It’s all over but the spinning at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa where six Republican presidential candidates duked it out earlier this evening. 
 
 
 
 Republican presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (L) and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA), talk during a break in the Republican Party presidential candidates debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, December 10, 2011. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes 
 
 WINNERS 
 
 * Newt Gingrich: The former House Speaker seems to be adjusting nicely to his newfound frontrunner status. While he’s long been one of the best natural debaters in the field, Gingrich seemed to be genuinely working to avoid coming off as a smarter-than-thou intellectual. He had his moments — League of Nations! — but overall the image he gave off was of a more approachable, kinder Newt. (The lone obvious exception was when he sought to push back on an attack from Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann; Gingrich walked right up to the line of being condescending and insulting on that one but didn’t cross it.) The best example? His well rehearsed but nonetheless very well delivered response on whether his three marriages raised questions about his character. Gingrich was remorseful without being maudlin — striking just the right tone on a very tough question for him. 
 
 * Michele Bachman n: We tweeted out during our live-blog coverage that Bachmann is a sneaky good debater. And she showed it again tonight. Her “Newt Romney” construct was smart — the two frontunners spent 5 minutes trying to prove her wrong — and she made an appealing case as the true-blue conservative in the field. Her appeal for supporters of former candidate Herman Cain — “how about that “9-9-9 plan, am I right?!” was totally transparent, which means it just might work. Bachmann’s debate performance proved that her problem isn’t message — it’s raising the money to get the message out. 
 
 * Rick Perry: Let’s stipulate this: Perry is simply not the debater that Gingrich, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney or even Bachmann is. But, he acquitted himself well tonight starting with his first answer on jobs, which was solid and convincing. Perry also landed some of the hardest punches against both Gingrich (“If you cheat on your wife, you will cheat on your business partner”) and Romney (on health care/individual mandate). The Texas governor did occasionally make up a word or appear to get lost when making his point but those were few and far between — particularly when compared to his past debate performances. If Perry is genuinely starting to move up in Iowa, he didn’t hurt that ascent tonight and may have even helped himself a bit. 
 
 * Smaller debate size: With only six people on stage — sorry Jon Huntsman! — the debate felt more like a conversation where candidates could not only make their points but also talk out their differences without constantly being obsessed with how much time they had to talk. If you were an undecided voter watching tonight’s proceedings, you almost certainly came away from the debate knowing more about where the candidates stand (and the differences between them). And that’s a good thing. 
 
 * Third person references: With Cain out of the race, Chris Cillizza was worried that there might not be enough third-person references in the debate. Luckily, Chris Cillizza had nothing to worry about as Perry and Bachmann — to name just two — repeatedly made reference to themselves in the third person. That made Chris Cillizza smile. 
 
 LOSERS 
 
 * Mitt Romney: This is the first time in the 2012 debates that the former Massachusetts governor has wound up in the loser’s circle. While he wasn’t bad, he also wasn’t nearly as good — in terms of thinking on his feet and message discipline — as he has been in the past. He also made a rare but likely costly unforced error when he asked Perry to wager $10,000 about who was more right about his position on the individual mandate. Some people may roll their eyes and insist that a line like that doesn’t matter but in times of considerable economic anxiety it will be used to make Romney look out of touch. (Remember George H.W. Bush not knowing how much a loaf of bread cost?) Romney also seemed divided on how hard to go after Gingrich. He did so when moderator George Stephanapoulos prompted him but seemed slightly hesitant to do it. Add it all up and you have Romney’s worst debate performance so far this year. 
 
 * Republican establishment: For all of those folks predicting (or hoping) that Gingrich would implode, tonight was not their night. Make no mistake: there are genuine concerns within the party about what Gingrich leading the national ticket might mean for downballot race next November. But Gingrich gave his detractors very little reason to think that his collapse is in the offing. 
 
 * Saturday night debates: The Fix is, obviously, not a wild and crazy guy. But, a two-hour debate on a Saturday night? Come on! (Also, we had to DVR “The Marinovich Project” and we had really been looking forward to watching that.) 
 
