"I Was Brainwashed" *

*The remark that brought down George Romney's campaign in 1968.

Apparently it runs in the family. Last night Mitt Romney pressed by Rick Perry about his suggestions about a national health care mandate in the first edition of his book,said," You want to bet $10,000." Romney claimedf it wasn't in the book. The twitter feed went haywire at this and the DNC promptly sent out e-mails about all the things Americans could get for $10,000 emphasizing how out of touch Romney was about the life of daily Americans. This is being likened to George H.W.Bush's problem with grocery scanners that did him in against Clinton. Ever tone-deaf, the Romney campaign actually told Talking Points Memo that this was a great moment for Romney because it showed Perry was weak. In a way, Perry should have taken him up on the bet because Romney indeed suggested in the hardback version of his book that the Massachusetts health plan with its individual mandate was a model for the country.

Not to miss another chance to nail Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman actually bought a web site www.bet10K.com to exploit the situation. Newt Gingrich's spokesperson wondered whether Mitt had the 10K in his pocket, a not so sutble dig that Romney has been campaigning in Iowa with $100 bills in his wallet, which he digs out when trying to pay for lunches on the campaign trail, a habit that annoys all the local food vendors.

Let's back up a minute. For two days prior to the debate, the Romney campaign fielded surrogates all over the networks and in the print media to denounce Newt Gingrich as a walking hand grenade, too erratic and dangerous to be President. The Washington Post dutifully started running favorable feature articles on Romney's background and put a positive spin on his business career and his family. The Romney campiagn put up ad after ad in Iowa not so subtlely talking about how Romney was a family man and someone who was consistent. But Mike Barnacle of the Boston Globe said on Morning Joe, Romney in the debate will have to start landing punches. He can't hide behind surrogates.

Questioned about the ads in Iowa, Romney told the debate audience he only did them because the Obama campaign had questioned his values. I don't remember. But he clearly wimped out on the question.

In an editorial meeting with the Des Moines Register, Romney tested out criticisms on Gingrich and said that he didn't think mining on the moon and ending child labor laws was necessary. When he attacked Gingrich on his space ventures, Gingrich calmly answered that when he was young space exploration encouraged his generation to study science and math and that he wanted to do the same for young people. Newt even got in a reference to research at an Iowa college as an example. Romney whiffs.

Later Romney muttered that he agreed with Gingrich on children being janitors, undercutting two days worth of criticism.

The big wind-up came midway when the question was asked whether marital fidelity should be an issue. Slowly each candidate answered invoking God and Perry suggesting if you cheat on your wife, you are liable to cheat your business partners. Ron Paul said the oath of office is more important and people make mistakes. Then we reach Newt Gingrich with the camera cutting back for reaction shots of his bride Callista.

Newt quietly says that it is an important issue and people have every right to ask about it. He then said he had made mistakes--ala Clinton--and he had asked God for forgiveness and then he drops that he has two grandchildren. Later his two grandchildren would be seen on television meeting Mitt Romney. Newt basically hit it out of the park and innoculated himself from the marriage issue the rest of the primaries.

The debate was more feisty and combative than the past dozen and things got fast right out of the gate. Newt broke with his boast that he basically was the reason the Reagan-Clinton era created over 22,500,000 jobs. And then he boasted of his business experience with Callista's film company.

Obviously preposterous so Mitt steps up to again invoke his life as a real businessman and not a career politician. Newt handled this superbly by saying, "Let me be candid,you have have been a career politician if you had not lost to Ted Kennedy." Boom, pow! Romney's comeback was lame saying it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

Finally, the candidates were asked how many jobs they would create as President. Rick Perry was actually semi-coherent on this, explaining what he has done in Texas. Newt started on eliminating the capital gains tax,and all taxes on "job creators". Romney said that government doesn't create jobs, blamed President Obama for not creating jobs and then said he would create 11.5 million jobs his first four years. This number will be hung around his neck the rest of the campaign.

As if to avoid the habit of flip-flopping, Romney doubled down on his immigration position saying that all those here illegally would have to go home and get back in line to apply. This may play for the Republican primaries but it will not win a single Hispanic vote. Romney attacked Newt's more vague view that people who have been here 25 years should have a path of citizenship.

(A Note-- Undocumented foreigners are now at a real low--down to about 10 million. President Obama has deported over 900,000 undocumented persons in three years. The State of Alabama ,which passed a draconian immigration law, now faces the loss of automobile manufacturers because German technicians have been stopped for a lack of papers. It is a real mess. But Romney urged the building of the border fence the week that DHS discovered several tunnels on the Mexican border.)

