GOP California debate: Candidate Rundown

Viewers of last night’s Republican debate from the Reagan Library certainly got their 90-minutes’ worth, as it was an event full of sparks and personal attacks. McCain clearly emerged as the frontrunner in the race, while Romney tried his darnedest to play catch-up ina  fight he’s losing. Nobody blew away the field and both McCain and Romney stumbled, but not enough to make serious waves. Huckabee looked stronger than usual, but he’s too far back and is just blatantly trying to get a slot as McCain’s Veep.

No way for us to pick out a winner and loser from such a tight field and small debate. That decision is also a product of the hits that everyone took - on a variety of issues. We’ll just go to the rundown.

•  MIKE HUCKABEE : Still no chance to win the big prize, but Huck came off as much more friendly and down-to-earth than any other person at the table last night.  Has nothing to lose, so he can loosen up and talk the talk of the people. Amazing how much he has toned down his religious fervor and has been able to focus on his most popular message; taxes and the economy. Bumps were apparent, such as when he tried to revive his pledge from the Florida debate to nix tax rebates and instead build a government-funded superhighway from Maine to Florida. This time, in California, he proposed a West Coast road. Cute… None of his answers ever show a lot of depth. But the base he’s going after loves that about him; they view too much information as political posturing and a sign of intellectual arrogance. Add his wonderful personality to all of this, and Huck would be a perfect ticket-mate.
• JOHN MCCAIN : He’s a tireless, crusty political warrior and it showed again in Simi Valley. Roasting Romney on a spit with a smile and a laugh, openly admiring Huckabee - a potential supporter, and getting combative with questioners VandeHei and Hook after they grilled him over immigration. He would have ended the race immediately if there had been no slip-up’s mixed in with his hammering of Mitt. Got him good on Iraq and taxes: Mitt was forced to give Kerry-style evasive answers, basically saying “I supported it before I was against it” on tax cuts and the Iraq surge. This is why JMac and so many other Republicans hate Romney. But then plenty of GOPers hate JMac, too, and that showed last night. Choked on immigration, refusing to say whether he would now support his ‘06 bill after getting hammered on it along the early trail. Also dodged plenty on those sketchy Bush tax cuts and others. Was stronger on the economy, but it’s still a weak spot. Did what he had to do…
• MITT ROMNEY : Looked frazzled and frustrated at so many times last night. Amazingly began to lose his famous cool when McCain got in a good punch and trapped him on the Iraq surge. Turned into a he said/he said - with the facts stacked against Mitt. McCauin ended up overreaching and goofing on some key points, but Mitt wouldn’t let it go and continued going at it with lame excuses in defending his Iraq stance. Can’t get away from the facts: He could have voiced support for the surge early - a month before he launched his 2008 run; he didn’t. Doesn’t matter that he still looks “presidential” and gets out what he now says are his core conservative principles. He’s not the frontrunner. He’s falling behind McCain in mojo and Republican support. He needs something big.
• RON PAUL: A boring afterthought at this point.Lost his novelty factor now that the race is almost over and he’s not getting the crazy 10% in New Hampshire like he was. Stuck to his anti-government, anti-war guns last night. He’s a fine gentleman and someone who has voiced beliefs seen as the real base of the GOP platform. But he’s not the phenomenon he once was.

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