GOP Debate Recap: The Self Deportation Edition

Former primary frontrunner hopes FL voters see the real lobbyist in the former Speaker

Something's brewing in the Newt Gingrich campaign (read: his super PAC) -- perhaps it's a pithy attack ad.

That'd be the only plausible explanation for why the former House Speaker seemed to dial back his snark for last night's NBC News debate in Florida.

With the audience mostly obeying moderator Brian Williams' request to hold applause (and heckling), it's hard to gauge if former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's successfully swatted away Gingrich's "not a lobbyist" claims.

Congressman Ron Paul and former U.S. senator Rick Santorum were relegated to the outer rims of the stage podium set-up. Paul played his usual anti-war hawk role. And Santorum delivered what was likely his second to last debate performance. (There! I mentioned them.)

Major topics of the night: Electability, taxes, foreclosure crisis, Gingrich's work with Freddie Mac, foreign policy and immigration.

Immigration brought about a Twitter hashtag, #selfdeportation. Users riffed off of Romney's immigration enforcement idea, which allows undocumented immigrant workers the choice of returning to their home country on their own volition.

There was no clear winner last night. Further analysis has been reserved for Loop21's Zerlina Maxwell, who believes Romney's performance last night stopped some of the bleeding in his campaign. To read more of her thoughts, click here.

Here are a few clips from last night's debate:

Romney goes for Gingrich's jugular on Freddie Mac (at 2:08) 

Romney explains his record as a tax payer 

Paul drowns out Gingrich's Cuba war drums

Romney enters self-deportation into the lexicon

Santorum's poignant closing arguments (at 3:30), also check out Paul's food stamp vs. overseas spending bit (at 6:12)