Some Thoughts on the Tampa Debate

Monday Night Football, US Open final and a Republican Debate. That's when you need a controller. As it was, I opted to spend most my time watching the debate. This was in Tampa before a Tea Party audience and hosted by CNN's hapless Wolf Blitzer. No, he didn't get attacked. Besides, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was there to come to his rescue as well as trash all the candidates to CNN after the debate was over.

The debate was spirited. Mitt Romney and Rick Perry were fast on their feet as they traded jabs at each other. Michele Bachmann came out aggressively as she went after Perry's trying to institute an executive order that all schoolgirls in Texas be vaccinated against cervical cancer. She really raised the tension level when she talked about the (Merck) vaccine company having contributed to Perry's gubernatorial campaign and the fact that one of Perry's closest advisers had ties to the company. Perry responded by saying that if Bachmann was saying he could be bought for $5,000 (which was the Merck contribution), he was offended. However, he said nothing about the political aide, whoever he/she was. Bachmann did what she had to do to regain ground in the polls. She was passionate in voicing her opposition to mandatory vaccinations especially since there had been serious side effects.

Perry was getting the loudest applause for awhile until he started defending his policy of giving college aid to children of illegal aliens. The audience did not like that.

Even less did they like Rand Paul defending his criticism of our Middle East policies as something that (according to him) contributed to 9-11. As he talked about our military dropping bombs and killing people in Afghanistan and Iraq, the audience booed.

As usual, Newt Gingrich dropped great lines and performed well-as he will in all the debates. It's not helping him though. As articulate as he is, he can't make himself popular.

I thought Romney did very well, especially since he clearly did not have the audience on his side.

The winner? Wolf Blitzer. He finally did a good job and didn't lose control.