Reactions to the CBS-National Journal Debate

Saturday night, the Republican Presidential Candidates met in South Carolina for a debate, televised on CBS. The moderators weren't as bad as the CNBC crowd last week, but they really annoyed me by once again trying to participate. What I find hilarious is that these moderators kept trying to debate with Newt Gingrich, which consistently ends up being just as useful as attempting to take down a brick wall using only your head.

Today, and moving forward, I'm adding two new features to my debate reactions: My current Top 3 Contenders for my vote in the New York State Republican primary and the person or people I felt won the debate. So let's play a round of our favorite post debate stock market analogy: Buy, Hold, Sell or Sell All:

Michelle Bachmann – Sell (Sell):

Bachmann had good moments, but her place in the polls has tanked. I like what she said about everyone paying taxes, even if it's $10 a year. I agree. When the Left talks about someone "not paying their fair share," but they ignore that 47% of Americans pay zero taxes and then consumes more than half of the government welfare. So 47% of people pay no taxes and use all the tax money.

At one point Congresswoman Bachmann was my top choice. Right now I don't feel she's got a chance, and I'm not wasting my vote on idealism. Maybe she can be Vice President, but not President.

Bachmann had a great debate. She said some great things. For example, "President Obama is letting the ACLU to run the CIA." That being said, it's going to take an awful lot for Congresswoman Bachmann to get back into this race at this point.

Herman Cain – Buy (Buy):

Cain has had a rough couple of weeks. Early on, the moderators tried to play gotcha with Cain. It didn't work. He came off as genuine in his response. I will say this over and over, when Cain denies these charges, deep down in places I don't talk about at parties, I believe him. Cain is an honest man. The best phrase to describe him is "what you see is what you get." He really answered well.
Then he got back on message. He talked about 9-9-9. He talked about making taxes fairer and transparent. He really got back on topic today. I believe if Cain can stay on message he'll get past this propped up, made up scandal and continue to succeed.

Herman Cain is still hanging in there. He's winning most national polls still and, despite the Drive-By Media's best efforts, this sexual harassment scandal is not forcing Cain out of the race, even given the stories that the Drive-Bys are ignoring (more on that later this week).

This debate was out of Cain's wheelhouse, at least on paper. His strength is in the area of jobs and the economy. Yet he came off as more knowledgeable than I expected. Clearly Cain has done his homework and has good people advising him on the subject, because it's not as important to be knowledgeable on your own but rather to surround yourself with knowledgeable people. Cain did get tripped up some on the "torture" question. However, I do trust him to surround himself with the right people, and ultimately, that's what matters. As my good friend and fellow blogger the JC Freak said to me after the debate, Cain's strategy is to "not be Hitler and assume that he is a military genius who micromanage everything, but instead listen to his generals."

Newt Gingrich – Buy (Sell):

In debates, Newt is the man. He tells it like it is and does it in a way that people can digest. I loved when he said that there were two points in our history of rapid economic growth, the Reagan Years and the Contract with America (bad news, Clinton fans, it wasn't Clinton who caused the 90s Boom, it was the Contract with America). Both of those eras had one huge similarity: Lower taxes and let people keep their own money, because private citizens do better with their money than government ever can. Newt is on the rise, and I think he has a chance. I'm seriously considering voting for him now. He was Tea Party before there was a Tea Party. I'm glad to see his rise.

Newt has now pulled into a 2^nd place tie with Mitt Romney and within the margin of error of frontrunner Herman Cain. He's for real in this race. I said for a long time that if Gingrich showed me he could win, I'd love to back him. Well here we are…and I'm leaning toward backing him.
What I love about Gingrich most of all is the looks that he gives the moderators when they ask really stupid questions…a look that says "are you REALLY that stupid?" before he answers it. He nailed it agreeing with Rick Perry about starting at $0 in foreign aid and then requiring them to prove why we should support them with foreign aid.

Newt had so many great lines, however my favorites included:

"There are a number of ways to be smart about Iran and there are relatively few ways to be dumb, and the (Obama) Administration skipped all the ways to be smart."

And when asked if he wanted to comment on his statement that Mitt Romney was a "competent manager" but not able to make real changes in Washington, Newt simply said "No," then proceeded to reiterate that ANY of the people on this stage would be better than Barrack Obama, which is so very true.

