drugs and completly ignored the rest of the topics he was asked about. The heroin question was just one question and Fox was just trying to make him look bad like they always do and he still got an enormous applause from the crowd. How can his talk about the constitution and our liberties as Americans go over your head? You do remember the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? Seems so many people have totally forgotten about it.
Hi Zach,
I agree with you that Mr. Paul discussed much more during the debate than drug legalization. But that’s exactly the point — if he is going to deliver such a compelling sound bite regarding the legalization of heroin, he can be assured it’s the one thing the media will pick up on and report. He’s a seasoned enough spokesperson to know that, and if he didn’t want that to be the headline, he had the power to phrase his view differently.
Thanks for the comment, and please visit the blog again.
Brad
What about his compelling soundbites about our Constitution and Liberties??? How does that go over everyones head? When i first heard Ron talk in 2008 thats what got my attention. Is passion about our Constitution is unparralled. Leave it to mainstream media to only point out his view on heroin legalization. I just dont get how everyone can ignore what he has to say about the Constitution. Saying he is unelectable is like saying Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln were unelectable cause they all had the same passion for the Constitution.
Ron Paul absolutely crushed the debate! I have never been so impressed with a political figure as I am with Ron Paul. He has the single most consistent voting record, he is honest and does NO MAN’S dealings. He is about the constitution.
Notice, if you look at him on youtube or anywhere you will never find a video entitled “Ron Paul get’s owned” or “Ron Paul loses debate” It is absolutely impossible to lose a debate on politics if you ONLY debate with THE CONSTITUTION!
It is disgusting what the media is doing to him, they put Tim Pawlenty as the lead republican……are you kidding me. Don’t get me wrong….he is fairly impressive. But he is just a cookie cutter republican! Same with Mitt Romney, Santorum, and don’t even get my started on Gary Johnson. Herman Cain is impressive, but still veers away from the constitution, I do feel like he would make a fine president though.
Ron Pauls foreign policy is outstanding. I want you to look up videos of these other candidates at town hall meetings…..or when confronted by people on the streets. They ALL shy away from difficult questions. Wether it be about foreign policy, drugs, abortion, or gay marriage. Ron Paul and Herman Cain are the only ones who I have YET to see do this.
It is time to get a good and honest politician in the white house. Ron Paul can literally solve almost every problem this country has. He has proven that he will not do the GOP’s bidding, for heavens sake the GOP spends like the libs! He will get my vote. I am finally old enough to vote this coming year and he will get mine!
The main thing that is offensive to me, is that people look at me and because I am 20 and a huge Ron Paul supporter they assume that I am a pot head. When In reality I have NEVER done drugs, I do NOT drink or smoke, and I have a job that pays over 50k a year. I am a responsible spouse and a concerned American citizen. I do have hope for him!
Ethan Holden