At New Hampshire debate, Mitt Romney shows he's still the man to beat

Pool,AP Photo/Scott Eells

This post originally appeared on Slate.

HANOVER, N.H.--When you hold a debate at a boardroom table, the business guys are going to do well. Mitt Romney and Herman Cain were the winners at the Bloomberg/Washington Post debate Tuesday night at Dartmouth College. The eight candidates sat "in the round," discussing only the economy, which gave Romney a chance to repeat with force the things he says every day on the campaign trail. He spoke confidently about his business career and experience. Cain was amiable, as always, and took every opportunity to mention his "9-9-9 plan." After this debate, it's fair to say this plan would be his answer to questions about trout fishing.

This was the first Republican debate after the Great Flirtations. There are no more saviors coming in the Republican Party--Chris Christie, who announced last week he would let this cup pass, endorsed Romney on Tuesday afternoon. If the alternatives to Romney don't perform better, Republicans should just get it over with and start learning to love him.

With Christie endorsement, Romney looks like frontrunner
Romney, Christie repeat calls for Perry to repudiate pastor

Rick Perry has the background and the money to be the alternative to Romney, but he didn't do much for himself at this debate. For long stretches he seemed to slide under the dining room table. When he spoke, even about an energy plan he is supposed to roll out in the coming days, he was vague and full of platitudes. At such moments, he seemed to be in need of an energy plan.

Perry is running on his success creating jobs in Texas, and this debate could have been an opportunity to give his campaign a boost. He'll have to make his opportunities in the coming days instead, using his campaign cash to introduce himself to voters as someone a lot more like them than the polished Mitt Romney. Perry's road to the nomination is probably through the gut. It's hard to make that kind of connection with voters from behind a polished wood table--and time is running out to make any connection at all.

Cain is a one-note wonder. This is his strength and his limitation. For those who like Cain, he reminded them all the reasons they do. He skips past questions and concerns with confidence: There is no problem, he shows as much as says, that can't be solved with a good aphorism and good cheer. He doesn't sound like a politician or a pointy-headed intellectual. When asked about the Federal Reserve Board on which he once sat, he didn't even sound that knowledgeable.

But does Cain have a second act? Is there more to life than 9-9-9? Moderator Charlie Rose tried to get at the magic behind Cain by asking whose economic advice he relies on. Cain cited Rich Lowrie, a mysterious figure who helped him on his tax plan. When Romney seemed to pat Cain on the head, suggesting the economy needed solutions a little more complicated than Cain's slogan, it probably drove voters to Cain--We've seen what the experts can do, Mr. Romney!--but at some point Romney's point will hold. There are serious questions about Cain's plan, and he can't dismiss them with a smile.

Republican debate: Winners and losers
Romney says he can work with "good" Democrats
Romney: "I'm not worried about rich people"
Romney turns "Romneycare" question back on Perry
Gingrich: Fire Bernanke, imprison Dodd and Frank
Huntsman mocks Cain 999 plan as price of pizza

Romney had to defend his support for TARP, which won't help him with Tea Party activists. Then again, they don't like him anyway. He is helped in that Gingrich and Cain also supported the bailout. Cain repeated Romney's answer that TARP was not a bad idea but was poorly executed. At times Cain, who endorsed Romney in 2008, feels like he's vying to be Romney's running mate. He's taken on Perry on his hunting camp and said that he could not consider being Perry's running mate because of his positions.

Of all the candidates, it's Newt Gingrich, the self-appointed ombudsman of these debates, who seems to be having the best time. A question is posed and--kapow!--he just wallops the first straw man he can find. Hippie protesters who don't clean up after themselves, dumb questions from the media, the stupid congressional supercommittee sequestration process: Often none of it has anything to do with anything, much less the questions he was asked, but he's having fun. And sometimes he's right on the nose--particularly on the supercommittee. A few more performances like this and he could be the place those non-Romney votes that have moved from Bachmann to Perry to Cain might land for a day or so.

Since the last debate, the early primary and caucus states have moved up their contests by about a month. There is no evidence that has quickened the pulse of Romney's competitors to knock him down. In the portion of the evening where they could pose questions to one another he got four, the most of anyone, but it gave him only more free time to repeat his forceful positions. Romney appeared to react to the compressed calendar by looking to the general election, talking repeatedly about the middle class. More and more, unless one of his opponents steps up, it looks like Romney is going to be the one sitting at the head of the Republican family table in November.