Jon Huntsman – Sold (Sold):

I'm kind of glad Huntsman is in these debates. It gives me a chance to use the bathroom or make a sandwich.

Rather than wasting time talking about Jon Huntsman and his magenta tie, I've decided to provide a link to a video of Abbott and Costello doing their classic routine "Who's On First."

Gary Johnson – Not in Attendance (Sold):

Johnson showed up at what, one debate? Is he still running? Does anybody care?
I'm going to start leaving Johnson off these things. He isn't even showing at debates.

Ron Paul - Sold (Sold):

I like some of Paul's plans, namely cutting $1 Trillion from the budget in year one. Unfortunately there's still that 15% where I can't agree with him.

You know that 15% of policies where I completely disagree with Ron Paul? This debate highlighted those differences. (For example, I still do not believe that Saddam Hussein didn't have weapons of mass destruction based on simple logic, specifically that dictators don't give up easily. I do agree that President's shouldn't go to war without a declaration of war from Congress.)

Ron Paul's issue on foreign policy is that he lives with his Magic Imagination Hat on where every ideal can be realized. I, on the other hand, live in the Real World. This is why Paul can't win the GOP nomination, most of the party doesn't vote with their Magic Imagination Hats on.

Rick Perry – Hold (Hold):  

Perry got better in this debate before he got worse. At first he was figuring out how to properly present conservatism. As I've said recently, I like his Flat Tax. I like his plan to remove all regulations added by the Obama administration based on one critera, "if it costs jobs, get rid of it." My other favorite Perry statement tonight was "If you're too big to fail, you're too big." And then the gaffes happened. 

 At one point I thought that Perry was back on the rise, and I was glad, because I think he's one of the conservative powerhouses in this race and if he can prove he can win I'd love to back him. Then he couldn't complete answering a question and looked like a bumbling fool. Once again I continue to stay that real conservatism wins every single time it's effectively communicated. The problem is I still doubt if Perry can effectively communicate it.

Perry got better this time. Again, he has gotten stronger in the debates. He's learning to communicate his message more effectively. I think perhaps he's doing debate prep and practicing. I say it all the time, real conservatism wins whenever it's effectively communicated. Perry's issue isn't not being a real conservative, thus far it's been effectively communicating it. I think it was very wise for Perry to join the joke and laugh at his own gaffe in the last debate. Self-deprecating humor was one of the things that made his former boss and our former President, George W. Bush, so approachable and why Bush won two elections against people who were, on paper, stronger debaters.

My favorite Perry quote was "The foreign budget for any nation in my administration will start at $0," and then we would consider increasing it if a nation proves they are supporting us.

Perry is giving me hope that he might rebound. As I've said, on paper, he's the candidate that best represents my values. I think Perry could be someone who ends up being a frontrunner someday, but not this election. I think being a 2^nd time Presidential candidate in eight years could be a big difference for Perry, much like Mitt Romney is much improved since 2008.

Mitt Romney – Buy (Buy):

Mitt had good moments and bad. One of his best moments was explaining the definition of profits. He got out of his robotic mode and got excited and showed emotion about capitalism. He had a rough moment early on when he was being questioned about his flip flops. What it really comes down to is that Romney would be okay, but we can do better. We've got, by my count, five dyed in the wool conservatives on that stage, and I want better than Mitt.

Foreign policy is a good topic for Mitt. I have my issues with him on domestic policy because I question whether or not he's conservative ENOUGH on taxes, on the economy, etc. But like I said for eight years under George W. Bush, I do trust him to keep us safe.

I thought Mitt came out strong at several times, including his clear statement against Barrack Obama for believing that his personal charisma would make the difference in a world filled with evil people (I'm paraphrasing here) and that the President thinks of this country as just another nation. I agree with Mitt, America is not just another nation. America is the great, shining city on a hill.

Tonight's debate gave me reasons that, if Romney is our nominee, I could get behind Mitt and support him. I still hope for better, but I will get behind him if I need to in the general election.

Rick Santorum - Sold (Sold):

Santorum had a great debate. He really was on the ball. I just don’t see him getting revved up. Maybe I’m wrong. But for now, he’s getting 2-3% in polls. He’s got no chance.

