substantial GOP presidential debate is inside the books and there appears to become close to consensus about who came off effectively (Michele Bachmann) and who didn't (Tim Pawlenty). On Monday, we posed 10 concerns that we hoped the debate would answer. For the most element, they had been. Here's a look at the final results:
1. Can Mitt Romney clarify away Romneycare?
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In perhaps the debate's biggest surprise, Romney didn't actually have to. If this debate is remembered in any way, it's going to be the Sergio Leone-tinged episode when Tim Pawlenty was straight challenged to slam Romney applying the sobriquet "Obamneycare" and backed down. All that was missing was the close-up on Pawlenty's nervous eyes.
Romney then offered his now-standard response that the strategy worked for his state and not for America--and basically got a free pass from then on.
Romney's association using the Democratic healthcare bill will come up again--and again--but a big opportunity was missed clean.
Pictures: Potential 2012 GOP candidates
2. Can Tim Pawlenty quicken anyone’s pulse?
Very well, he did, but not inside the way the former Minnesota governor needed. You might make the argument that nobody came out worse Monday evening than the man they call "T-Paw." On Twitter, comparisons had been produced to LeBron James wilting in the NBA Finals, for heaven's sake.
The bottom line: Pawlenty was provided a chance to dent his largest rival and in the very same time define himself as a fierce competitor within the practice. To borrow language from the just-completed playoffs, it was an Alpha Dog moment.
Pawlenty seemed off his game the whole night. Right after Romney pandered for the crowd by announcing the score in the Stanley Cup game, Pawlenty attempted the identical tactic later. Romney, a brand new Englander, could only barely get away with something so shameless; Pawlenty, a hockey fan, had no this kind of luck.
Can he recover? Not surprisingly. It's early. But Pawlenty, who has had difficulty acquiring traction in national polls, has been counting on the goodwill of advocates inside the Beltway and elsewhere to help propel his campaign. If some of those backers get started jumping ship, then the climb grows that much steeper.
three. Can Michele Bachmann seem presidential?
Bachmann shocked all of us by all of a sudden declaring her candidacy for your White Home within the early minutes in the debate, but in retrospect, it looks like a canny move. In an evening that offered tiny in terms of drama, Bachmann's largely symbolic announcement became major news.
The Minnesota congresswoman's efficiency overall came as no surprise to those who have witnessed her win above crowds at conservative events. And though she nevertheless came off as perhaps under polished at times, her energy compensated. Most critically, she displayed an capability to weave individual narrative (raised in a broken home, mother to foster children) with policy pronouncements (unapologetically anti-abortion). And although she has been within the Property of Representatives for only four years, she telegraphed her encounter like a veteran, especially in answering a question regarding the Libyan conflict.
Fair or not, Bachmann, practically overnight, will now be viewed as a considerable threat to win the Iowa caucuses. Her profile is blossoming--and at this stage of the game, buzz might be the single greatest currency to have.
four. Can Newt Gingrich rise from the dead?
Properly, he was there. The former House speaker, reeling from the defection of essential aides, pressed onward. Gingrich was in full Professor Newt mode, at a single point interrupting Pawlenty and browbeating/lecturing moderator John King about his position on the space plan. Gingrich is a intelligent man who can't aid notifying everybody in the room of that fact--something that in a debate format can come off as pedantic.
Gingrich once more attempted to clarify away his criticism from the Paul Ryan Medicare strategy and the result was but yet another iteration with the now-infamous "Meet the Press" interview, one particular exactly where Gingrich now says he was quoted "out of context." (That produced eye rolls.) However virtually within the exact same breath, he repeated his original assertion that Property leaders had been reckless in moving forward with all the Ryan program as swiftly as it did, a fair point that runs counter towards the current GOP orthodoxy.
If Gingrich has a track to hew within the race as it moves forward, it might very well be discovering the courage to be the candidate inside the space who breaks with an establishment that, for all intents and purposes, has abandoned him currently.
5. Can Ron Paul appear like anything much more than a fringe candidate?
If there is a word to describe the Texas libertarian Monday night, it was, effectively, cranky. Paul had a cantankerous answer for practically every question place to him, from America's military involvement overseas (he's against it) towards the government's function in certifying legal marriage (he's against it).
Paul was who he is. He isn't going to transform. And he showed however again that he isn't going to varnish his brand of truth-telling in a bid to chase supporters. If he is always to carry out very well in primaries, the voters may have to come to him, not the other way about.
six. CanRick Santorum get noticed?
The ex-Pennsylvania senator largely avoided employing his brand of razor-wired rhetoric--except for contending that the president has "turned his back on American allies and he has embraced our enemies"--in favor of a warmer strategy constructed around conservative values and national exceptionalism. But in the end with the day, it didn't seem to make substantially distinction. And the boyish-looking Santorum came off as edgy, as less than relaxed, specifically when moderator King asked him whether he preferred Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien. "I don't watch either," he stammered.
Like Pawlenty, he was supplied a chance to slam Romney and punted. King brought up a treasured Santorum topic, abortion, and asked whether or not Romney had flip-flopped on the topic. Santorum offered a discursive on a candidate's "authenticity" but avoided invoking Romney directly.
7. Is Hermanentum for true?
These expecting an electrifying efficiency from the former conservative talk-radio host came away disappointed. Herman Cain looked ill at ease and unprepared and--as frequently will be the situation with fringe candidates--came off as smaller than the occasion. At times he seemed out of his element, especially when asked about foreign affairs, mixing homespun wisdom with fact-based assertions inside a manner that came out, at occasions, incoherent.
Asked regarding the U.S. function in Libya, as an example, Cain responded: "If it's not inside the critical interest of America, to paraphrase my grandmother, using the situation in Libya and numerous of these other scenarios, they're not basic scenarios. It is a mess. It really is just an absolute mess."
Should Bachmann surge in conservative circles, one huge loser could be the ex-Godfather's Pizza chief executive's outsider candidacy.
8. Will Jon Huntsman see an opening?
The former Utah governor's camp could have viewed the evening two unique ways: Either the debate illustrated just how complicated it'll be for any candidate to displace the polished Romney because the front-runner, or it uncovered a space, possibly somewhere in amongst Romney and Bachmann, exactly where a new face could alter the dynamic.
Here's suggesting that they'll see it as the latter--and that if Huntsman had any doubts about acquiring in prior to Monday, lots of of them were erased.
9. Will everyone else?
See prior question. Are Rick Perry's boots created for operating? We may well learn quickly.
ten. Will Sarah Palin be there in spirit?
The doable candidate was mentioned only once, in a softball question to Pawlenty about no matter whether she made a much better vice presidential select than Joe Biden. Pawlenty had small to drop in praising Palin in that context. But when Palin is thinking about jumping within the race, Bachmann's overall performance Monday may have to offer her some pause.