More from Slate:

Romney shows his liberal side
What Happened to Columbus Day?
Why Do Italians Put Up With Silvio Berlusconi?

[evelio1000000]

As usual the Left, Obama-friendly, special interest bought mainscream media, would like all of Amerika to believe that the only viable candidates are those who will lie, cheat, and basically carry on the status quo. They, along with our current puppet regime, fail to notice that, We The People are fed-up with the FED, the IRS, the DOJ, the government, etc. etc.
Americans are showing their support for the one candidate that all of the above would deny even exists, yet his numbers continually grow stronger.
Beware, all who would disavow any knowledge of his existence.
Your time is, God Willing, short.
You can not forsee the end of your free ride, but it is coming.
RON PAUL 2012!

[noloyalisti]

When you think of the horror of the Bush Crime Family (too many laws broken and too much damage to even enumerate) Reign of Terror, you realize that we face the end of America if another Republicon EVER gets the presidency.

We have to realize the Cons Party of death and spending would have the chance to move the already illegitimate Corporate Supreme Court even more Republicon and we will have to live with that for at least a generation.

We HAVE to rally around Obama, with Occupy Together 99%, we have the chance to really move him from the right of center to the left. It is our only chance to save America from the Top 1%.

[cbsnacilbuper]

There has to be a poll somewhere that says Obama can beat Romney, that is why the MSM is pushing Romney.

Did it with McCain.

Don't be fooled again.

[stn_sage]

If Romney wins his party's nomination, I'm faced with a
real dilemma!
Romney for president? Obama for president? Romney for president?
Obama for president?
We have hit the point were the 'lesser of two evils' philosophy
no longer applies!

[valjean7]

If the bnallot included a NO box alongside the yes one you could vote against your greater of evils without falsely endorsing your lesser of such. The highest net yes wins. Why are we forced to say we like yuckie brocolli to say we don't like parsnips more?

[Kenny777_y]

hey CBS what gives you the right to say ROMNEY is the one to beat or ROMNEYS the front runner. i for one agree with RON PAUL a lot more than ROMNEY. is CBS that bias that you wont give RON PAUL any credit for anything, why not just change your name to CBS FOX AND FRIENDS.

[konr22]

I like to pretend I'm normal ..................and I'm a Mormon.

[RespectOthersAlways]

Great debate about an economy messed up by Republicans. The Bush-Cheney tax cuts, unfunded wars and prescription drug scheme produced almost six trillion dollar deficit that costs the nation over $100 Billion dollars in interest payments every year! But the Republican candidates, like the Republican Congress will not accept responsibility for the messy economy they created before President Obama was sworn in. Ron Paul may be the only honest politician in the pack. He admitted Republican Party culpability. Pizza magnate Herman Cain and Michele Bachman are simply out of touch with reality. Texas Governor Perry appears to be seriously confused, desperately trying to hide the terrible record of poverty and health care crisis in Texas. Huntsman and Santorum are marginal candidates. Gingrich did what Gingrich does as the one-eyed king in the valley of blind reaction recklessly throwing flames and spouting a lot of philosophical nonsense. That leaves Governor Romney the flip-flop king of all times. What a crew!

[noloyalisti]

Romney is an expert at closing companies, laying off American workers and sucking up massive profits for himself. Obama will be easily able to expose all of this information.

Is this bufoon what the Republicon Party is still all about? I guess so.

[Anotheryahoo]

Romney is everything a Republican could want in a candidate, He's white, he is a proven Vietnam draft dodger, a Flip Flopper, ran a company into the ground, Has a cult religion, is bought off by the corporations. Absolutely Perfect! even has good hair.

[noloyalisti]

Compared to the Bush Crime Family and the current crop of Corporate Republicons, Obama is a gift from heaven!

[Kenny777_y]

wow dan you are so smart, i really like the class warfare one thats cool. to bad it was a phrase used first by eric cantor. and do you really know anything about acorn, or i guess you wouldnt care about people getting affordable housing.

[slappy-mcjohnson]

by slappy-mcjohnson October 12, 2011 1:56 PM EDT
Kind of like our arming and training Al Qaeda during the Soviet conflict, eh?

by Dan1523 October 12, 2011 2:03 PM EDT
Slappy. The enemey of our enemy is our friend.

----------

So you're glad we trained and armed Al Qaeda?

Wow.

[slappy-mcjohnson]

Foresight, Dan. You seem to be against it.