Santorum bumbled a lot on Saturday. When he said "Pakistan MUST be our friend" to me was a stupid statement. Yes, Pakistan is a nuclear power. So is North Korea. The idea that because someone is a bully that it's better to befriend the bully out of fear that the bully might attack us next, even though we KNOW we would clean said bully's clock in a fight. The better thing to do is to let the bully know that we will take the bully out if they try to pick on any of the other kids.


Another debate, kind of a short one considering how many candidates we have in the race, but entertaining.

Debate Winner(s): Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney

Honorable Mention: Rick Perry (For delivering better than expected.)

As it sits now, the race for my personal vote looks like this:

1. Newt Gingrich
2. Herman Cain
3. Rick Perry

How about you? Let me know in the comment section, on Twitter (@UpstateMetFan) or on the Biblical Conservatism Fan Page on Facebook!

Reactions to the CNBC “Your Money, Your Vote” Debate

Last night, the Republican Presidential Candidates met for a debate in Rochester, MI. CNBC hosted the debate, and on many fronts I wanted to smack the moderators. It was pretty bad actually. I darn near threw my remote through the television when the moderators tried to play gotcha with Herman Cain. Then I remembered it’s not the TV’s fault. I continue to wonder why the heck we as Republicans keep putting ourselves through these debates? CNBC’s moderators kept trying to join into the debate and that is not what they are supposed to do. Too much gotcha was played. Jim Cramer reminded me a lot of Matt Foley the Motivational Speaker last night.


Aside from that, let’s play everybody’s favorite post debate game, buy, hold, sell, sell all or sold:

Michelle Bachmann – Hold (Sell):

Congresswoman Bachmann came out swinging tonight (look for that statement a lot tonight). She really had some great moments. I honestly do not know if this response will build any support for her. She had some great moments. My favorite was when she brought up that Barrack Obama’s relatives are still in this country illegally. Honestly I don’t know if she’s going to pick up any support, but I thought her debate performance was solid.

Bachmann had good moments, but her place in the polls has tanked. I like what she said about everyone paying taxes, even if it’s $10 a year. I agree. When the Left talks about someone “not paying their fair share,” but they ignore that 47% of Americans pay zero taxes and then consumes more than half of the government welfare. So 47% of people pay no taxes and use all the tax money.

At one point Congresswoman Bachmann was my top choice. Right now I don’t feel she’s got a chance, and I’m not wasting my vote on idealism. Maybe she can be Vice President, but not President.

Herman Cain – Buy (Buy):

He took it hard on the 9% sales tax in the debate from the other candidates. I think he did a good job of responding and explaining that the plan is replacing the current pipeline, not giving a new tax pipeline.


In the last month I’ve done a 180 on Herman Cain. He’s become a viable candidate and is the current contender to Mitt Romney at the top of the race. I thought he did a very good job of explaining his 9-9-9 Plan and continuing to invite people to go to his website and view the plan in full. He did a great job to explain that his plan is replacing significant taxes that go into the price of every product we buy. He’s going to have to do a lot of explaining to get that fact into people’s heads. Yes, there would need to be significant and potentially Constitutional safeguards for a plan like 9-9-9 to work. But he did a good job I think of shaking off the attacks and staying firm on his plan.

Cain has had a rough couple of weeks. Early on, the moderators tried to play gotcha with Cain. It didn’t work. He came off as genuine in his response. I will say this over and over, when Cain denies these charges, deep down in places I don’t talk about at parties, I believe him. Cain is an honest man. The best phrase to describe him is “what you see is what you get.” He really answered well.

Then he got back on message. He talked about 9-9-9. He talked about making taxes fairer and transparent. He really got back on topic today. I believe if Cain can stay on message he’ll get past this propped up, made up scandal and continue to succeed.

Newt Gingrich – Buy (Sell):

Newt joins Herman Cain in the category of making me look bad, and I’m glad of it. I really like Newt. If he can show himself to be a viable option and not a throw away vote in my state’s primary, I’d strongly consider voting for him. He’s got great ideas and he would absolutely cream Obama in a debate. He had great moments in the debate. I’d like to see Newt really take the next step. Let’s see what happens.

