Big Moment in Tonight’s Fox News Republican Presidential Debate

As noted earlier, due to technical difficulties from my blogging site in Missouri, I can’t view the Fox News debate on TV or online and the connection is far too slow to do live blogging. However, Andrew Sullivan who is doing live blogging reports on what SOUNDS as if it is the kind of moment that is going to get Ron Paul a lot of votes and hurt Newt Gingrich:

9.39 pm. A very dumb attack on Paul on earmarks. He defends himself with a great argument about taking deductions in the tax code. Cavuto doesn’t listen. Paul arues forcefully for a president who doesn’t want power, who doesn’t want to run things, who wants to protect the freedom of the citizens of the US. That radical argument, which is deep in American history and tradition, is the real change Paul represents. “I don’t want to run things!” “I don’t want to run the world!” Given our bloated dictatorial imperial presidency, it’s the cure.

9.31 pm. How did Barney Frank “exploit” his power with respect to Freddie and Fannie, as Newt asserts, before he attacks others for loose allegations? And Gingrich’s answer on this was a terrible mess. Paul destroyed him. I don’t see how Gingrich can defend this corporate cronyism and financial whoring. Then he’s telling the crowd that there are great examples of government-run enterprises around the country. Bachmann comes in for the kill: she wanted to end Freddie Mac when Gingrich was cashing its checks. Her best moment yet in any of the debates.

Gingrich is reeling. His line about lobbying is pathetic. And Bachmann, God bless her, won’t relent. She uses Politifact against Gingrich. His response is rattled and weak. On the ropes. And arguing in Iowa that the government’s encouragement of home ownership is still a good idea, he is surely sowing even more doubts about his conservative credibility.

Keep in mind when you read live blogging and the comment after about the fragility of conventional wisdom. This afternoon several pundits were talking about Gingrich getting the nomination due to anti-Romney feeling and some $20 million Gingrich will get from a rich supporter who owns a Casino.

But just as Romney can’t escape his flip-flops and the the kind of health care system he put into place in Massachusetts — which many moderates and centrists like, by the way — neither can Gingrich flee forever his past history, unless he has excellent answers prepared in advance. And, from the sound of this, it sounds like he doesn’t…yet..But he will not get another shot for such a big audience in Iowa.

ALSO LIVE BLOGGING:
–Daily Kos (they have several threads)
The Daily Kos has this entry – this time one about Gingrich wowwing the crowd:

6:52 PM PT: Another rude question to Newt, this one citing “conservative” attorneys general who think Newt is “dangerous” on judicial issues because he wants to get rid of the 9th circuit. Gingrich blasts right into the question and the crowd loves his answer: which is to blast what he calls an excessive judiciary and defends the idea of nuking the 9th, which the crowd just loves. Kelly follows up repeating her original question, again citing conservative attorneys general who think his plan is “ridiculous.” He blasts away again—crowd loves it. Definitely best moment of debate for him.

–PJ Media’s Stephen “Vodka Pundit” Green is doing his legendary “drunk blogging” (which I increasingly feel may be the best way to watch the GOP debates.) Here’s one entry:

6:48PM To Newt: Why do you hate the judiciary?

6:49PM Newt: My plan is so big, your puny brain is unable to comprehend it. I wrote a paper! In 2002! And I typed it with my eyeballs!

6:50PM Newt: As an historian, I AM THE ALL-POWEFUL ZORG!

6:51PM To Bachmann: Newt’s some crazy about courts, huh?

6:52PM Bachmann: I’ll show you crazy.

Sorry — cheap shot. Bachmann is giving a good answer here, and it goes to the root of how progressives have corrupted our courts.

6:53PM Paul: “The proper procedure is impeachment.”

6:54PM To Romney: Why, as governor, did you nominate a bunch of Democrats?

6:54PM Romney: I had to get my appointments past a commission of seven Democrats. What would you do?

6:56PM Supreme Court Justice Roulette time. Count me out.

–The Huffington Post has a variety of debate related entries HERE.
For instance, this Tweet from Howard Fineman:

Newt Speaks Out
@ howardfineman : Newt just through his hand grenade of the night: abolish “grotesquely dictatorial” courts. Abolish, subpoena and impeach. (Megan’s a lawyer)

And this on moderator Chris Wallace:

9:44 PM – Today
Wallace Pits Newt Against Mitt
Wallace took up his section of the debate, which he called “D.C. culture,” with a question that referenced this week’s Romney-Gingrich dust-up, in which Romney suggested that Gingrich should give back the money he accepted shilling for Freddie Mac, earning him a response that he should give back the millions he made at Bain Capital, destroying jobs and breaking up companies.

Both men responded by avoiding inflaming the other. Romney characterized Newt’s Bain attacks as a thing he welcomed, because it’s the “same attack” he expects from President Obama. He then neatly turned the question around, placing the focus on Obama and off of Gingrich. “This president doesn’t know how the economy works, to create jobs, it helps to have created jobs.” As far as his role in destroying jobs at Bain, Romney said that he would turn the question around on Obama, asking him about plants that closed during his tenure. Romney said that he expects Obama to respond by saying that all of his actions were geared toward saving jobs, and he said that he would say that his work at Bain Capital mirrored these intentions.

Wallace forced Gingrich to account for being on the Freddie Mac payroll, and charged him with hypocrisy. Gingrich blamed Barney Frank and Christopher Dodd for Freddie Mac’s woes, and then painted himself as a leading figure in the field of educating potential homeowners on how to buy a house (the same way he apparently taught generals “the art of war”).

Critically, he did not take Wallace’s bait and wade back into his previous criticism of Romney, which earned him an excoriation from George Will, who accused Gingrich of “faulting Romney for committing acts of capitalism.”

– Jason Linkins

There are a ton more entries so go to the link. This page is constantly being updated.