GOP Debate Reveals Truths About Romney, Perry

Just about everyone I spoke to yesterday asked a variation of the same question: Did you see the Republican debate? What they were asking, really, was: Did you see Mitt Romney and Rick Perry go at it?

It was worth watching, because this time the GOP debate was not more of the same. So far the Republican debates have offered little difference in substance. We know where the candidates stand on the issues, and they reiterate it debate after debate. The commentators, pundits and observers have been reduced to calling the horse race and noting nuances: Perry’s fumbles, Bachmann’s quips, Cain’s gimmicks.

This last one, though, was different. Maybe it was Perry’s desperation, or maybe it was Romney’s losing his grip, but the two went at it each other in a unexpected way that painted a clear picture of motivations.

A quick recap:

The moderator, CNN’s Anderson Coopper, asked Rick Perry about the 1 million children in Texas who lack health insurance (we need to pause a little here, to take that in. One million children in Texas don’t have health insurance…). Cooper asked: how do you respond to that?

Perry: We’ve got one of the finest healthcare systems in the world….

He went on about 12 seconds on that tack, then he abruptly pivoted and went straight at Romney, changing the subject without taking a breath.

Perry: We have a 12 hundred mile border with Mexico…

And just like that it was on. Perry hit Romney on the fact that he once had undocumented lawn workers mowing his lawn. Romney fought back saying he didn’t. Perry interrupted, Romney interjected, Perry insisted, and Romney hit back.

It was amusing. And most commentators left it at that: candidates lashing out in the heat of the campaign.

But there were a couple of things lost in the exchange that bear mentioning. First, Perry’s apparent dismissal of the gap in children’s healthcare. The question was point-blank – Perry had been asked to account for the more than 1 million Texas children without health insurance and he hadn’t had a chance to answer. So Cooper gave him that chance. And he didn’t take it. Instead he boasted about Houston’s wonderful medical community and then oddly switched over to the border, immigration and Romney. Second, Romney’s rebuttal left a blatant indication of his motivation. While defending himself against the accusation that he had undocumented workers doing his lawn he explained that he had hired a lawn care company and that the company had hired the laborers.  It wasn’t his fault and as soon as he found out that there were undocumented workers in the crew he had them fired. Why?

Romney: I told the company, I’m running for office for Pete’s sake, I can’t have illegals.

True, for Pete’s sake. He can’t. And that’s the problem. So had he not been running for office it would have been okay by him to have undocumented workers mow his lawn?

It was a huge scratch in the GOP veneer. There are 1 million children without health insurance in Texas, but the Governor, who’s running for president, diverts the conversation to immigration. And his opponent, the former governor, isn’t interested in the issue or the law, he just wants to get elected, so he’ll fire workers to make an impression and save his reputation.

The entire exchange lasted less than 4 minutes, but it gave more truth and substance than we’ve seen so far in a GOP debate. I’m hooked. I can’t wait for the next one.

If you want to check out the exchange for yourself, click HERE.