Pundits and strategists on the left and right alike were united in their reaction to Mitt Romney’s $10,000 mid-debate bet with Rick Perry: expect to see it many, many, many more times if Romney wins the nomination.
“If Mitt is the nominee, we’ll see that ten-thousand dollar bet offer about ten thousand more times,” Josh Trevino of the Public Policy Foundation in Texas, which is close to Perry, tweeted.
“Do you think Romney is carrying $10,000 with him right now? #whatsinyourwallet,” Democratic strategist Bill Burton tweeted.
“I’m doing an endzone dance on it,” tweeted Democratic strategist Matt Ortega.
The consensus seemed to be that Romney had given Democrats a big fat peg for yet another round of attacks on the candidate’s vast fortune.
You can already feel the $10k bet backfiring—will be one of the replayed moments from the debate,” The National Review’s Rich Lowry tweeted.
“How does Romney challenging Perry to a $10,000 bet fit into strategy of being champion of the middle class?” tweeted the Washington Examiner’s Phillip Klein.
“Not too many Iowa caucusgoers are the sort to offer a $10,000 bet, even on a sure thing,” tweeted Des Moines Register columnist Kathie Obradovich.
Watch the video of the moment:
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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