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IowaPolitics.com: Rivals take on Romney after debate
8/5/2007

By Chris Dorsey and Tim Schmitt
IowaPolitics.com

DES MOINES -- With a new statewide poll showing Mitt Romney as the clear frontrunner in Iowa, a pair of campaigns took aim at the former Massachusetts governor in comments after today's Republican presidential debate in Des Moines. Today's new Iowa poll, sponsored by ABC News and the Washington Post, showed Romney leading the way in the state with 26 percent, followed by Rudy Giuliani at 14 percent. No other declared candidate finished in double-digits. After the debate, a spokesman for Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback said Romney's camp was "trying to buy" next week's GOP straw poll in Ames "just like they buy votes in Chicago."

“We’re looking forward to a strong finish in the straw poll," Rob Wasinger said. "We’ve been building a strong infrastructure across the state rather than focusing on television advertising, unlike Governor Romney. I think you’ll see he is trying to buy this thing just like they buy votes in Chicago.”

Wasinger considered the opening exchange of the debate, in which Romney was accused of flip-flopping on the abortion issue by Brownback, a public service announcement to Iowa voters.

“Talking about Governor Romney’s flip-flopping on abortion, family, taxes and any number of other issues is a public service announcement to the voters of Iowa.”

Brownback, he said, was eager to point this out on a national stage help highlight why he is different from the other candidates.

“What that exchange indicates is Senator Brownback’s willingness to rebuild our family and our culture."

A spokesman for Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo was not as direct in his criticism of Romney.

“I thought only senators filibustered until I saw Mitt Romney today,” said Bill Salier, a spin doctor working the room for Tancredo. Salier claimed Tancredo has led the conversation over fair tax, immigration and a host of other typical conservative issues. “He’s driven the debate across the board.” There were several undercurrents in Sunday's debate. Going into the Aug. 11 straw poll, it was important for Brownback and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to make a strong impression, Drake University professor Dennis Goldford said.

"Brownback and Huckabee are trying to emerge as the major religious conservatives," Goldford said. "They are all mining the same vein. Romney is leading in the polls and they want to be seen as the major alternative. There are a lot of religious conservatives who like what they have to say, they just don't think they can win."

During the debate former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani was jovial and poked fun at some of the questions asked by ABC's This Week host George Stephanopoulos. That caught, Goldford's attention.

"Giuliani was as relaxed as I have seen," said Goldford, who added Arizona Sen. John McCain does not seem to be exhibiting the same fight as he did in his presidential run in 2000.

Inside Sheslow Auditorium, two Des Moines area residents gave the winning nod to Romney and Giuliani.

Pastor Bill Devlin said "it was a close call" between Giuliani and Romney. He thought many of the candidates came across too stiff and serious. That may have given Romney a slight edge.

"As far as television events go and the normal guy watching the debate at home, the candidate who smiles the most wins," he said. "Today, I would say that had to be Romney. I thought Romney looked real presidential today."

Shelley Bruce, who works in sales at the Harley-Davidson store in the Des Moines area, considers herself a "moderate" Republican. She said before she attended the debate she was leaning toward Guilliani, but after seeing Romney she's going to do some more research on him.

"I like to see the candidates in person and study their mannerisms and see if they are real people," she said. "I like to see how they act. I really didn't know that much about Mitt Romney before today, but I think he's worth looking into now."

Jeff Lamberti, Iowa’s former Republican Senate leader, though quick to point out that he has been, and will remain, a supporter of U.S. Sen. John McCain, spoke highly of the field of Republican candidates: “I think we have as strong a field as we could ask for,” he said during the spin hour that followed the debate on Sunday morning. “I want to support someone who from day one is ready to serve as president, that’s why I support John McCain. But I’m proud to have this crew we saw today all hoping to earn the Republican nomination.”

While the recent CNN/YouTube Democratic debate sparked headlines for nearly a week as candidates New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama sparred about foreign policy in the media, the ABC debate in Des Moines saw the Republicans taking more care to distance themselves from Democrats than from their GOP counterparts.

Obama's recent statement about his intentions to take action in Pakistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden, even without the permission of that country's president, resulted in some criticism from the GOP candidates. Obama spokesman Bill Burton responded shortly after the debate: "The fact that the same Republican candidates who want to keep 160,000 American troops in the middle of a civil war couldn't agree that we should take out Osama bin Ladin if we had him in our sights, proves why Americans want to turn the page on the last seven years of Bush-Cheney foreign policy."

Following the debate, the GOP candidates stayed on message from the 90-minute nationally televised event. Most of the candidates or their surrogates were in the spin room except for Giuliani.

Here's more of what they had to say:

  • California Congressman Duncan Hunter, who was at 1 percent in the new ABC/Washington Post poll, said in the spin room that a low finish in the Ames Straw Poll next week would not end his presidential aspirations. The GOP presidential candidate said he plans to campaign in Iowa in the coming months and compete in next January's Iowa caucus.

    "You can see me in every coffee shop in Iowa," Hunter said. "I am going to try to do well in the straw poll. I have six days here. I have get to get as much exposure as the other guys."

    Hunter also spoke to the mass of reporters about, among other things, economic opportunity and the importance of keeping American jobs from being exported to “Communist China.”

    "Our job is to create economic opportunity for the next generation. We have allready lost over a million jobs to communist China, high-paying jobs. We have to stop China from cheating on trade."

  • Congressman Ron Paul, the dark horse candidate with a bevy of supporters both present and vocal outside the debate, spoke candidly about the debate and the lack of opportunity such a format presents for candidates.

    “I was really frustrated, He said. “I was a little disappointed that I couldn’t talk about medical issues again, I am an M.D. after all. There just is not enough time in a format like this, and in the space of 90 minutes to get a message across. I would like to have more one-on-one discussion, but I am very satisfied with my performance, though I don’t want to toot my own horn.”

  • McCain: "I have to articulate my position on Iraq. People need to be told it's long, it's hard and it's tough. We will succeed. If we do what the Democrats want it will be surrender."

  • Huckabee: "Eighty percent of our health care costs are spent on chronic disease. It is a runaway train we can't stop. It doesn't get fixed over night...Members of Congress are nice guys but they have been there years, enough is enough. If they haven't fixed it now, what makes us think if they elevate them to the office of president they are going to do any better than when they were a member of congress.

  • Doug Gross for Romney: "In a crowded field, Governor Romney stood out as the only candidate substantively addressing the challenges confronting our nation today. With his vision of a stronger America, Governor Romney has proven that he is the leader we need in the White House. He is also the only major candidate fully committed to the Iowa process and speaking to the concerns of Iowa families. Today's debate was a great start to a week that will conclude at the Iowa Straw Poll."


IowaPolitics.com video: Clips from the post-debate spin room
IowaPolitics.com: Post-debate statements


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