Live from New Hampshire: GOP Debate

Townhall.com ^ | October 11, 2011 | Guy Benson

[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.

[Diogenesis]

Chihuahua Milt, the Magic ineligible RINO:
I spent my life in the economy.

========================

REAL DEAL:

"As U.S. real output grew 13 percent between 2002 and 2006, Massachusetts trailed at 9 percent.
* Manufacturing employment fell 7 percent nationwide those years, but sank 14 percent under Romney, placing Massachusetts 48th among the states.
* Between fall 2003 and autumn 2006, U.S. job growth averaged 5.4 percent, nearly three times Massachusetts' anemic 1.9 percent pace.
* While 8 million Americans over age 16 found work between 2002 and 2006, the number of employed Massachusetts residents actually declined by 8,500 during those years.
"Massachusetts was the only state to have failed to post any gain in its pool of employed residents," professors Sum and McLaughlin concluded.
In an April 2003 meeting with the Massachusetts congressional delegation in Washington, Romney failed to endorse President Bush's $726 billion tax-cut proposal."
[Cato Institute annual Fiscal Policy Report Card - America's Governors, 2004.]

[DRey]

Romney won’t deny he wants a wallstreet bailout?

[County Agent Hank Kimball]

“Perry said make America independent of energy.”

He said that just like you posted

It was actually less coherent than that. The guy makes Bush sound like William F. Buckley. Hank

[CurlyBill]

We need a debate with NO MODERATORS. Just the candidates around the table asking each other questions and making their points. The moderators always try to make it about themselves...

[Jim Robinson]

Mitt Romney is a progressive idiot.

[Grunthor]

And you know damned well that if Obama was the one doing it, they would have opposed it.

[mylife]

He sounds evasive about his economic advisers.

[Revolting cat!]

Who’s the dude talking now? He sounds great, let’s all vote for him?

[onyx]

SPIN MITT, SPIN.

[Dengar01]

You hit the nail on head, bad format, no HD, and awful moderators.

[Irish Eyes]

Perry needs to jump in there.

[CASchack]

Mitt likes to talk about building companies. Zero and the Dems will pull out all of Bain Capital’s corporate raiding of companies’ cash and forcing them into bankruptcy. It will dovetail with the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ nonsense.

[GOPsterinMA]

I am a Perry supporter and he looks like a man that’s going to quit 45 seconds after this debate is over.

I’m going out to score some coke, I’m SOOOOOOOOO bummed...

[Gator113]

I could become a Newt supporter.

[World'sGoneInsane]

Verbatim? Not sure. Why did I transpose the words?

[TheShaz]

I do not like Mitt - he debates well - but I stil do not like him

[Revolting cat!]

Great hair!

[Happy Rain]

Better turn it dowm when Mitt is talking or you may end up with a year's supply of snake oil.
He is sooo smooth and slick.

[MattinNJ]

Is Perry even in this?

[TheShaz]

I do not like Mitt - he debates well - but I stil do not like him