GOP campaign sound bites: Hits & misses
From the speeches to the debates, the Republican candidates have gotten to their current position on the campaign trail by their words.
However, some sound bites are more effective than others - and some are downright embarrassing.
For a look at some of the best and worst highlights of the Republican presidential race, "The Early Show" turned to GOP pollster Frank Luntz, president and chief executive officer of Luntz Global, LLC. Luntz shared his choices of the most memorable moments on our broadcast (as seen listed below), along with his analysis of each moment and why it worked (or didn't) for each candidate.
WORDS THAT DON'T WORK
Perry Forgets: Luntz said when Texas Gov. Rick Perry forgets the third agency he would eliminate if he were elected, the embarrassment for the presidential hopeful "goes on and on."
Luntz recalled, "I was (polling viewers) and had 30 people sitting and watching it and first they started to laugh. Then they started to get horrified. And finally they felt embarrassed on his behalf. (It was) the most incredible (thing). They expect you to have the answer, to be sitting up here and have the answer at your fingertips. If you don't, they punish you for it. ... Rick Perry was not prepared. He raised more money in one month than any other presidential candidate. He should have spent the time preparing for these debates."
Perry vs. Romney: Presidential hopefuls Rick Perry and Mitt Romney spar over illegal immigration.
"Republicans looked at that (argument) and didn't like it at all," Luntz said. "To them, the opposition is Barack Obama and not each other. The hostility and the fact that they talked over each other, they thought [the candidates] were trying to score needless political points, and they resented it.
"Of all the moments we tested in every debate, that one was the one that made Republicans the angriest."
WORDS THAT WORK
Gingrich vs. the Press: "It was a Fox debate, and a conservative audience actually booed Fox News!" Luntz said. "Later on, they said this is one of the better debates, because they held the candidates accountable. But what Newt Gingrich did was, he turned the question into opposition to the media, and conservatives do like that."