In debates, Newt is the man. He tells it like it is and does it in a way that people can digest. I loved when he said that there were two points in our history of rapid economic growth, the Reagan Years and the Contract with America (bad news, Clinton fans, it wasn’t Clinton who caused the 90s Boom, it was the Contract with America). Both of those eras had one huge similarity: Lower taxes and let people keep their own money, because private citizens do better with their money than government ever can. Newt is on the rise, and I think he has a chance. I’m seriously considering voting for him now. He was Tea Party before there was a Tea Party. I’m glad to see his rise.

Jon Huntsman – Sold (Sold):

I’m glad Huntsman wasn’t here. I’ve run out of funny statements for him. I’ll work on it before the next debate. Any suggestions, send me a tweet @UpstateMetFan.

I’m kind of glad Huntsman is in these debates. It gives me a chance to use the bathroom or make a sandwich.

Gary Johnson – Not in Attendance (Sold):

See Jon Huntsman note.

Johnson showed up at what, one debate? Is he still running? Does anybody care?

Ron Paul - Sold (Sold):

Ron Paul forgot to sound crazy tonight. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I agree with him on 85% of his policies. Unfortunately the other 15%, which didn’t come up tonight, scare me about him, like his isolationist policies that do not make sense in our modern world. I stay where I stay, he won’t be the President. But I’m glad he’s in my party. Also, I’d like to give kudos to Paul on one statement, “We have rights, and they come from God.”

I like some of Paul’s plans, namely cutting $1 Trillion from the budget in year one. Unfortunately there’s still that 15% where I can’t agree with him.

Rick Perry – Hold (Hold):

I felt Perry rebounded pretty well. His plans to use the energy resources we have to power this country makes far too much sense to ignore. I can’t tell you what a boon to my budget it would be to see my energy costs go down. I’m fortunate enough to live in a town with local, municipal electricity, but even so, if gas prices were cut in half and energy prices were cut in half due to increased supply, that’d be a 10% increase in my monthly available budget, and that would be absolutely huge to me. For the rest of American that would be so as well. I felt he did a decent job on immigration as well.


Most importantly, I felt Perry did a good job of taking it to Mitt Romney. In fairness, Perry really should have let Mitt finish his sentences, but the reality of the situation was that I think Mitt sounded like a he was whining while Perry seemed like an attack dog. While Perry’s statement about Romney hiring illegal immigrants may not have only been true in name only (and I’ll look for a fact check on that), if Romney’s response was indeed true, it still did bloody Romney a bit. Perry may have started to rebound last night.

Perry got better in this debate before he got worse. At first he was figuring out how to properly present conservatism. As I’ve said recently, I like his Flat Tax. I like his plan to remove all regulations added by the Obama administration based on one critera, “if it costs jobs, get rid of it.” My other favorite Perry statement tonight was “If you’re too big to fail, you’re too big.” And then the gaffes happened.

At one point I thought that Perry was back on the rise, and I was glad, because I think he’s one of the conservative powerhouses in this race and if he can prove he can win I’d love to back him. Then he couldn’t complete answering a question and looked like a bumbling fool. Once again I continue to stay that real conservatism wins every single time it’s effectively communicated. The problem is I still doubt if Perry can effectively communicate it.

Mitt Romney – Buy (Buy):

Mitt stood his ground last night and did as well as he’s continued to do. I want to see a fact check on his claim that his “illegal immigrant hiring” was actually him contracting for landscaping with a company who hired illegals, which is, in fairness, not something I can legitimately blame Mitt for. However, where I think he looked bad was when he was defending himself against the interruptions by Perry. I know, it doesn’t sound right, and in most cases I would think that Perry sounded like a jerk and Mitt like a victim. Yet, in that particular instance, Mitt came off to me as condescending and Perry as someone who was legitimately looking for answers.


That exchange (and the subsequent Twitter reactions during it) showed Mitt’s biggest problem. The conservative Republican base really doesn’t want him. That’s why there’s been a perpetual battle of Mitt vs. Not Mitt. (The role of Not Mitt has been played recently by Donald Trump, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, and now Herman Cain.) Republicans are desperately seeking somebody else, and that will hurt Mitt.

Mitt had good moments and bad. One of his best moments was explaining the definition of profits. He got out of his robotic mode and got excited and showed emotion about capitalism. He had a rough moment early on when he was being questioned about his flip flops. What it really comes down to is that Romney would be okay, but we can do better. We’ve got, by my count, five dyed in the wool conservatives on that stage, and I want better than Mitt.

