Posted on 10/11/2011 3:18:34 PM PDT by Kaslin
Greetings from the picturesque campus of the Ivy League's Dartmouth College, the site of tonight's Republican presidential tilt. The Tipsheet will have live coverage of the event, which kicks off at 8:00 pm ET and airs on Bloomberg television (time to break out the TV guide, I suspect). Before you read my take on what to watch for tonight, check out the latest poll from Gallup, which puts the three top-tier candidates within five points of eachother.
Storylines
(1) Iran: Although the debate is supposed to focus almost exclusively on economic issues, today's breaking news bombshell that the Iranian government has been caught financing and coordinating terrorist attacks against targets inside the United States should absolutely be addressed. The candidate with the most granular understanding of the issues at play on this subject is Rick Santorum. I'm eager to hear what he, and all of his rivals, have to say. (Except for Ron Paul, who doesn't think Iranian nuclear aggression is a biggie, and who will find some way to blame us for Iran's poisonous treachery). Another wrinkle: Could Eric Holder's involvement in this story provide an opening for someone to finally raise Solyndra and/or Fast & Furious in one of these debates?
(2) Chris Christie's endorsement of Mitt Romney will likely get some play. Will Rick Perry -- or someone else -- pull the Northeastern RINO card? A Perry spokesman has already come pretty close.
(3) Mormonism: Rick Perry was recently introduced at an event by a pastor who has called Mormonism a "cult." Today, Mitt Romney demanded that Perry repudiate this view, arguing that the Consitution forbids a religious test for the presidency, and that anti-Mormon bigotry is ugly and has no place in American politics. A Perry spokesman has already declined to acede Romney's request, calling the issue a "distraction." I'll be stunned if this kerfuffle doesn't spill over into the debate, and Rick Perry had better be prepared with a damn good answer.
(4) Occupy Wall Street questions are almost inevitable. The base cannot stand the mob of hippies, communists, anti-capitalists, and sundry lefty hangers-on who comprise the bulk of the "movement." Organized labor and the Democrat Party establishment are getting on board, too. He (or she) with the best Occupy Wall Street-related zinger might win one of the biggest headlines tomorrow.
Candidates
Mitt Romney - The former Massachusetts Governor is in his own backyard, leading in the polls, and feeiling buoyed by the Christie "get." Deep down, he knows that Rush is right: Absent a tactonic shift in the race, Mitt will be the Republican nominee. His goal is to keep things moving on the current trajectory. It will be interesting to see if anyone besides Rick Perry will try to jolt Romney out of cruise control.
Herman Cain - With first-tier status comes first-tier scrutiny (and first-tier stage positioning). Expect more exploration of Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan, which I called for in an earlier post. It's been fascinating to watch the Romney-Cain partnership develop over the last few debates. Neither one has anything bad to say about the other, with Rick Perry hardest hit. At some point, if Cain is going to win this thing, he's going to have to attack his ally. Will that first salvo come tonight?
Rick Perry - The guy is still raking in major bucks and has never lost a campaign in his life. Reports of Perry's demise are -- for now -- premature, but the comeback train has to leave the station soon. Perry's campaign unleashed a brutal attack ad against Romneycare this week. Almost on cue (arguably, directly on cue), the White House has leaked the story that several top Romney healthcare advisors were actively involved in crafting Obamacare. If ever there were a time to really tee off on the frontrunner, tonight would be the night. Perry's probably got the most to gain, and he seems to enjoy mixing it up, so he'll likely lead the charge. But will be be able to pull it off succinctly and convincingly, unlike his slow-motion trainwreck in Orlando? The good news: Perry's son says his dad will be "well-rested" this time.
Newt Gingrich - I briefly heard Newt compare Occupy Wall Street to the Tea Party movement on a local radio show this morning. I wonder what he means by that, and whether he's read Ann Coulter's column on the subject.
Rick Santorum - The former Senator's expertise and greatest appeal to primary voters lie in the realms of foreign affairs and social issues. Does this mean he'll he flounder in an economic debate? Not at all, but he may feel less relevant.
Jon Huntsman - He needs a strong showing in New Hampshire to justify the continuation of his campaign, so Romney's the guy to beat. But some anti-Mormon rhetoric has seeped into this race over the last few days, and Huntsman might join forces with Romney to beat it back.
Michele Bachmann - One of her previous high water marks came here in the Granite State, when she made a stellar debate debut in June. She'll try to recapture the magic tonight.
Ron Paul - The retiring Texas Representative says many of his "extreme" views of three years ago have been vindicated by intervening events, and have now gained broader credibility and acceptance. He'll have another chance to explain why tonight.
Tonight's debate is being co-sponsored by Bloomberg, the Washington Post, and a local television station. Between Romneycare, Mormonism, and the "Occupy" mob, there could be major fireworks on tap. Tune in, and follow our live chat here at Townhall.
How can *any* U.S. president address those of you in high-tax states? Your state tax rate is set by your state government, not the Feds. Just what do you expect a U.S. president to do about your state tax rate?
Don’t like Cain’s idea of Alan Greenspan being a role model for next FED Chairman... Greenspan was single handedly the guy responsible for the tech bubble crash
How about a question to Romney on this statement:
“I look at what’s happening on Wall Street and my view is, boy, I understand how those people feel,”
“There is just no reason for the hate some posters here have for him. Frankly it’s sick and sickening.”
I don’t hate him, but I want us to WIN. Having someone who can barely string a sentence together debate against THE ONE would be a disaster.
This won’t be Herman’s best answer. Folks are taking closer looks at Greenspan’s long tenure and it’s looking worse instead of better to many.
Did anyone see Paul shake his head and Santorum grin like a Chesire Cat while Cain was talking about the Fed?
I agree with Paul and abolishing the Fed.
Can’t believe Cain said Alan Greenspan. Oy!
Exactly.
They also never seem to take note of the fact that our PRESENT tax rates can be increased (in fact, that is what Obama is all about doing), present deductions can be removed, and so on.
They act as though everything stays just like it is now, except that you pay 9% more for goods.
And that even means that they think the price of goods stays as it is now — meaning that the abolition of the 15% payroll tax and the lowering of corporate taxes to 9% has ZERO impact on the cost of doing business and, therefore, on price dynamics.
Perry’s already been given the standing eight count. He’ll throw an occasional weak jab, but with no real oomph behind it.
How so? Cain says he would abolish the income tax and pass 9-9-9 to replace it.
Morris:
Cain’s embrace of Greenspan is a mistake. His loose monetary policy laid the basis for the current problems
Keep reading, I addressed that comment in an earlier post...thanks
Cain sounding shallow. “secret nominees”. lame.
Hang in there.....Perry just answered beautifully on the healthcare issue.
Don’t give up.
and....just make sure you are going to conservative strippers so they can donate their money to Perry! ha.
I would vote for the BTK Killer, son of sam, madoff, Scott Peterson, and or Charles Manson if that was my choices.
He’s a very smart man, I assure you, but is NOT quick on his feet. He likes to ponder a question then come out shooting. That’s his style and it does not mesh with these debate formats.
Cain would choose Greenspan for Federal Reserve. Paul rips that apart.
Perry is down in the polls, so he’s not so visible, but he has money, and probably will be able to raise a lot more. He also seems to have a solid organization setting up, so he’ll be competitive.
He knows he just needs to do one thing to bring himself back to the forefront. If he put in one solid half-hour at a debate, maybe when there are only 4 candidates left, people would forget what has gone so far, and he’d be fine.
It could be that the best thing for now is that he stay back in the shadows. Not that I like it, but I don’t see how being relegated to the background would actually hurt him at this point.
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