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The Spectacle Blog
Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul will be debating once again on CNN. It is the first Republican presidential debate of this month and it comes at a potentially pivotal point in the race. Romney is clinging to a narrow lead in Arizona and is eroding a similarly slim Santorum lead in Michigan, both states holding their primaries on Tuesday.
Santorum has emerged as Romney’s latest leading challenger and knockout wins on Tuesday could make him the frontrunner. Santorum has already leapfrogged Romney in most national polls. Similarly, if Romney holds on in Arizona and comes back in Michigan — one of his home states — it will give him a boost heading into Super Tuesday, perhaps rekindling talk that he is the inevitable nominee once again.
One thing to watch will be Romney’s stance toward Santorum in the debate. Will he be conservative, hoping to avoid a mistake that will stall his Michigan momentum and deal him an embarrassing loss, or will he take the aggressive approach that worked against Gingrich in Florida? Romney’s attempts to paint Santorum as a fiscal liberal have floundered because both he and his congressional surrogates lack a clearly superior record on these issues. It is hard to see how he can directly go after Santorum on social issues without also bringing up his own liberal baggage from Massachusetts.
An x factor in this debate, as usual, is Paul. Paul has gone up on the air with anti-Santorum negative ads in Michigan, where the Texas congressman is running ahead of Gingrich in the polls. Paul can more credibly attacks Santorum on issues like Medicare Part D, because he actually voted against the entitlement expansion.
UPDATE: Matt Lewis makes a good point: “Gingrich tends to perform exceptionally well as the underdog. His performances as the front runner, however, weren’t as good. The pressure should be off tonight. Expect Gingrich to have a solid performance.”
View all comments (7) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by W. James Antle, III
http://spectator.org/blog/2012/02/22/debate-preview
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Bob Grant| 2.22.12 @ 6:15PM
Expect another stellar performance from Wolf Blitzed: baiting the candidates to after one another; ill-timed and irrelevant questions; spending an inordinate of time on social issues and not enough on fiscal and monetary policy....yada...yada...yada...
I'll check out the Premier League to see what's in the offing instead.
Drek| 2.22.12 @ 6:21PM
Being baited is one thing, falling for the bait quite another.
I don't begrudge the media seeking to bait candidates into a generalized falling out amongst themselves.
I do begrudge the idiocy of the candidates who prove themselves unable to see the broader field, while being in the moment.
Bob Grant| 2.22.12 @ 6:32PM
You seem to have more faith in Blitzed than I.
He's nothing but a Wolf in a moderators suit!
Drek| 2.22.12 @ 7:52PM
Wolf hasn't been as bad as some of the others........
But maybe I'm feeling charitable.......
Mike 3/505| 2.22.12 @ 7:14PM
drek,
I agree...If "my guy" ain't smart enough to avoid being baited...he don't need to be my guy.
Drek| 2.22.12 @ 7:51PM
It's one thing to walk into an ambush.
It's another to know the ambush is there, yet to stroll right on into it.
Mimi| 2.22.12 @ 11:11PM
Matt Lewis was correct ! Newt was at his best !
Don't think we should count him out yet. His words about the danger we face with Iran was quite profound in his warning voice.
I still contend of all the noise about Newts wife errors and confessed and forgiven "sins", he is the one with the most moral courage to lead this country, is the most decisive, and has the most knowledge to make wise "For America" strong choices.
Overall ...very good showing by all the ccandidates, the GOP should be proud of them , each in his own way.
Nothing decided here....Boy if you could take all of them and roll them into one candidate what a guy that would be...a sure winner!