 Read more at PostPolitics 
 
 PROFILE: Mitt Romney, the problem solver 
 
 Gingrich comes under attack in Iowa debate 
 
 Mitt Romney challenges Rick Perry to $10,000 bet ||||| 5:45PM Tonight's drunkblog is brought to you courtesy of... margaritas. Four parts Patron Silver to one part fresh-squeezed lime juice and one part Cointreau. Shake roughly over a handful of ice, then pour into a proper margarita glass. You may salt the rim if you like, but I may not because it makes my doctor make that face she makes at me. 
 
 5:46PM My local ABC affiliate, KRDO, has Judge Judy as the lead-in to the debate. This is doesn't seem promising. 
 
 5:50PM Why did was Donald Trump allowed to muscle in on a debate where nobody will show up, when they could have had Judge Judy? Ed Driscoll calls it "ratings gold," and I agree. 
 
 5:52PM I get the feeling that all things considered, Newt would rather be in Philadelphia. It could get nasty. 
 
 5:59PM I know I never go six minutes between posts, but I needed a refill, and my lovely bride is totally hogging the pitcher upstairs. 
 
 5:59PM Here we go. Bring on da noize, bring on da pain. 
 
 6:01PM "What will they do to get America back on track?" A surprisingly upbeat intro from ABC News. 
 
 6:01PM They just showed Santorum saying "Iowa gets to decide" the next President. President Obama would like to remind him that the other 56 states get a say, too. 
 
 6:02PM Suck-ups to Iowa -- from the hosts, Diane & George. Stephanopoulos went second, either because he lost the coin toss to Diane, or because now he hosts some fluffy little morning show. 
 
 6:03PM "George and I have been talking..." George has hardly gotten a word in edgewise, Diane. Then again, he is now the network equivalent of a morning drive DJ. Remember when he used to host This Week? 
 
 Yeah, me neither. 
 
 6:04PM Number one issue: Jobs in America. 
 
 I don't remember those, either. 
 
 6:05PM Q: What distinguishes you about jobs? 
 
 6:05PM Newt: I'm different because I've been in DC long enough to namedrop Reagan AND Clinton. 
 
 6:06PM Romney: "I've spent my life in the private sector," but not for lack of trying. 
 
 6:07PM Romney has a seven-point plan, because he's cool like that. 
 
 Newt suddenly makes a lot more sense to me right now. 
 
 6:08PM Paul: "My approach is... " to eliminate the Federal Reserve, I think. Because of bubbles. 
 
 6:09PM Sawyer is pushing for an exact number of jobs created. This is the ultimate long-range gotcha question. 
 
 I want to call her bad names right now, but this is a family site, and my capacity for cursing would amaze and astound you. 
 
 6:10PM Perry: There's a lot of insider spending, but I'm an outsider with a model. 
 
 Isn't that what got Gary Hart in trouble? 
 
 6:10PM Bachmann: I'm reminding you of Herman Cain on purpose right now because, apparently, I'm insane. 
 
 6:12PM Santorum: I can name real places in Iowa, because I love you so much here in Iowa, with the very specific places I can name. 
 
 6:13PM Sawyer: Mitt Romney named a number I can blast him for in four years, why won't you suck up like he did? 
 
 6:14PM Q from Sawyer: What do you do about the expiring payroll tax cut? 
 
 6:15PM Bachmann: "It's President Obama's plan of temporary gimmicks." 
 
 That's not a plan, it's a feature. 
 
 Oh, wait -- 
 
 6:16PM Bachmann is the most relaxed and natural I've ever seen her at one of these things. Really. 
 
 6:17PM Romney: "This is just a bandaid." And Obama something something something, plus bandaids and tossing fuel on the fire. 
 
 6:17PM Romney just got in a golf joke. It was very nearly funny. 
 
 6:18PM Stephanopoulos is still there. Who knew. 
 
 6:19PM Santorum: "You either care about Social Security... or you don't." 
 
 6:19PM Paul: "We have to stop the spending... we have to cut overseas." 
 
 6:20PM Q to Romney: Newt says you suck. 
 
 6:21PM Q to Romney: Newt says you suck. 
 
 6:21PM Romney: "This is us talking about what we beleive." 
 
 I'm totally out of material on this one. 
 
 6:21PM Romney: "This is us talking about what we beleive." 
 
 I'm totally out of material on this one. 
 
 6:22PM Romney just nailed Gingrich on some of his Silliest Ideas. He could have done better, had the answer timer been set to two hours. 
 
 6:22PM Gingrich: You lost to Ted Kennedy. Boos and cheers followed. 
 
