海角大神

Skip to footer

Rick vs. Newt: The debate factor

Rick Perry's candidacy failed almost entirely on the weakness of his debate performances, while Newt Gingrich's  is thriving on the strength of his. One problem: a good debater doesn't necessarily make a good president.

|
David Goldman/AP
Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry pauses while announcing he is suspending his campaign and endorsing Newt Gingrich, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, in North Charleston, S.C. Perry's campaign floundered on the weakness of his debate performances.

I try to be careful not to get into the horse race aspects of things around here, but I thought Gov Perry鈥檚 rise and fall was notable in the following sense.

It takes a lot to run an effective primary campaign these days, with money and organization and name recognition often at the top of the list.聽 But you also need to be a good debater.聽 Gov Perry wasn鈥檛, and his high scores on those other assets failed to offset that by a Texas mile.

Newt, on the other hand, is a sharp debater.聽 And his lack of those other attributes, e.g., organization, has, at least for now, been largely offset by his debating prowess.

But here鈥檚 the thing: does being a good debater make you a good president?聽 I can鈥檛 see that it does.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
海角大神 was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to 鈥渟peak the truth in love.鈥� Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.
QR Code to Rick vs. Newt: The debate factor
Read this article in
/Business/On-the-Economy/2012/0120/Rick-vs.-Newt-The-debate-factor
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
/subscribe