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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: grey_whiskers

BUMP!


1,801 posted on 10/11/2011 9:34:31 PM PDT by onyx (You're here on FR so, support it! Compiling New Sarah Palin Ping List! Tell me if you want on it!)
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To: federal__reserve

Do you mind if I post your comment on another website? You explain it so well.


1,802 posted on 10/11/2011 9:34:37 PM PDT by abigailsmybaby ("To understan' the livin', you gotta commune wit' da dead." Minerva)
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To: mylife

My guess is that Cain is seeing a significant influx in cash in the past 15 days.


1,803 posted on 10/11/2011 9:34:37 PM PDT by Norman Bates
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To: Norman Bates

I think Herman and Romney showed cracks tonight.


1,804 posted on 10/11/2011 9:34:52 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: antceecee
I have never resorted to personal attacks (you can view my previous comments link), I have also never supported in-state tuition, still don't. I do support Perry and agree with him on 98% of the issues. The in-state tuition is not Perry's creation and has been blown out of proportion by the establishment and the MSM for the sole purpose to keep people from seeing Perry's stance on the issues as a whole. That is what is frustrating to me and to other Perry supporters. I do not agree with the personal attacks but it can be frustrating that whenever Perry is mentioned the thread is hi-jacked by 2 or 3 of the same people who spam the thread with copy and paste responses and then jump to another thread. :)
1,805 posted on 10/11/2011 9:35:03 PM PDT by ReaganBaby26 (Perry/Cain 2012)
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To: antceecee

:) 10-4!


1,806 posted on 10/11/2011 9:35:47 PM PDT by GOPsterinMA (And who doesn't have baggage?)
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To: mylife

There is no perfect candidate.


1,807 posted on 10/11/2011 9:35:56 PM PDT by Norman Bates
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To: GOPsterinMA

Read and agree. ;)


1,808 posted on 10/11/2011 9:37:38 PM PDT by ReaganBaby26 (Perry/Cain 2012)
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To: Norman Bates

We’ve seen no evidence of it.

Though I suspect an uptick as of the last debate,
I suspect if there was one it will subside after tonight.


1,809 posted on 10/11/2011 9:37:42 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Gene Eric

>> Watching re-air. Michele looks lovely and sounds great so far.

Very pleased with Bachmann’s performance tonight.


1,810 posted on 10/11/2011 9:37:47 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Save a pretzel for the gas jet.)
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To: casinva
And the very first special project Perry should give to Newt is to kick Barack Obama's butt right out the White House door. No one could do that better than Newt, and he'd probably quote something from page 115,559, 233 of the Obamacare bill as he did it!

LOL, I could see that happening.

1,811 posted on 10/11/2011 9:38:19 PM PDT by Irish Eyes
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To: Norman Bates

“Reality is not as you want it but as it is.”
Most Americans disagree with that statement, a Harris poll has found.


1,812 posted on 10/11/2011 9:38:45 PM PDT by alstewartfan ("And your oarsman stands with his knife in hand, and his eyes spell 'Mutiny'" Al Stewart)
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To: Norman Bates

I am sorry. I thought Cain was weak tonight.

And they handled him with kid gloves.


1,813 posted on 10/11/2011 9:38:59 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Gene Eric

>> What an annoying Leftwing shill from WAPO.

That hag is all over Perry’s ass.

Perry did well in the debate.


1,814 posted on 10/11/2011 9:39:10 PM PDT by Gene Eric (Save a pretzel for the gas jet.)
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To: Irish Eyes
LOL..that was a tough one

Wasn't it though.

Perry could make it on an 8th grade debating team. He would get slaughtered by Obama.

1,815 posted on 10/11/2011 9:39:18 PM PDT by South40 (Reject the pro-ILLEGAL candidate. Vote conservative -- vote for Herman Cain!)
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To: Norman Bates
There is no perfect candidate.

There's a statement I can agree on with you.
1,816 posted on 10/11/2011 9:39:45 PM PDT by ReaganBaby26 (Perry/Cain 2012)
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To: SideoutFred; LUV W
LOL...my father is, too. Seriously.

YEE-HAW!

Mine is a graduate of the Univeristy of Texas in Austin!

He's very smart. Graduated at age 19.

1,817 posted on 10/11/2011 9:42:24 PM PDT by onyx (You're here on FR so, support it! Compiling New Sarah Palin Ping List! Tell me if you want on it!)
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To: South40
He would get slaughtered by Obama.

I thought the same thing til I watched the debates in Texas. He was slaughtered ever time (and I'm talking worse then the recent debates) and still won. Only time will tell for sure.
1,818 posted on 10/11/2011 9:42:31 PM PDT by ReaganBaby26 (Perry/Cain 2012)
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To: CommerceComet
“...Besides the POTUS surrounds himself with people more knowledgeable than himself...”

Right! It is better to have an easygoing chairman of the board that makes wise appointments than to have a man who believes in his “destiny” and wants to micromanage everything.

1,819 posted on 10/11/2011 9:43:01 PM PDT by Monterrosa-24 (...even more American that a French bikini and a Russian AK-47.)
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To: Norman Bates

Exactly how I feel. We have to stand back and measure strengths and weaknesses not only from a conservative point of view, but from a point of view of what the left will use against him in the race against Obama - his baggage.

I know I can’t accept Romney. He’s a rino backstabber and we will lose if he gets the nomination. Obama can play a better socialist on tee vee than Romney can and if voters are given the choice between two p.c. socialists, they will go with the real McCoy.


1,820 posted on 10/11/2011 9:43:03 PM PDT by SaraJohnson
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