 6:23PM Newt: I'm going to send us to Mars. 
 
 I pretty much beleive that. 
 
 6:23PM Can we switch back to Judge Judy now? 
 
 6:26PM Romney: I have many numbers, and also Obama sucks. Then: I'd have been a football player, if I could have gotten in like I dreamed as a kid. 
 
 Good line, good applause, kinda neutralizes the Ted Kennedy thing. 
 
 I think Mitt was just funny on purpose. Unified Field Theory will have to be modified to accommodate this new data. 
 
 6:26PM Paul: Newt is no conservative, "he received a lot of money from Freddie Mac." 
 
 6:27PM SCORE: Paul to Newt, "In a way, you got taxpayer money" supporting Freddie Mac. 
 
 6:27PM Newt: I would fire Bernanke. "I was in the private sector," taking money from Freddie. 
 
 Wow. Everything that's wrong in America, right there. 
 
 6:30PM Bachmann: "Our nominee has to stage on the stage and look totally different." 
 
 And, over and over again, "If you look at Newt-Romney..." 
 
 I hear Jon Lovits in my head, "That's the ticket!" 
 
 6:30PM Newt: I have a great command of the facts. Oooh -- hitting at Bachmann's Achilles Heel. 
 
 6:31PM Newt: "I've had 13 New York Times bestsellers." 
 
 He went there? Really? 
 
 6:31PM Bachmann now claiming Romney "sent his team" to the White House to help them sell ObamaCare. 
 
 Really? 
 
 6:32PM Romney: Newt "and I are not clones." 
 
 It's true, I have seen them on the same stage together. Again and again. 
 
 6:34PM Perry: Remember me? And now he's quoting Bachmann. 
 
 I had such high hope for Perry. And then he entered the race. 
 
 I need a drink. 
 
 Oh, wait -- 
 
 6:35PM Romney: And he's right on this one, he's against a Federal individual mandates (which Newt was once for) but for states being able to do and undo a mandate. 
 
 MA is good evidence that Undoing is a wonderful natural right. 
 
 6:36PM Newt: "Most every conservative [in 1993] saw the individual mandate as less dangerous than what Hillary was trying to do." 
 
 No. We. Didn't. 
 
 6:37PM Perry just dug at Newt, looked to the audience for his applause, and got... silence. 
 
 6:38PM Mitt: In my book, in chapter seven, as close as I can quote... 
 
 I now have QWERTY embossed backwards on my forehead. 
 
 6:39PM Bachmann just raised her hand to make a statement. 
 
 "Do we honestly beleive..." that NewtRomney will veto ObamaCare? 
 
 Actually, that's one of the few things I beleive about these two. 
 
 6:39PM Santorum: I did NOT as a conservative support a mandate in the 90s. 
 
 6:40PM Santorum: "I think Michele has been consistent as a consistent conservative." 
 
 That's a quote. 
 
 6:41PM Santorum really has to stop running as "a winner," when his own home state has completely washed its hands of him. Find a new issue, my friend. 
 
 6:42PM Commercial break. Time to pour another margarita. 
 
 But mostly right now, I wish I still smoked. Or sniffed glue. 
 
 6:48PM We're back. 
 
 6:48PM Q: Let's talk family and faith. 
 
 6:48PM "Should voters consider marital fidelity?" 
 
 6:49PM Perry: "I made a vow to God... that's stronger than a handshake in Texas." 
 
 6:50PM Perry: "Partners who have been in fidelity, infidelity with your spouse... " 
 
 And suddenly I don't miss George Bush. 
 
 6:51PM Santorum: I have seven kids, or nearly one-quarter as many as Bachmann. 
 
 6:51PM Paul: "I don't think we should have to talk about it, I think it should show through... what about our oath of office?" 
 
 Mancrush time. 
 
 6:52PM Best applause of the night, to Ron Paul. I suspect he's going to do very, very well here in three weeks or so. 
 
 6:53PM Romney: I have some very nice TV ads, and in some of them, my skin doesn't even look this color. 
 
 6:54PM Bachmann: "The Founders spoke about this... what's the measure of the man... will they keep their word?" 
 
 Of course, when Bachmann quotes anyone, I immediately factcheck it. Pretty sure NATO still hasn't killed 30,000 Libyan civilians. 
 
 6:55PM Gingrich: "It's a real issue." Ask any of my ex-wives. 
 
