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.
Excellent! :)
I go back and forth between Gingrich and Cain. But man, Newt would absolutely skewer Obama in a debate. And I’m with you on the wives. BFD.
I didn’t like his Pelosi/global warming BS from years back either but I think he’s reversed himself on that so I can forgive it.
What I don’t want is another compassionate conservative who’ll carry on with the amnesty crap and I think that’s kinda where he is....finding a way to citizenship for all of them. blech
I am typo queen. LOL.
LUV W knows that.
You likely don’t, sorry....lol.
Makes too much sense and people keep focusing on bogus issues.
Gotta go now! It was fun!
I think that if you research you will find that states that don't address it specifically in their laws, give the instate tuition rate to students who reside in their state, no matter what their status is. So, the number becomes most, not thirteen. Check it out, I think it's right there on the linked page.
FWIW, Numbers usa is not a pro immigration website.
Cain has some nasty baggage, too. We should evaluate that rather than deny it.
If you truly want to be honest you would admit that Perry supporters do the same. I was reading through this thread about the debate tonight and the comment @1601 by RitaOK hit me as snarky, offensive and completely uncalled for on this thread. Now, you might think that as a non-Perry supporter I have no right to comment on this thread, so thus I am a troll... but then again wouldn’t that be ridiculous? This wasn’t a Perry thread, this was a thread about the debate. You are welcome to your Perry love-fests, I promise to stay off of them. (He’s not long for this contest anyway0.
Even IF Romney was to win...he’d be a cluster f**k POTUS and bring all the gains the GOP (via the TP) has made down with him.
You can’t even bank on him making good or even reasonable appointments for the SCOTUS or Federal benches, look at the complete losers he submitted for appointment in MA. Remember, we don’t vote for judges here.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think Cain was shilling for him, but I truly believe he is.
I didn’t think about that angle regarding Christie, but it makes sense.
Face it, it’s a battle NOT to get stuck with whore bag Mitt as the GOP nominee.
Here is my problem with Herman,
He acts like he knows how to do the stuff that no one has been able to do.
He presents this 999 plan that calls on a “super committee” to institute Phase 1, or is it the “Phase 1 enhanced plan”?
It is a pipe dream that can’t pass the house.
His own plan reads like doubletalk and I call BS
Gnight.
I truly don’t think Mittster will prevail. He’s got the slick used car salesman demeanor... people are sick of it.
Yes, indeed, and we must have energy independence!
You sure we still have a constitution?
I think the constitution is whatever the Rinos and socialists say it is and they are naming it dead in the name of security and whatever under the sun they wanna do with our bodies and our treasure. :)
GOLDMAN: Thank you, Charlie.
Mr. Cain, you disapprove of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, and we all know that your priority is 999. But one of the most important appointments that you're going to have to make your first year, should you be president, would be Fed chairman.
So which Federal Reserve chairman over the last 40 years do you think has been most successful and might serve as a model for that appointment?
CAIN: Alan Greenspan.
GOLDMAN: Why?
CAIN: Because that's when I served on the board of the Federal Reserve in the early 1990s. And the way Alan Greenspan oversaw the Fed and the way he coordinated with all of the Federal Reserve banks, I think that it worked fine back in the early 1990s.
He based his answer on personal knowledge and experience. He also said it work for the 1990's. Tomes change, but he was limited to the past 40 years. Not sure anyone from the past 40 years would have been a good choice.
Okay, Erick (redstate)thinks Rick has maybe one more shot at a debate, but just one; that Newt helped himself tonight;
that Bachman’s glory days are over;that Romney soft balled Bachman in his question. The reason: to keep her viable to go after Rick,etc. Very intellegent analysis. I could have written it. Bwahahah! /s.
Cheers!
Bring it on. And if it's that Aquila crap that has been debunked, you will prove to be what I suspect you really are.
Cain supported the bailouts too.
He also tied himself to the Fed an Alan Greenspam
That kinda chips away at his I’m just a homeboy persona.
He needs to talk about his time at the KC Fed reserve.
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