by digby
Mark Halperin helpfully tells the Village what they are supposed to think about all the GOP hopefuls with this little “report card” based on his allegedly unbiased gut impressions. One thing is quite clear: the Village bros are lovin’ them some spicy, Cuban meatball.
Style: More confident and focused than even in his well-received announcement speech. Led off with a string of jokes about Clinton, kids, and campaigns. Then turned earnest, keeping the crowd hushed and largely rapt, culminating with a resounding, sustained standing ovation.
Substance: Laid out his agenda on taxes, education, and other issues with more purpose than detail, but made it powerful by fusing it with vivid descriptions of America’s needs.
Best moment: Closed with an extended passage about the nation’s future and the urgency of moving in a new direction immediately.Worst moment: Rambled a bit at the end of the first third of his remarks—but that’s a quibble.
Overall: Speaks about the American Experience and his own family history like an old pro, making him seem wise and thoughtful beyond his years. Continues to hit his stride, creating believers within the party and the press. When he leverages his youth to make his optimism seem more organic, he stakes a greater claim than Walker, Bush, and the rest of the field to being the right leader for a better future. Enshrined his place in the top tier more solidly than ever before.
Oh yeah, baby ! He’s hot!!
At the other end of the spectrum is poor old Rick Perry.
Style: Populist, anti-Washington message delivered in an intense but sometimes rambling manner. Not particularly funny, accessible, or soothing, despite nods toward optimism. On occasion let loose the manic arm-waving that he made infamous in the Granite State last cycle.
Substance: Advocated corporate tax reform, talked energy policy, but stubbornly remained above 30,000 feet.
Best moment: Talked about President Obama and the Mexican border in a crowd-pleasing, Texas-tough way.
Worst moment: Wordy, dark description of the recent American past that meandered and stalled out without much audience reaction.
Overall: Strong, mainline, conservative message, but delivered with flashes of his more lampoonable style—not the cup of tea of voters who continue to see and hear echoes of ‘12. Despite his many strengths, this version of Rick Perry cannot win the Republican nomination, and every time he acts like this at a high-profile event, he wastes more than an opportunity: He digs a deep hole even deeper.
And then there was this guy who I didn’t even know was running:
Style: Talked rapidly, sometimes shouting, perhaps in an effort to seem forceful and driven. Showed little humor (beyond an opening clunker of a Clinton/e-mail joke), and little finesse. Occasionally hugged the side of the lectern, or wandered briefly away, only to return moments later.
Substance: Called for lower individual and corporate tax rates; elimination of the inheritance tax. Offered only generalities during an extended foreign policy section.
Best moment: Brought determination to his presentation, but no moments stood out.
Worst moment: The starkness of the line “President Obama doesn’t believe in America” turned into a downer even with a partisan audience that has little love for the current occupant of the Oval Office.
Overall: Largely unknown, even to many activists and the press; got some attention simply by being on the card. But didn’t give people a true sense of his heart, his history, or his hopes. Too dark and negative to be considered a happy Gilmore. Still, enough buzz in the room to likely encourage him to stay at it in the months ahead.
The other big names, Jeb, Walker, Christie all got solid “Bs” so they have plenty of potential. The weirdos like Bolton and Trump weren’t all that appealing. Go figure.
So there you have it. The America’s Got Political Talent re-cap from TMZ. Or rather Bloomberg. Whatever. You don’t need to watch the pundits next week, they’ll all be regurgitating this swill as if it actually means something.
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