I'll start from the bottom of my list.
Herman Cain. He lost a lot of ground. He speaks in generalities that often dodge the question's request for specifics, which indicates to me that he isn't ready for primetime. His answer on the whole Muslim-in-his-Cabinet issue was absolutely embarrassing. Just because he speaks in all-caps doesn't mean he's a good candidate, and last night he proved it. C-
Rick Santorum. IMO, did very well in the first debate. And this is coming from someone who doesn't like him at all. Last night he felt a lot less comfortable and a lot more forced, perhaps because there were more people there and it was tougher for him to stand out? Not sure. He did alright. B-
Ron Paul. The usual from Ron Paul...sometimes he seems articulate and presents his views as common sense; other times, he comes off as a delusional grumpy old man whose campaign slogan may as well be "Get off of my lawn". Last night was a bit of each. He was far too uneven to stand out. Regardless of his actual performance, he, as expected, said too many things that will prevent him from getting the Republican nomination simply because he's a libertarian. Nothing terrible OR memorable. C+
Michele Bachmann. First of all, she had a few blatant errors (as expected), and some of her applause lines were far too rehearsed. Having said that, great showing from Bachmann. I really don't think she has a shot at the nomination, but after last night, I think she proved that she can be a real contender in a state like Iowa or South Carolina, and that could give the eventual nominee something of a headache. She can be somewhat electric and will be adored by the base. She basically stole the show. A-
Newt Gingrich. Newt's had a few terrible, terrible weeks...and last night did nothing to reverse that. Any of the great intellectual moments we've come to expect from Newt (and there WERE a few of them) seemed short-lived; for much of the night, he seemed defensive and grumpy. I always thought he would be an absolute powerhouse in the debates, but he didn't meet my expectations last night at all. C
Tim Pawlenty. Color me surprised. A few months back I was convinced this guy was going to win by default as the anti-Romney and the least flawed candidate overall. But something about him...just isn't connecting. And that's apparent in his failure to rise in the polls. He just seems a bit too forced, which isn't good for someone who wants his appeal to be based on authenticity. He lost a LOT of points for backing down from his whole "Obamneycare" meme...he had a perfect chance to go after Romney, and sheepishly backed away, which made him look incredibly weak. I'm starting to think my instincts were wrong and that Pawlenty is not going to be able to pull off the upset after all. C+
Mitt Romney: Sort of won by default. There were moments that I, as a Romney-hater, could pick at (he really had no answer at all for his statement that the bailout would be "the end of the auto industry" or whatever it was that he said in that op-ed; he's gotten strikingly skillful at dodging tough questions)...but coming from a more unbiased perspective, Romney did what he needed to do. He outlined differences in his and Obama's health care plan in a MUCH more artful and simple way than he has been able to before; he hit just about every talking point he needed to, more articulately than most of the others on stage; and somehow, strangely, he avoided being attacked, as the frontrunner so often is. Who knows what will happen between now and next summer, but he came out of the debate looking more and more like the inevitable nominee. A-