important GOP presidential debate is inside the books and there appears to become near consensus about who came off nicely (Michele Bachmann) and who didn’t (Tim Pawlenty). On Monday, we posed ten questions that we hoped the debate would answer. For your most element, they had been. Here’s a search in the results:
1. Can Mitt Romney explain away Romneycare?
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In maybe the debate’s largest surprise, Romney did not seriously have to. If this debate is remembered in any way, it will be the Sergio Leone-tinged episode when Tim Pawlenty was directly challenged to slam Romney using 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 absolutely free pass from then on.
Romney’s association with all the Democratic healthcare bill will come up again—and again—but a large possibility was missed clean.
Photos: Possible 2012 GOP candidates
two. Can Tim Pawlenty quicken anyone’s pulse?
Well, he did, but not in the way the former Minnesota governor wanted. You could make the argument that no one came out worse Monday night than the man they call “T-Paw.” On Twitter, comparisons have been made to LeBron James wilting in the NBA Finals, for heaven’s sake.
The bottom line: Pawlenty was provided a possibility to dent his biggest rival and at the 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 to 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 some thing so shameless; Pawlenty, a hockey fan, had no this kind of luck.
Can he recover? Obviously. It’s early. But Pawlenty, who has had difficulty locating traction in national polls, has been counting on the goodwill of advocates within the Beltway and elsewhere to assist propel his campaign. If a number of those backers start jumping ship, then the climb grows that much steeper.
3. Can Michele Bachmann seem presidential?
Bachmann shocked all of us by suddenly declaring her candidacy for the White House inside the early minutes of the debate, but in retrospect, it looks like a canny move. In an evening that provided tiny with regards to drama, Bachmann’s largely symbolic announcement became important news.
The Minnesota congresswoman’s overall performance general came as no surprise to people that have witnessed her win over crowds at conservative events. And while she nevertheless came off as possibly less than polished at times, her power compensated. Most critically, she displayed an capability to weave personal narrative (raised inside a broken residence, mother to foster children) with policy pronouncements (unapologetically anti-abortion). And despite the fact that she has been inside the Residence of Representatives for only four years, she telegraphed her encounter like a veteran, particularly in answering a question concerning the Libyan conflict.
Fair or not, Bachmann, virtually overnight, will now be viewed as a critical threat to win the Iowa caucuses. Her profile is blossoming—and at this stage in the game, buzz might be the single most effective currency to have.
four. Can Newt Gingrich rise from the dead?
Effectively, he was there. The former Home speaker, reeling from the defection of important aides, pressed onward. Gingrich was in full Professor Newt mode, at one particular point interrupting Pawlenty and browbeating/lecturing moderator John King about his position on the space program. Gingrich can be a sensible man who can’t assist notifying all of us within the room of that fact—something that inside a debate format can come off as pedantic.
Gingrich once again tried to explain away his criticism from the Paul Ryan Medicare program along with the outcome was but a different iteration in the now-infamous “Meet the Press” interview, a single exactly where Gingrich now says he was quoted “out of context.” (That created eye rolls.) However nearly inside the same breath, he repeated his original assertion that Home leaders had been reckless in moving forward with all the Ryan program as fast because it did, a fair point that runs counter to the existing GOP orthodoxy.
If Gingrich has a track to hew within the race as it moves forward, it may effectively be acquiring the courage to become the candidate inside the space who breaks with an establishment that, for all intents and purposes, has abandoned him currently.
five. Can Ron Paul look like anything a lot more than a fringe candidate?
If there exists a word to describe the Texas libertarian Monday night, it was, nicely, cranky. Paul had a cantankerous answer for just about every single question place to him, from America’s military involvement overseas (he’s against it) for 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 nevertheless yet again that he is not going to varnish his brand of truth-telling inside a bid to chase supporters. If he is to carry out properly in primaries, the voters may have to come to him, not the other way around.
6. 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 finish from the day, it did not seem to create a lot difference. And also the boyish-looking Santorum came off as edgy, as under relaxed, specifically when moderator King asked him no matter whether he favored Jay Leno or Conan O’Brien. “I don’t view either,” he stammered.
Like Pawlenty, he was supplied a possibility to slam Romney and punted. King brought up a treasured Santorum subject, abortion, and asked whether Romney had flip-flopped on the subject. Santorum provided a discursive on a candidate’s “authenticity” but avoided invoking Romney straight.
7. Is Hermanentum for real?
Those expecting an electrifying overall performance from the former conservative talk-radio host came away disappointed. Herman Cain looked ill at ease and unprepared and—as normally is the case with fringe candidates—came off as smaller than the event. At times he seemed out of his element, particularly when asked about foreign affairs, mixing homespun wisdom with fact-based assertions in a manner that came out, at times, incoherent.
Asked about the U.S. function in Libya, by way of example, Cain responded: “If it is not inside the vital interest of America, to paraphrase my grandmother, together with the situation in Libya and several of these other circumstances, they are not uncomplicated conditions. It really is a mess. It is just an absolute mess.”
Should Bachmann surge in conservative circles, a single big loser could possibly be the ex-Godfather’s Pizza chief executive’s outsider candidacy.
eight. Will Jon Huntsman see an opening?
The former Utah governor’s camp could have viewed the evening two various tactics: Either the debate illustrated just how hard it is going to be for any candidate to displace the polished Romney as the front-runner, or it uncovered a space, possibly somewhere in amongst Romney and Bachmann, where a new face could alter the dynamic.
Here’s suggesting that they’ll see it because the latter—and that if Huntsman had any doubts about finding in ahead of Monday, several of them have been erased.
9. Will anyone else?
See earlier question. Are Rick Perry’s boots made for operating? We may perhaps find out soon.
ten. Will Sarah Palin be there in spirit?
The feasible candidate was mentioned only when, inside a softball question to Pawlenty about regardless of whether she created a far better vice presidential choose than Joe Biden. Pawlenty had small to drop in praising Palin in that context. But when Palin is taking into consideration jumping in the race, Bachmann’s performance Monday will have to provide her some pause.
