By now most of us have seen Mr Perry's gaffe at the Debate on Wednesday night. If you haven't, its on the second video. The first video is from a a Fox News Republican debate on September 22, 2011. Both show two major setbacks in Perry's campaign because of how embarrassing the exchanges are. I previously noted how the Perry campaign has been sluggish since he entered the race as a perceived front runner. You have two videos here to see why.
In August, several polls placed Perry ahead of Romney as the front runner for the Republican nomination for president. Between his announcement in mid-August and 3rd quarter reporting deadlines on September 30th, Perry raised over $17 million for his campaign. At this point, he is still second among Republicans in total funds raised, according to the Federal Elections Commission. To many conservative Republicans, Perry positioned himself as the "anti-Romney", someone who could represent those who felt that Romney was too liberal to be the party nominee.
As someone who entered the presidential race relatively late compared to other candidates, Perry had to increase his name recognition and fare well at the debates to maintain his place among the top of Republican contenders. While he has increased his name recognition, it has largely been due to pitiful debate performances, not with great performances like he needed. In two separate debates he has missed the mark in historical fashion, leaving many wondering if he was able to handle the media spotlight and the pressures of a national campaign. His debate follies will rival Richard Nixon's performance against John F. Kennedy in the lead-up to the 1960 presidential election. That is certainly not the company that Perry wants to keep, but it is unfortunately where he is now.
In my last post I described how Newt Gingrich has done well for himself due in large part to his eloquence at the debates. Because of Perry's inability to capture the conservative base of the party, voters have opened their minds to both Gingrich and Cain. A new CBS/NYTimes poll places Gingrich tied with Romney for second place, with Cain having a five point lead over the two. If Gingrich, who has raised only 2.9 million dollars (compared to Romney's $32.2 million) can persuade voters that he is the consistent conservative to rival Romney, he very well might be able to take Romney head on in the primaries.
This is kind of off-topic, but after while I watched the debate on Wednesday night, I couldn't help but notice how cluttered the stage was. It is difficult for people to make connections with potential candidates when there is such limited time to be able to hear the ideas of candidates. I Tweeted during the debate that the next debate should feature Romney, Cain, Gingrich, Perry, and Paul because Bachmann, Santorum, and Huntsman have such little support from voters. Even before his epic blooper, I was hesitant to include Perry on the list. After the blunder, I am sure it is time to take him off the list. Although this will not happen, I think the debate should be left to Romney, Cain, Gingrich, and Paul. These four offer diverse views and each have significant support from the potential GOP voters. This will allow voters more intimate insights on each candidate, without having to worry about Mrs Bachmann dodging every question asked of her and using her time solely to bash Obama. And while the economy is certainly going to be the predominant aspect of the next election, let's ask the candidates about questions other than tax and economic policy. There's much more to each candidate than those issues.
It has been incredible to see how important the debates have been in shaping voter's opinions of candidates. It is easy to understand why Romney among the top of the field with his fundraising capabilities and name recognition from the 2008 primaries. However, neither Cain nor Gingrich have the national organization or campaign war chest that Romney has, yet they still rival him in the polls due to excitement around their debate performances. And Perry, who has raised over $17 million has suffered such an epic decline in support due to his performances. With only a few more months until the Iowa Caucuses, this is anyone's game (of the four I mentioned).
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