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Ron Paul Debate Performance May Have Hurt John McCain
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By Tim Morgan
Jan 25, 2008 |
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The Florida debate that was hosted by MSNBC for the Republican Party was important for the voters of Florida. It was the polar opposite of the Democratic debates of late and showcased some civility and it seems clear that most observers believed that Mitt Romney won the debate. Certainly he was better than his main competition, John McCain, and from my observations I think McCain was hurt a bit by Ron Paul.
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| Ron Paul Debate Performance May Have Hurt John McCain |
Wait - what? Hear me out. Paul is a ten-term US Congressman from Texas and he will finish in dead last in Florida. Most of the party shudders when he speaks but on Thursday night his performance was spot on as most of the debate was on the economy and that is his specialty.
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Romney looked good, sounded presidential and mixed in some pretty good humor. Mike Huckabee and Rudy Giuliani weren't very good in the debate, but neither did anything to hurt their campaigns. But both needed serious efforts or they are going to fade away very quickly after Tuesday's vote. Then there was Ron Paul. Many have dubbed him a kook and while I'm not sure that is fair, but he has taken on some heavy fire in the earlier debates.
This one was different, civility ruled and Paul was able to speak clearly and stayed on message and highlighted his strength which is the understanding of economic policy. There was a special section of the debate where candidates were allowed to quiz other candidates with specific questions. Paul aimed his at McCain and his answer was confusing at best. It was a question about the transparency of government and McCain just rattled off a bunch of insiders names and seemed very confused. See the video here.
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The debate showed again that McCain's biggest weakness will be economic policy and as the campaign has shifted away from the war in Iraq this may be an ongoing problem for McCain. If this thing turns into "It's the economy stupid" as I believe it will, McCain is in trouble.
Who knew that Mitt Romney's best ally in the state of Florida would wind up as being Ron Paul. If Romney rallies for a win in the Sunshine State he may have to send Paul a thank you note.
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