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Live from New Hampshire: GOP Debate
Townhall.com ^ | October 11, 2011 | Guy Benson

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.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: gopdebate; wapogopdebate
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To: CASchack

Perry’s already been given the standing eight count. He’ll throw an occasional weak jab, but with no real oomph behind it. “ <<<

Agreed, he has elected to play catch up on the issues and save the big gun for another day? And I have to wait three more days for his policy to go on paper on the economy? I know his campaign is young but this is not helping, so far.
If he stays cool and freezes off I will be inclined to climb on with Newt. Romney is a socialist on healthcare and Cain loves him. They’re done with me.


1,141 posted on 10/11/2011 6:43:15 PM PDT by RitaOK (TEXAS. It's EXHIBIT A for Rick, who needs to pound the fiction flackers back into the Stone Age.)
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To: WeatherGuy
Cain’s Ford/Poland moment. He just lost the nomination.

I sure won't help. Probably depends on how many voters have any knowledge of Fed operations over the past decade or two and relate that to the state of the economy.

1,142 posted on 10/11/2011 6:43:15 PM PDT by Will88
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To: RitaOK

What a hit piece on Perry. Solyndra?! She keeps following up and following up. This is the first time!


1,143 posted on 10/11/2011 6:43:31 PM PDT by DRey (Perry/Rubio 2012)
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To: ken21
Romney seems to be getting the most time

Which means he has more time to screw up.

1,144 posted on 10/11/2011 6:43:31 PM PDT by behzinlea
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To: DRey
Cain is an amateur. The presidency is not an entry-level job.

Yeah, career politicians have served us so well as president sine 1989..../sarc

1,145 posted on 10/11/2011 6:43:45 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
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To: Jim Robinson
Mitt Romney is a progressive idiot.

Needs repeating! Yep!

1,146 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:06 PM PDT by RedMDer (Forward With Confidence!)
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To: plain talk

Get on the Cain Train now and support his 9-9-9 tax plan immediately. Do not argue the details, the facts, or what could happens :)


1,147 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:16 PM PDT by jgge
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To: mylife

She is below the level of a witch.


1,148 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:16 PM PDT by Dengar01 (Dengar01 - "Heartless" since 1983!!!)
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To: advance_copy

I see. But Cain wants the fair tax but it would take time to implement. Has to repeal the 16th amendment. So he would keep the income tax at 9% till he repeals the 16th amendment and then passes the fair tax.


1,149 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:23 PM PDT by Mozilla
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My feed from the WaPo website just cut out.


1,150 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:37 PM PDT by ConservativeTeen (Proud Right Wing Extremist)
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To: mylife

Deep in the weeds of TX regulatory structures. Zzzzzzz


1,151 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:41 PM PDT by Dagnabitt (PERRY - Special Needs for Special Times)
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To: DRey

According to you, to be president you need to be part of the establishment.

Gotcha.


1,152 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:41 PM PDT by CSI007
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To: Jim Noble

You know it’s apparent that these moderators are there to diminish the GOP candidates and they’re really doing a hell of a job. Full attack mode including Bush clip.


1,153 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:41 PM PDT by Kenny
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To: Jim Noble
“If Romney locks it up soon, which he will, there will be a serious third party.”
_______________________________________________________

Oh, NO there won't...because it is stupid idea that will ensure Obama handily wins a second term to completely destroy the country.

Third Parties are for idiots!

1,154 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:41 PM PDT by Artcore
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To: mylife

Karen Tumulty + 25 years = Helen Thomas


1,155 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:45 PM PDT by LostInBayport (When there are more people riding in the cart than there are pulling it, the cart stops moving...)
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To: dead

It was a gotcha question, but Perry handled it fine.


1,156 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:45 PM PDT by magritte
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To: dead

He’s a boob.


1,157 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:53 PM PDT by perfect_rovian_storm (Perry's idea of border control: Use both hands to welcome the illegals right in)
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To: novemberslady
And I can't stand Cain.

And why not? He is the only conservative there

1,158 posted on 10/11/2011 6:44:53 PM PDT by Kaslin (Acronym for OBAMA: One Big Ass Mistake America)
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To: Dengar01

They also need to play the video where Bush asks for Fannie Mae to be reformed.


1,159 posted on 10/11/2011 6:45:10 PM PDT by struggle
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To: behzinlea

the “debate”

appears to be a tv campaign ad for romney.

i’ll never vote for romney even if the regime rino’s make him their candidate.


1,160 posted on 10/11/2011 6:45:21 PM PDT by ken21 (ruling class dem + rino progressives -- destroying america for 150 years.)
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