The ABC debate was the first to actually incorporate live viewer feeds. After Romney and Gingrich danced around the health care issues with each trying to avoid their past support for individual mandates, viewers were uncomfortable with each person's position. Romney then responded that each state would have exchanges where people can buy individual private health care insurance. In other words, Romney confirmed that his plan was Obama's, which contains such exchanges.

Newt did his best by saying that he was for individual mandates to defeat Hillarycare. He only confirmed that the idea was generated by conservatives in the first place. But I felt Newt got the better of the argument because he never signed any healthcare bill.

Michelle Bachmann was a clever little debater by coing the term "NewtRomney" to refer to both of them and she went on to say that only Obama cut Medicare. In fact, Obama did not cut the benefits for seniors but cut waste. She also said that extending the payroll tax was jeopardizing Social Security, which everyone agreed was out of money, despite the stated fact that it can pay out full benefits until 2036.

One of the strangest exchanges occured over foreign policy. Romney wanted to suggest that Newt was a bomb-thrower and mentioned Newt's remark about Palestinians being an "invented people" as the type of thing Newt says. Newt's response ,which brought cheers, was that he doesn't back down on this--as asked by Romney--he will say things like Ronald Reagan about the Berlin Wall, which will upset the "timid." Newt gets Reagan and doesn't back down and pro-Israeli sentiment is de rigeur in Republican primaries.

Then both Newt and Romney got into a bizarre tangle on who knew Bibi Netanyahu the best. Romney boasted he has known Bibi since the days when the Israeli worked at the Boston Consulting Group. Romney also did the el Foldo by saying that he would just pick up the phone with Bibi and ask him what American policy would be. This falls in with Romney's persistent claim that he would listen to his military commanders first before deciding the course of action on wars.Rick Perry opined that Barack Obama was the reason the Middle East was so messed up and he attacked Obama on Iran's capture of the drone. But Newt came off as stronger on Israel then Romney. But Michelle surprised everyone by saying that she had worked on a kibbutz.

The candidates were asked how they could relate to Americans hurt by the Recession. Rick Perry talked of growing up where the family had to build his house and who poor he had been. Mitt Romney admitted that he grew up with wealth but his father had been poor--only reminding everyone of his father's Vietnam quote and his $10,000 bet. Michelle Bachmann talked about her growing up in hard times. Rick Santorum admitted he grew up in a middle class family but then launched into his defense of family and marriage. Ron Paul admitted he grew up in poverty but he didn't know it at the time. Then Newt talked about living above a gas station when he was young.

Then the candidates were asked what they have learned from one another. Mitt Romney pandered for the Ron Paul vote for praising his criticism of the Fed. Not a chance in hell he will get a Paul voter. Ron Paul praised Rick Perry. Newt Gingrich praised Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Perry. But Newt shrewdly gave a tip of the hate to Gov Brandstad for undergoing scandal in the past and making a comeback in Iowa. Michelle Bachmann gave a call out to Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan for an appeal to his supporters.

At the end of the night, Newt didn't take any hits and Romney probably hung himself. Romney was off his timing and seemed rushed and obviously couldn't come back from Newt's defense of himself.

The early decision in the blogosphere was that Newt won the debate and Romney lost. Romney supporters on the twitter blamed the liberal media for hyping Newt because he is the easiest for Obama to beat. That spin just didn't fly last night. It was clear that Newt was attacked by everyone as the front-runner and he adroitly defended himself and escaped unharmed. A survey of Republican viewers showed that evangelicals appreciated Romney having a lifestyle much like their own but they distrusted him. Elderly women loved Newt for his brashness and not backing down on things that others would see as inflammatory.

While I have written about Newt's kookiness, his strategy is becoming clearer. Last night he wrapped himself around the big economic boom of the Reagan and Clinton period and managed to weave the Gipper into references about his own statements. He is banking on Republican voters ,who are older, remembering the heydays of Reagan and his own triumph in 1994 taking over the House. Romney can't invoke the Gipper as successfully because we have the tape where he says he wasn't for Reagan or George H.W. Bush.

A curious note about the debate. While all the candidates thanked each other, no one thanked Romney. Also in reviewing the Washington Post poll last night about who won the debate Romney stood at his usual level of 21%. Also no one mentioned George W. Bush. He is the forgotten man. All the economic problems are the creation of Barack Obama and no reference is made to W or Cheney. Also the audience didn't disappoint in applauding outrageous ideas. They roared for Newt over his idea poor children should be janitors.

One last thing--try to see Ron Paul's video ad against war. It is perhaps the best anti-war ad anyone has ever produced. And it is aimed at the younger voter, whch Paul is banking on in Iowa.