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.
Twin Chimes? Not sure I’m clear on what you mean there.
I just sent Newt a donation. I want him to stay in this fight. I like what I’ve seen, especially tonight.
I’m over his personal baggage. I forgive him for the global warming pics. This country needs a miracle to recover from Obama-Reid-Pelosi. Newt would make minced meat of Obama.
I’m not dumping Perry. He didn’t shine tonight, but he didn’t disappoint me either. He has plenty of money right now. Newt doesn’t.
Please, FRiends. Give Newt a serious look. Not asking you to commit. Just give him a look.
Tex
Liberals call Cain an Uncle Tom. Liberals support taxpayer subsidized handouts for ILLEGAL aliens. You do the math.
OHHHHH. THAAAAT POST! Good GAWD! YES! AND TRUE!!!!!!
I have disagree a bit. Granted this was the first time he wasn't the human pinata, but like I've said previously, IMHO, he needed to hit a home run and instead he hit a solid double.
He could have crushed Milt like an empty can when he brought up RomneyCare but really didn't.
Oh, Mitt, honest? I wouldn't trust him if he told me the sun rose from the East and set in the West.
I still love the guy and I hope he can build on tonight's solid effort. I think he'd make a fine POTUS, I hope he makes it.
That being said, I'm looking very closely at Newt.
And again, Cain = Romney = Obama. How many Luddites have tried to attack me for stating THAT TRUTH!!! And it is THE TRUTH!!! Never forget, Cain backed Romney in 2008, and that was AFTER RomneyCare was signed into law.
Still waiting for Cain “to go after” Romney...
He’ll be fine. It just takes some practice, and they actually have to give him a chance to talk, he did pretty good tonight when they let him talk. Remember that some of those people have been on the campaign trail for years. Mitt can get in 1000 words and he talks so fast they can’t stop him when his time is up.
Well I was not only hoping but expecting her to take on Romney. She didn’t and lost me. Then to attack Cain was silly when she can’t take on Myth. It is like Bachmann wants him to win if she doesn’t. Might be a Romney/Bachmann thing worked out. That would be backstabbing to conservatives. But Palin ran with McCain.... you know.
Watching re-air. Michele looks lovely and sounds great so far.
Yeah, Perry has all the virtues we’re supposed to like around here.
I’ve been thinking about the vitriol and I think it boils down to a growing hatred for Mexicans and for illegals which is somehow being blamed on Perry.
Admittedly, he wasn’t great in defending the school thing but it is basically a nothing issue: nothing in money and nothing in being any different than a lot of other states.
People are projecting their hatred of illegals onto Perry.
Not fair.
Cain slipped big time. Who’s left? Romney, Gingrich and Perry. It’s funny how people who despised Gingrich before the debates are falling in love with him.
Who wouldn’t? He’s smart, glib and could talk the birds out of the trees, but would he fail again when the rubber met the road?
We know Perry won’t.
I’m surprised no one even brought that up to nail Romeny with.
LOL! Yes that would be the one. Sorry...like I said, I hadn’t followed the thread; but...when I saw your comment, I fell over laughing. (thx btw...need a laugh here)
Global Warming
Scozzafava endorsement in NY-23
The “mother” of all debates against Hillary Clinton that turned out to be nothing but Newt *praising her*.
Previous Marital Issues
It’s a lot of baggage to get over.
That’s hilarious how the Perrywinkle fan club says that Cain is helping Romney...Romney will NEVER win. His ceiling is 25% of the vote, he’s NEVER broken that. He’s not a threat at all in my opinion. Whoever the leading conservative opponent against him is who will win. I’d rather NOT have that be Mr. in-state tuition, not sure why anyone would.
Patience, We are in the 5th inning
I always got every raise I deserved. The 7.65% raise would be a cinch. You must not be working for a smart businessman.
As for sales tax going up? My wife scream s bloody murder when our local sales tax goes up 0.25%. When our income tax goes up, she does not notice it. Ask your wife/husband.
Well, that’s what I’m trying to get a handle on. Who is Herman Cain? I learned tonight he supported the bailout. Big strike against him. He says he won’t support Perry as the nominee, but will support Romney. Another big strike. I’m hoping Gingrich stays in it, as well as Perry. Everyone else seems to be angling for a spot in the Romney Administration.
Didn’t Cain say, ahead of the debate, that he was going to attack Romney?
Did you see him attack Romney?
Where did he attack Romney?
What did he say that you consider to be an attack on Romney?
I got every raise I deserved too, but there is no way businessmen will give away that extra. It will be years before they climb back out of the hole they’ve been shoved into. They won’t be giving that money to their employees (other then to keep them employed). I don’t know if you know how bad it is out here.
With Newt you know what you get. He engineered the great GOP victory in 1994. He put together the best leadership team EVER in House ending well ware as it was known and balancing the federal budget for the first time in memory. All the while battling Clinton and the Marxist media, plus a few jealous backstabbing GOPers too. Newt is the man! He has issues but he is by far the best in field. I might send him a little $$$$ too if I can find some I don’t need.
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