Rick Santorum - Sold (Sold):

Santorum was swinging away again tonight, and I still don’t think he gained any traction. I like him, but his highest possible realistic goal is Vice President.

Santorum had a great debate. He really was on the ball. I just don’t see him getting revved up. Maybe I’m wrong. But for now, he’s getting 2-3% in polls. He’s got no chance.


My personal decision is getting closer…at least I’m down to three candidates I’m seriously considering: Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Perry. I’m sick of listening to Leftwing Moderators playing gotcha and knowing they will give softballs to Obama when the general election debates occur. Still, The field is winnowing in my mind. We’ll see how that continues. Next debate is Saturday night. We’ll see what happens!

Between the Debates - Checking in on the GOP Race

It's been a while since we've been able to assess where candidates (and their stock) are standing in the current race. The last debate was on October 18th, the next full debate is on November 9th.  It seems like it's a good time to check in and do a round of buy, hold, sell, sell all or sold to assess where the candidates stand in the race.  As always, we'll continue to put the previous debate's comments for each candidate in italics and their previous stock rating in parenthasis.

Michelle Bachmann – Sell (Hold):

Congresswoman Bachmann came out swinging last night. She really had some great moments. I honestly do not know if this response will build any support for her. She had some great moments. My favorite was when she brought up that Barrack Obama’s relatives are still in this country illegally. Honestly I don’t know if she’s going to pick up any support, but I thought her debate performance was solid.

Congresswoman Bachmann hasn't really capitalized on the debate performance from October 18th.  She still sits at around 3% in the current polls.  It's going to take something huge for her to contend.  Keep an eye on her as a potential Vice Presidential candidate.  I also think if Speaker John Boehner loses a Tea Party primary challenge, I think you could see Bachmann as Speaker of the House.

Herman Cain – Buy (Buy):

He took it hard on the 9% sales tax in the debate from the other candidates. I think he did a good job of responding and explaining that the plan is replacing the current pipeline, not giving a new tax pipeline.

In the last month I’ve done a 180 on Herman Cain. He’s become a viable candidate and is the current contender to Mitt Romney at the top of the race. I thought he did a very good job of explaining his 9-9-9 Plan and continuing to invite people to go to his website and view the plan in full. He did a great job to explain that his plan is replacing significant taxes that go into the price of every product we buy. He’s going to have to do a lot of explaining to get that fact into people’s heads. Yes, there would need to be significant and potentially Constitutional safeguards for a plan like 9-9-9 to work. But he did a good job I think of shaking off the attacks and staying firm on his plan.

Cain has become the frontrunner in the race.  He's leading Mitt Romney in basically every national poll and is doing well in several key states, including leading Mitt by 7% in the most recent Quinnipiac Poll (1).  The left has tried to take him out by bringing out the old, tried and true sexual harrassment claims on Cain, and his support, along with his fundraising, went UP.  Liberals are absolutely dumbfounded now....they have no idea how to beat Cain. This could be very, very interesting.

Side note: I'm very interested to watch Cain and Newt Gingrich square off in a Lincoln-Douglas style debate on Saturday.  Should be fun to watch.

Newt Gingrich – Buy (Buy):

Newt joins Herman Cain in the category of making me look bad, and I’m glad of it. I really like Newt. If he can show himself to be a viable option and not a throw away vote in my state’s primary, I’d strongly consider voting for him. He’s got great ideas and he would absolutely cream Obama in a debate. He had great moments in the debate. I’d like to see Newt really take the next step. Let’s see what happens.

Newt has pulled into 3rd place and is staying there.  If Cain falls off at some point, I'd expect Newt to be one of the contenders for the official "Not Mitt" spot in the race of Mitt vs. Not Mitt.  I'd love to get behind Newt...he's just got to prove to me that he can win.  He's a true dyed in the wool conservative, just what this country needs, and if the current liberal attack machine on Herman Cain ends up doing any damage, watch out for Newt to be the new "Not Mitt" option.

Jon Huntsman – Not In Attendance (Sold):

I’m glad Huntsman wasn’t here. I’ve run out of funny statements for him. I’ll work on it before the next debate. Any suggestions, send me a tweet @UpstateMetFan.

I still need suggestions...tweet me!

