Everyone’s talking about Romney’s 10K bet last night, but I don’t think it hurts him much with Republican voters. It just shows that he knows how to make it rain. Where’s your spare 10 G’s, bitch?
Romney had a weak debate performance because he didn’t come across as a straight-talking tough guy during the rest of the debate. Here’s a good analysis from a debate coach, which is fairly similar to Steve M’s take:
The first error was when George Stephanopoulos directed a possible bonanza question to Romney. He asked Romney if he was more conservative (his potential weakness) and more electable (his potential strength) than Gingrich. Perfect softball. In one answer, Romney could erase doubts about his conservatism for the base of Republican voters and he could talk about how he is the only candidate who can beat Obama (as evidenced in polls).
Romney’s answer? Moon mining. Seriously. After starting with some generic answer about the direction of the country, his first specific example was that he was different from Gingrich on moon colonies. “We could start with his idea to have a lunar colony that would mine minerals from the moon. I’m not in favor of spending that kind of money to do that.”
[….]Gingrich was far from passive, stepping up repeatedly to attack. A favorite line: “I am a Reaganite, I’m proud to be a Reaganite. I will tell the truth even at the risk of causing some confusion, sometimes with the timid.” That’s what the Republicans are looking for. They want tough conservative talk and someone who can take the fight to Obama. Gingrich behaved as though he was ready and willing to do so. And Romney missed his chance in this debate.
Keep it simple: Reagan good, Jesus good, free market good, Obama bad, soshulism bad, terists bad. And say it like you mean it. No one gives a fuck about moon minerals anymore than they gave a fuck about bear DNA in 2008. Romney thinks he can win by being the knowledgeable, serious one, who knows that the others’ ideas are all crazy (and it’s true that they are crazy) but that won’t work. It sure hasn’t worked so far.
Before Romney was behind Gingrich in the polls, he was behind Donald Trump, then Rick Perry, then Hermain Cain. Then one day they had to crash, but seriousness wouldn’t have helped that batch. Trump crashed when Obama smacked him down with the birth certificate, not because voters thought Trump was crazy for believing it, but because Obama made Trump look weak and unmanly. Perry crashed, not when he talked about lynching Ben Bernanke, but when he started acting like a candy ass pain-killer addict. Herman Cain’s I-don’t-know-Korea-but-I-know-crazy act was playing just fine before the librul media paid those she-devils to accuse him of harassment.
Romney thinks he’s competing on Jeopardy when he’s really on Quien Es Mas Macho.