The administration’s take on Monday night’s debate in New Hampshire: Mitt Romney won, and Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is someone to keep an eye on.
“I think if you are the front-runner, your objective in these things is to leave as the front-runner. That was probably the case for somebody like Mitt Romney,” former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in an interview on Fox & Friends. He added, “I hope this doesn't spoil things for her, but I think Michele Bachmann probably had a pretty good debate last night. And she moved the ball down the field.”
Gibbs is in New Hampshire, acting as the administration’s spin man in his first big political legwork after stepping down from his post earlier this year.
In defending the president’s economic policies, which were under attack by every candidate at the debate, Gibbs accused the Republicans of trying to go back to the approach that contributed to the recession and the ballooning deficit. “These are ideas that haven't worked in the past, they brought us to where we are now, and they’re certainly not the solution for the future,” he said.
But Gibbs did admit that President Obama’s economic plan isn’t bringing about enough improvement. Like many in the administration these days, he sought to impress upon viewers that Obama inherited a terrible economy and that any growth -- even slow growth in the job numbers from earlier this month -- is good.
On the issue of embattled Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., Gibbs had little to say: “I think that the president was clear on this yesterday. I think Democratic leaders have been clear on this.... I think it is up to him to make a decision.”
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