Gary Johnson – Not in Attendance (Sold):

See Jon Huntsman note.

See John Huntsman note.

Ron Paul - Sold (Sold):

Ron Paul forgot to sound crazy tonight for the majority of the debate. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I agree with him on 85% of his policies. Unfortunately the other 15%, which only came up minimally last night, scare me about him, like his isolationist policies that do not make sense in our modern world. I stay where I’ve stood, he won’t be the President. But I’m glad he’s in my party. Also, I’d like to give kudos to Paul on one statement, “We have rights, and they come from God.”

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Ron Paul isn't going to be the GOP nominee.  Unlike the other people who have no chance, however, I respect Paul, so I won't go past that.

Rick Perry – Hold (Buy):

I felt Perry rebounded pretty well. His plans to use the energy resources we have to power this country makes far too much sense to ignore. I can’t tell you what a boon to my budget it would be to see my energy costs go down. I’m fortunate enough to live in a town with local, municipal electricity, but even so, if gas prices were cut in half and energy prices were cut in half due to increased supply, that’d be a 10% increase in my monthly available budget, and that would be absolutely huge to me. For the rest of American that would be so as well. I felt he did a decent job on immigration as well.

Most importantly, I felt Perry did a good job of taking it to Mitt Romney. In fairness, Perry really should have let Mitt finish his sentences, but the reality of the situation was that I think Mitt sounded like a he was whining while Perry seemed like an attack dog. While Perry’s statement about Romney hiring illegal immigrants may not have only been true in name only (and I’ll look for a fact check on that), if Romney’s response was indeed true, it still did bloody Romney a bit. Perry may have started to rebound last night.

I just don't know what to do with Perry.  On paper, his ideas are great...Flat Tax, Balanced Budget Amendment, Drill Baby Drill...and yet I'm not convinced he can effectively communicate those ideas.  There's an old adage in sales:  A good salesman could sell ice to an eskimo, but a bad salesman couldn't sell a man dying of thirst a glass of water. This is where I am with Perry...which salesman is he?  Conservatism is a good product, but if you're not a good salesman you can't even sell someone precisely what they need.  Perry's next debate performance will be key.  Has he taken time to practice and work on his message?  If so, he's got a shot at my vote and being the Republican nominee.  If not, he's done on both counts.

Mitt Romney – Buy (Buy):

Mitt stood his ground last night and did as well as he’s continued to do. I want to see a fact check on his claim that his “illegal immigrant hiring” was actually him contracting for landscaping with a company who hired illegals, which is, in fairness, not something I can legitimately blame Mitt for. However, where I think he looked bad was when he was defending himself against the interruptions by Perry. I know, it doesn’t sound right, and in most cases I would think that Perry sounded like a jerk and Mitt like a victim. Yet, in that particular instance, Mitt came off to me as condescending and Perry as someone who was legitimately looking for answers.

That exchange (and the subsequent Twitter reactions during said exchange) showed Mitt’s biggest problem. The conservative Republican base really doesn’t want him. That’s why there’s been a perpetual battle of Mitt vs. Not Mitt. (The role of Not Mitt has been played recently by Donald Trump, Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, and now Herman Cain.) Republicans are desperately seeking somebody else, and that will hurt Mitt.

Romney is what he is...a Rockefeller Republican who would be better than Obama, but we can still do better than Mitt. Conservatives don't want him...but the other Rockefeller Republicans do. I've talked to a few independents as well who like Romney, but I still think there's better choices out there, and with the Democrats seemingly intent on running Obama again, we have the opportunity to run a real conservative and give America a real choice.  However, I can live with Romney if I have to...I just hope I don't have to live with Romney.

Rick Santorum - Sold (Sold):

Santorum was swinging away again tonight, and I still don’t think he gained any traction. I like him, but his highest possible realistic goal is Vice President.

Santorum can't get traction, and if he hasn't gotten out of the basement yet, he's simply not going to now.  He might be Vice President, and that's an outside chance.


The next debate is five days away, and it's going to be interesting to see how this break between debates effects certain candidates.  Personally, I still haven't made up my mind.  Have you?  I'd love to hear from you if you have.  Email me at biblicalconservatism@aol.com with your thoughts!

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(1) American Voters Like Obama Better This Week, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Cain And Gingrich Up As Romney Stalls And Perry Fades