 6:58PM Gingrich is talking about his position on illegal immigrants. Call me a squish, call me a RINO, but he's dead-on right on this issue. 
 
 On most everything else, HE'S the squish. 
 
 6:58PM "Citizen-review panel" are three words that just creep me out. 
 
 6:59PM To Romney: Why do you hate Latinos, who Obama obviously loves so much? 
 
 7:00PM Romney: I don't like magnets. 
 
 And his hair is no fan of gravity. 
 
 7:01PM Romney: "I do not want to do something [X2]." 
 
 That'll make the gag reel. 
 
 7:01PM It's Perry's turn, and again I'm sympathetic to the guy who's been there, done that. 
 
 7:03PM To Paul: Are Palestinians invented? 
 
 Paul: "No... and I don't believe in getting in the way." 
 
 7:05PM To Newt: Why are you encouraging extremists? 
 
 Newt: Not backing down on calling the Palestinians an "invented people." 
 
 The thinking is, the Romans named the area after the Philistines, as a way to annoy the hell out of the local Jews. It stuck. Although to correct Paul, I think the Ottoman Turks called the area South Syria. 
 
 7:06PM Mitt: "It's wise to stand by our friends and not get out ahead of them." 
 
 7:07PM Newt: "This is a propaganda war." 
 
 7:08PM Mitt might just have won the Iowa Jewish vote with his last statement, which could push him from 19% to 19.5%, or very nearly. 
 
 7:10PM Newt: "I'm a Reaganite." I think maybe that means he'd demand, "Mr Netanyahu, tear down this Wailing Wall." 
 
 No, not really. 
 
 7:11PM Bachmann: "How do you find peace, when you continue to teach your children hatred?" 
 
 That's the question. But it ought to be used to discredit the whole peace process -- but good luck with that. 
 
 7:11PM Santorum: "Speak the truth, but with prudence." 
 
 And suddenly it's the first George Bush I don't miss. 
 
 7:12PM Stephanopoulos just interrupted Santorum, possibly to remind people he still has a (booster) seat at the table. 
 
 7:13PM Perry: "The most muddled foreign policy in place that is causing the problems in the middle east." 
 
 Causing? No. But muddling further? Oh. My. Yes. 
 
 7:15PM Commercial break. Time to find out if my lovely bride has left me with any margaritas, of if it's time to switch to a little something I invented years ago, called "Scotch and Rocks without the Rocks." 
 
 7:18PM Perry looks good, Bachmann has command of the facts, Paul sounds calm, Romney has been funny, Newt has stayed on the reservation, Santorum is strong... 
 
 I must be drunk. 
 
 7:20PM And we're back. And I'm having a scotch on the rocks without the rocks. My lovely bride is greedy. 
 
 7:20PM Q from Yahoo: How have you ever suffered financially? 
 
 7:21PM Perry: I was born a poor black child. 
 
 Sorry, I shouldn't quote The Jerk for cheap points. Perry has a pretty amazing personal story. 
 
 7:23PM Romney: "I didn't grow up poor... but I grew up with a dad who grew up poor." 
 
 Mitt sounds genuine here. It's a good story, well told. More like this and I'm not sure Newt would be where he is today. The awkwardness really melts away when he's not pandering. 
 
 7:24PM Paul: "I was raised in a family that was rather poor... but I never knew it." "I had my wife work my way through medical school." 
 
 Great little moment. 
 
 And... now we're on a rant against the Fed. 
 
 He's right, but he's broken-record right. 
 
 7:25PM Santorum: "I had two parents who were together and who supported me." 
 
 What a tragedy it is that that has become so rare. 
 
 7:27PM Bachmann: "I oppose bailouts." 
 
 Everybody else revealed a little bit of their souls. Bachman -- who's had a very good night so far -- is flubbing this one. It's a good answer. It just isn't the right answer. 
 
 7:27PM You know what? Bachmann pulled that one back from the abyss at the end. 
 
 7:28PM Gingrich: "Fairly frugal, but you didn't feel desperate." "We have to meet a payroll, we have to find markets." 
 
 7:29PM From Yahoo to NewtRomney: How could you support mandates? 
 
 7:30PM Romney: "States can do whatever the hell they want to do." 
 
 Wow. Just left his chin jutting out there in the general election for a Jim Crowe uppercut. Shockingly awful. 
 
