significant GOP presidential debate is within the books and there seems to become close to consensus about who came off effectively (Michele Bachmann) and who did not (Tim Pawlenty). On Monday, we posed ten concerns that we hoped the debate would answer. For the most portion, they were. Here's a search in the final results:
1.      Can Mitt Romney clarify away Romneycare?
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In perhaps the debate's greatest surprise, Romney did not truly have to. If this debate is remembered in any way, it'll be the Sergio Leone-tinged episode when Tim Pawlenty was straight challenged to slam Romney making use of 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 plan worked for his state and not for America--and basically got a free pass from then on.
Romney's association with the Democratic healthcare bill will come up again--and again--but a sizable opportunity was missed clean.
Photographs: Prospective 2012 GOP candidates
two.      Can Tim Pawlenty quicken anyoneâs pulse?
Effectively, he did, but not inside the way the former Minnesota governor desired. You can make the argument that nobody came out worse Monday night than the man they call "T-Paw." On Twitter, comparisons had been made to LeBron James wilting inside the NBA Finals, for heaven's sake.
The bottom line: Pawlenty was provided a opportunity to dent his most significant rival and at the similar time define himself as a fierce competitor within the process. To borrow language from the just-completed playoffs, it was an Alpha Dog moment.
Pawlenty seemed off his game the whole night. After Romney pandered to the crowd by announcing the score from the Stanley Cup game, Pawlenty attempted exactly the same tactic later. Romney, a brand new Englander, could only barely get away with anything so shameless; Pawlenty, a hockey fan, had no such 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 a number of these backers commence jumping ship, then the climb grows that a great deal steeper.
three.      Can Michele Bachmann seem presidential?
Bachmann shocked all people by all of a sudden declaring her candidacy for your White Property in the early minutes from the debate, but in retrospect, it looks like a canny move. In an evening that offered small with regards to drama, Bachmann's largely symbolic announcement became major news.
The Minnesota congresswoman's overall performance general came as no surprise to those who have seen her win over crowds at conservative events. And while she nevertheless came off as maybe under polished at instances, her energy compensated. Most critically, she displayed an capacity to weave personal narrative (raised inside a broken household, mother to foster youngsters) with policy pronouncements (unapologetically anti-abortion). And despite the fact that she has been inside the Property of Representatives for only 4 years, she telegraphed her knowledge like a veteran, particularly in answering a question about the Libyan conflict.
Fair or not, Bachmann, just about overnight, will now be viewed as a critical threat to win the Iowa caucuses. Her profile is blossoming--and at this stage with the game, buzz could possibly be the single most effective currency to have.
four.       Can Newt Gingrich rise from the dead?
Effectively, he was there. The former Residence speaker, reeling from the defection of crucial 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 can be a wise man who cannot aid notifying everybody inside the room of that fact--something that in a debate format can come off as pedantic.
Gingrich again attempted to clarify away his criticism from the Paul Ryan Medicare program and the result was yet a different 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.) But pretty much within the very same breath, he repeated his original assertion that House leaders had been reckless in moving forward using the Ryan plan as rapidly because it did, a fair point that runs counter to the latest GOP orthodoxy.
If Gingrich features a track to hew within the race because it moves forward, it may nicely be finding the courage to be the candidate inside the area who breaks with an establishment that, for all intents and purposes, has abandoned him currently.
5.      Can Ron Paul search like something far more than a fringe candidate?
If there is a word to describe the Texas libertarian Monday night, it had been, effectively, cranky. Paul had a cantankerous answer for virtually every single question place to him, from America's military involvement overseas (he's against it) to the government's role in certifying legal marriage (he's against it).
Paul was who he is. He is not going to transform. And he showed yet again that he is not 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 will 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 at the end with the day, it didn't appear to create considerably difference. As well as the boyish-looking Santorum came off as edgy, as under relaxed, particularly when moderator King asked him whether he preferred Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien. "I do not view 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 no matter if Romney had flip-flopped on the topic. Santorum supplied a discursive on a candidate's "authenticity" but avoided invoking Romney straight.
7.      Is Hermanentum for actual?
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 generally may be the case with fringe candidates--came off as smaller than the occasion. At times he seemed out of his element, specifically when asked about foreign affairs, mixing homespun wisdom with fact-based assertions in a manner that came out, at occasions, incoherent.
Asked in regards to the U.S. function in Libya, for instance, Cain responded: "If it really is not within the vital interest of America, to paraphrase my grandmother, using the scenario in Libya and numerous of those other circumstances, they're not simple scenarios. It's a mess. It really is just an absolute mess."
Should Bachmann surge in conservative circles, a single major loser may 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 methods: Either the debate illustrated just how challenging it is going to be for any candidate to displace the polished Romney because the front-runner, or it uncovered a space, possibly somewhere in in between 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 just before Monday, many of them were erased.
9.      Will anyone else?
See past question. Are Rick Perry's boots created for operating? We may well learn soon.
ten.    Will Sarah Palin be there in spirit?
The feasible candidate was mentioned only as soon as, inside a softball question to Pawlenty about no matter if she made a much better vice presidential select than Joe Biden. Pawlenty had small to shed in praising Palin in that context. But if Palin is taking into account jumping in the race, Bachmann's performance Monday may have to give her some pause.
