More Vegas...the Debate.

Well hello Governor Rick Perry!

I loved this debate. I thought about not even watching, but due to my exhaustion from the very city it was taking place in, I was on the couch well before the start and wandered channels over to it just before it began.

I'm so glad I didn't miss this. It was a serious fireworks show, and I have a few different opinions on a few different parts.

Rick Santorum had a moment of glory going after Romney and RomneyCare.

Ron Paul looks ill. I'm not trying to be mean here. I seriously thought he might fall on his way to the podium. And why is his suit always too big? And who are the people who advise him? If I were one of them, I'd tell him to keep his really crazy stuff like saying the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay are not terrorists under wraps. I'd tell him to stick to the rational ideas of Constitutionalism and changing the tax code. Seems crazy I know, but so does Ron Paul.

Newt Gingrich is smart. I keep saying this because it is true. I saw on Twitter where someone wrote "Why can't Newts brain be put into someone without such a checkered past," or something to that effect. This could not be truer.

Cain is starting to take serious heat. And it’s a good thing because I don't want to pay 17.25% in sales tax. His plan calls for that...in Texas anyway.

Bachmann looked like a baton twirler, and her Hail Mary appeal to moms was so desperate that I actually felt bad for her. Then she spoke again, and her voice rattled my brain again, and I stopped feeling sorry for her.

Romney got really upset... a couple of times. The color in his face literally changed shades of red a few times. He has held strong at 20-something% for several YEARS now. That is his ceiling and I think his inability to take the attacks thrown last night will only dwindle these numbers. And while they may rebound when other candidates drop out at some point, I still think he has shown weakness.

Which brings me to Governor Perry, who was the one doing most of the attacking last night... He was great... finally. And the best part of Perry's attacks, I think, was that they were thrown then followed with an alternative. He brought down the tax-raising 999 plan and offered his upcoming flatter/fairer tax plan. He went after Romney's past of employing illegal workers at his own house, and then expanded on his efforts as a border-Governor to strengthen the Texas-Mexico border. It was a great plan to not only highlight the weakness of the other candidates, but also make note of his expertise in the same areas. Well done, Team Perry, well done.

We now have about a month until the next debate, and I am sure you can expect another blockbuster night of action. Until then...

xoxo Sara Marie