 7:31PM Newt: Is going on about policy to justify his past positions... and all of Iowa turned of the lights at 9:31PM. 
 
 That's not such a big deal though, really. 
 
 7:32PM Sawyer: "I was at a pharmacy here in Iowa," so I am totally in touch with the little people, bitches. Top that!! 
 
 7:32PM Paul: Big applause line about the danger of a government that can protect you from yourself. 
 
 7:33PM Q: Does anyone disagree with Paul about protecting people from themselves? 
 
 7:34PM Perry: Kinda, let the states do stuff. "The people are sick of Washington, DC." 
 
 Amen, brother. I wish you hadn't come out of the gate like a horse trying to make its way up a down escalator. 
 
 7:35PM Commercial break. Current cocktail still going strongish. 
 
 7:40PM Aaaaaaand we're back. 
 
 7:42PM I missed the question, but Santorum is telling the story about how he used to listen to tapes made by Newt Gingrich. 
 
 That's got to disqualify a kid from something. Everything. 
 
 7:42PM Perry: "Congressman Paul got me really intrigued... about the Federal Reserve." "And I thank you for that." 
 
 7:43PM It's a shame that Perry the Frontrunner didn't show his face before Perry the Single Digit Candidate. 
 
 7:44PM Mitt: "I've always found the principle of leadership quite interesting." Somebody hit Reboot, please. 
 
 7:45PM Gingrich: I am name-checking Iowans! Also, he likes Rick Perry on the 10th Amendment. 
 
 7:46PM Paul: "If you're consistent they will come your way... Rick Perry, I appreciate it." Heh. 
 
 7:47PM Bachmann: I like Herman Cain and a bunch of nines and I really want his voters. 
 
 7:49PM I might have a treatable condition. 
 
 That's what the ad just said, but I think we all know that before that can happen, first I must admit that I have a problem. 
 
 7:51PM Big photo-op at the end, with ten minutes still left on the clock, and Matthew Dowd and Rachel Maddow waiting in the wings for the dissection. 
 
 So, all the good stuff is about to be undone. 
 
 Lovely! 
 
 7:54PM Sorry -- Amy Walter, not Maddow. I'm watching this video thumbnail size on my monitor. 
 
 7:54PM So, time for the chin-stroking summation. Well, let me quote myself at halftime, with a slight twist at the end. 
 
 Perry looks good, Bachmann has command of the facts, Paul sounds calm, Romney has been funny, Newt has stayed on the reservation, Santorum is strong… 
 
 Yep, I'm drunk. 
 
 But I will tack on one last thought. 
 
 Romney had the most to lose tonight, and he certainly did. ||||| About Democracy in America 
 
 In this blog, our correspondents share their thoughts and opinions on America's kinetic brand of politics and the policy it produces. The blog is named after the study of American politics and society written by Alexis de Tocqueville, a French political scientist, in the 1830s ||||| 10.54 pm. Tapper is playing up the $10,000 Romney bet - and I suspect he's right to. It leapt out at me, along with the "Newt Romney" line from Bachmann. Other than that, Newt wins; Romney loses; Paul rises. Have yourself a shot. I sure will. 
 
 10.50 pm. So this is the end? Or not the end? Does Sawyer get to talk some more? That last round was congenial, like a group hug on American Idol. I think both Gingrich and Paul emerged the strongest frm this debate, while Romney failed to do or say anything to change the dynamic of his listless campaign. So ... Gingrich could well win Iowa. I don't see the trajectory changing any tonight. 
 
 10.48 pm. Newt: "If we do survive ..." Wow. Does Gingrich really believe that the US faces an existential threat from Iran? Or is he running for the Likud party? 
 
 10.43 pm. Politifact has judged Newt Gingrich's statement that he has never supported cap and trade as a lie. Meanwhile, I loved this tweet: 
 
 Sometimes I think Rick Perry gets halfway through an answer and sees a Frisbee. 
 
 10.38 pm. A reader writes: 
 
 What it must feel like to be a lifelong Republican at this point? My girlfriend's grandma is watching, and you know what she keeps saying? "You go, Newt! Tell the truth! Someone needs to!" with the utmost excitement. 
 
