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.
These commentators are blatant idiots. Perry MUST step it up in second half they’re saying. They gave him two questions.
A win win. The less he talks, the better he'll do.
Soros probably wrote the dialogue!
That’s a dadgum lie. DRey is the most active, but I’m the biggest.
The way the mods are treating Perry, it seems pretty obvious they don’t want to give him a chance to get his positions out.
Boy, have they given Huntsman a lot of time, and also they love Ron Paul — I think because they count on him to say something crazy.
I am not sure either about a national sales tax.
Add that to your state and local sales tax.
ugh
Mitt, you stupid twit. You just grabbed one of the third rails of conservative principles. You're gonna pay for that one, dummy.
I believe there is room in the next administration for nearly all of these candidates (less Huntsman...and let Ron Paul remain a congressman). Cain/Gingrich would bring the adults back. Perry on energy, even Romney on some economic issues and Michelle on Healthcare and budgets.Rick on job creation and restarting manufacturing..I think they nearly all bring good things to the table. I love Sarah and still believe she has a role to play in the next adminstration. She and Herman Cain speak from the same playbook but in all honesty, he has a more extensive record of solving problmes and turning around failed businesses, that’s why he’s currently my top choice. A breath of fresh air, blunt speaking and optimism. But like you, I’m keeping my options open.
Did I actually see a halftime report on Bloomberg LOL LOL..its like watching the NBA halftime on TNT..damn just remembered, no NBA season :(
Ted Kennedy started us down this abysmal road.
No one but no one should stand between you and your doctor.
We have so much administrative BS and Gate keeper/Bean counters now that DR’s on get like $25 of a $75 office visit.
The rest gets consumed by the bureaucracy.
Still, that’s better than the place Obamacare is going to take us.
Yes, at least under the tax code we have now taxes rates can never be raised, entities cannot lobby for loopholes and tax shelters, about 50% of the citizenry pays no taxes whatever while about 50% of the citizenry gets a check from the rest of us who do pay taxes. What’s not to love? /s
this venue isn’t perry’s thing.
he’s a country boy, not city dude.
Here’s what changed my mind about Newt a year ago.
He was on Greta. She asked him what was his biggest mistake when he was the Speaker of the House.
He said I failed to teach the Republican party to govern as the majority party. They were the minority for so long that when we took control, they didn’t understand how to lead. We should’ve changed the rules on the Dems. We should’ve played hardball. We should not have been as inclusive as we were of the minority party. We should have gotten on with our business as the majority.
Spot on answer.
? That wasnt even English and I am pulling for him.
The ONE thing I like about 999 is that it starts out by GETTING RID of the current tax system including the payroll tax. It’s like secure the border THEN we talk about immigration reform.You stop the bleeding then you treat the wound.
But taking away the long established tradition of politicians rewarding friends and punishing enemies through tax manipulation won’t happen.
Not interested in ranking the others, they are all not doing well.
Romney has has made it clear by his refusing to answer that he would support another bailout.
No it won't.
The president can't introduce and pass legislation, he can only agree or veto with any bills that hit his desk.
Cain will be obligated to push hard for 999, but he is not responsible should congress fail to produce a bill.
He'll be obligated to resist all attempts to increase and further complicate the tax code, which will be a great thing.
He stepped in even though they are ignoring him.
Chill.
this isn’t a debate.
Now with the “analysis” in between, its like half time at the football game.
I wouldn’t say anything either if I was with a group of people who produced a Romney show.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.