While we're certain that most of you were busy this weekend getting ready for any number of holiday festivities, shopping for gifts, and enjoying a few holiday concerts, the Republican candidates for President had yet another debate Saturday night, this time in Iowa. In case you'd forgotten in the midst of the holiday hubbub, the 2012 Iowa Caucus will be held three weeks from tomorrow, so - in theory - a political debate might have made sense.
Indeed, it might have made sense, if any of the contenders had used the event to prove they were ready. Instead, most of the Republican field spent the evening digging themselves deeper in their own political holes.
For Mitt Romney, his debate performance was clearly upstaged by his snap response to Rick Perry over a claim that Perry has made previously - and been proven to be wrong about twice before. Even so, Romney couldn't keep his cool after Perry pushed him, offering to bet $10,000 to Rick Perry to prove that Perry was lying.
Of course, that drew an immediate avalanche of post-debate attacks, from Romney's fellow candidates and the Democratic National Committee. Romney's snap reaction may have proven more than just how much more wealthy and disconnected than he is from the average American. It may have also broken the Mormon prohibition on gambling, and brought Romney's biggest problem issue - the right-wing reaction to his religion - to the forefront again.
While the general consensus was that Newt Gingrich won Saturday night's debate, he did so by directly attacking one of the other candidates, Romney - which Gingrich himself said multiple times this year that candidates shouldn't do. That proven hypocrisy by Mr. Gingrich is no surprise to anyone who remembers that the former Republican Speaker of the House was also the first U.S. House speaker in history to be reprimanded by the House for ethics violations. This took place less than five years after Newt engineered the so-called 'Republican Revolution' of 1994.
Mr. Gingrich completely put his foot in his mouth, however, when he not only called Palstinians an "invented people", but then proceeded to childishly make faces and mouth "No", even as Mitt Romney tried to give Ginrich a way to not be quite so insulting. If Newt is the historian he's claimed to be, he shouldn't need to be reminded that every nation of people is technically an invented people, since government is a social invention.
The rest of the GOP field had their own problems at the debate and the lies were coming so fast and furious from every candidate, ABC should have re-categorized the entire event as a fiction fest.
In short, the latest GOP debate only served to hurt the entire field, as most of their recent campaigning has done.
The biggest proof of this is the latest NBC/Marist poll that was released over the weekend. While Gingrich may have opened up a big lead over Romney in South Carolina - a Republican bellweather - the most striking numbers were noticed by Josh Marshall of TPM.
Right now, just weeks before the Republican primary in South Carolina, President Barack Obama leads BOTH Gingrich and Romney, the dueling GOP frontrunners. That lead - in deep-red, Republican South Carolina - has happened over the last couple of months, and appears to be trending to increase for the President as 2012 begins.
Our only advice for the 2012 GOP field is to follow the words most often attributed to British politician Denis Healey.
"The first law on holes," Healey said, " is when you're in one, stop digging!"