 Another writes: 
 
 I've been laid off since 2009, but luckily my wife is gainfully employed as a university librarian. We have 2 kids and have had to scrape by, figuring out how to feed them the last week of each month. It's clear to me, more than ever, these candidates are very out of touch with the economic pain put here. They haven't had to feel any pain or sacrifice. And, we're the lucky ones. We have a house. These clowns have no idea what it's like to feel the white-hot shame of selling family heirlooms or borrowing from friends. I have no real representation, and don't really see it coming. 
 
 10.34 pm. Sawyer tells us she has a cold and what she did today. Ron Paul runs with it. A great digression that will send a thrill up the libertarian leg - and firm up his support among the young, where the oldest candidate is strongest. Perry seems looser and more relaxed, if just as clueless. 
 
 10.31 pm. Back to healthcare mandates, and Newt Romney's longtime support for them. Romney does okay, but his position is still excruciating. Newt ducks, then we get a classic: we need to "fundamentally re-think the entire health system." 
 
 10.23 pm. Which of these candidates are struggling in the recession? Seriously? Perry scores with a truthful account of his modest upbringing. Romney tackles a no-win question rather well. Ron Paul charms as usual, at least he does me. Then we get another Fed riff. 
 
 10.21 pm. A reader writes: 
 
 Maybe it's just that I'm waxing sentimental because I made my drinking game every time Sawyer speaks (and she won't shut up so I'm about 5 minutes from a crying jag. I kid I kid.) but can you imagine what it must feel like to be a Republican - a seriously life long and earnest Republican - right now? Watching this. 
 
 
 
 This is it. That is it. That's all that showed up. 
 
 
 
 Merry Christmas GOP. 
 
 10.17 pm. This has so far been a feisty debate and I'm pretty sure Diane Sawyer is hoping for a lift in Iowa. I mean she is running, isn't she? It feels like she's spoken more than most of the candidates. 
 
 10.13 pm. Santorum backs Romney: truth with "prudence." Then he says we didn't have allies against the Soviet Union! Then Santorum says that the entire West Bank is Israeli. Perry now accuses the president of treason, and responsible for all the woes in the Middle East. The crowd roars. Yes, the one abiding, unifying passion: contempt for the president. 
 
 10.05 pm. Ron Paul sums Gingrich up: "stirring up trouble." Gingrich doubles down with the full AIPAC, and seems utterly indifferent to diplomacy. Stephanopoulos doesn't note how Gingrich's one-state solution differs from every single administration since 1967. But his total identification with Israel against Palestinians will work very well with the Christianists - even if it wrecks US diplomacy. Romney presses Gingrich on being a bomb-thrower. Newt invokes Reagan's Evil Empire. This is a win for Gingrich. But it reminds us how terrifying it would be to have Gingrich with his finger on the button. 
 
 10.04 pm. Nothing interesting on immigration, despite Sawyer's endless blather. 
 
 10.01 pm. Sawyer is making Charlie Rose seem brusque. 
 
 9.57 pm. Newt, for a change, doesn't get pissy, and just all but pleads forgiveness. Now Sawyer is droning on and on again, the verbal diarrhea now piling up and up. She's still talking? That was a 3 minute question. 
 
 9.55 pm. Josh Romney has those dilated Puss In Boots eyes as he looks at his dad. 
 
 9.53 pm. Ron Paul says character doesn't have to be talked about. It should show through anybody's life. I love the guy. Then he pivots to the salient oath: the oath of office. A great little Ron Paul riff. 
 
 9.51 pm. Perry says he made a vow to God when he married. He's up-Godding Newt. It's really on now. Perry: "If you would cheat on your wife, why wouldn't you cheat on anybody else?" Ouch. Santorum says "trust is everything" and doesn't have to look at Newt Romney. 
 
 9.49 pm. Some reader notes. One writes: 
 
 Since when did Mormons become cool with gambling? 
 
 Another: 
 
 Rick Santorum: "I believe in bottom up." Quoted without comment. 
 
 Another: 
 
 Is Diane Sawyer high? 
 
 9.46 pm. So far, I'm surprised by Gingrich's aggression - being the front-runner seems to make him less restrained; by Bachmann's very smart "Newt Romney" line; by Newt's ad hominem about Romney's career out of public office; and Romney offering a $10,000 bet over a small debating point. Now we're getting instant replays! 
 
 9.45 pm. Can someone tell Sawyer we are not in the slightest bit interested in her pointless, droning blather? 
 
 9.41 pm. Newt Romney just slapped Bachmann down rather hilariously, if ineffectively. The dynamic is Santorum, Bachmann and Perry versus Newt Romney. And Ron Paul is, well, Ron Paul. 
 
 9.39 pm. Romney offers a $10,000 bet to Perry. I wonder how many voters in Iowa have a spare $10,000 to settle an argument. That from a man who only has $100 bills in his pocket. That was a big booboo. 
 
 9.38 pm. Newt rightly reminds us that Obama's healthcare proposal is considerably to the right of Clintoncare in the 1990s. 
 
 9.35 pm. Romney intends to go after Obama for cutting Medicare. Yep: the GOP is complaining at the tiniest cut in Medicare from Obama, but favors the Ryan plan. Perry and Bachmann focus on the individual mandate. 
 
 9.32 pm. Gingrich gets a little pissy once Bachmann exposes his long-held support for an individual mandate. And Bachmann comes back against "Newt Romney" again. From her position in the polls, this is exactly the right tactic. A litle desperate. But effective. 
 
 9.31 pm. Bachmann targets Newt-Romney as one liberal blob. Very effective riff, I'd say. The best parry I've ever heard from her. 
 
 9.27 pm. Ron Paul plays the Freddie Mac card hard against Gingrich. Accuses Newt of indirectly taking tax payer's money! Gingrich now says he offered "strategic advice" to Freddie Mac. He's no longer a "historian". Bachmann calls Newt a K Street insider. He sure is. 
 
 9.24 pm. Newt kills off Mitt with one swipe: telling him that the only reason he hasn't been a career politician is because he lost to Ted Kennedy. Maybe he's been reading the Dish. Gingrich goes after Romney with the passion and energy of an underdog, not a front-runner. He's on fire. I think the dig about Newt's trip to the moon probably set him off. 
 
 9.21 pm. Ron Paul contrasts the cost of the Baghdad embassy with the payroll tax cut. Then Romney accuses Barack Obama of wanting to kill off the opportunity society - and almost has a Perry moment when asked to say where he differed with Newt Gingrich. 
 
 9.19 pm. Bad Romney joke. Same Romney blah. 
 
 9.17 pm. Bachmann opposes the payroll tax cut in the first place and its extension now, as well. 
 
 9.16 pm. Sorry to keep hammering on this, but why does Diane Sawyer talk so much and treat us and the candidates as if we were eight years old? 
 
 9.07 pm. Gingrich argues for more tax cutting and not regulating the private sector as his distinctive policy for cutting unemployment. Surprise! What will they shock us with next? Mitt has seven - count them, seven - ways. I have forgotten them already. Ron Paul argues for shock therapy: cutting $1 trillion in a year. We've heard all this before. Their prescriptions are the same ones we had under George W Bush for eight years. Sawyer is deeply irritating; is there something abou network news that turns people into pious condescenders and pablum peddlers? Bachmann's spiel is pretty close to her Bad Lip Reading special. Santorum argues for a manufacturing industrial policy. As to the regulations argument, go read David Brooks. 
 
 9.05 pm. When will Diane Sawyer shut up? 
 
 9.02 pm. Another reality show intro. But some things don't change: it's snowing in Iowa. 
 
 (Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
– Newt Gingrich was the big winner of last night's GOP debate, along with Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, says Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post. "The former House Speaker seems to be adjusting nicely to his newfound frontrunner status." The big losers were Mitt Romney, thanks to his $10,000 bet and an unfocused performance, and the GOP establishment in general, many members of which were hoping Gingrich would fall. To put it more succinctly: "Newt wins; Romney loses; Paul rises," sums up Andrew Sullivan at the Dish. "Romney had the most to lose tonight, and he certainly did," writes Stephen Green at PJ Media. Joe Gandelman at the Moderate Voice thinks Romney actually won with independent voters, but Gingrich did the best with Republicans. "Gingrich showed again that he's a formidable debater no one should want within 100 yards of the nuclear football," writes Will Wilkinson at the Economist, calling Ron Paul "most avuncular," Bachmann "most devastating," and Rick Santorum, "due to some unfathomable tear in the fabric of the cosmos," "most likeable." But overall who won? "I dunno. Barack Obama?," guessed Wilkinson. (Click for more on why Wilkinson may be right.)