significant GOP presidential debate is in the books and there appears to become close to 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 the most component, they have been. Here's a look at the outcomes:
1. Can Mitt Romney clarify away Romneycare?
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In possibly the debate's most significant surprise, Romney did not definitely need to. If this debate is remembered whatsoever, it'll be the Sergio Leone-tinged episode when Tim Pawlenty was straight challenged to slam Romney working with the sobriquet "Obamneycare" and backed down. All that was missing was the close-up on Pawlenty's nervous eyes.
Romney then supplied his now-standard response that the strategy worked for his state and not for America--and essentially got a absolutely free pass from then on.
Romney's association using the Democratic healthcare bill will come up again--and again--but a sizable possibility was missed clean.
Photos: Potential 2012 GOP candidates
two. Can Tim Pawlenty quicken anyone’s pulse?
Well, he did, but not within the way the former Minnesota governor needed. You may make the argument that nobody came out worse Monday night than the man they call "T-Paw." On Twitter, comparisons were created to LeBron James wilting within the NBA Finals, for heaven's sake.
The bottom line: Pawlenty was given a possibility to dent his largest rival and at the same time define himself as a fierce competitor within the method. To borrow language from the just-completed playoffs, it was an Alpha Dog moment.
Pawlenty seemed off his game the whole night. Just after Romney pandered for the crowd by announcing the score of the Stanley Cup game, Pawlenty attempted the same tactic later. Romney, a new Englander, could only barely get away with a thing so shameless; Pawlenty, a hockey fan, had no such luck.
Can he recover? Of course. It's early. But Pawlenty, who has had difficulty acquiring traction in national polls, has been counting on the goodwill of advocates within the Beltway and elsewhere to help propel his campaign. If a few of these backers begin jumping ship, then the climb grows that a great deal steeper.
3. Can Michele Bachmann appear presidential?
Bachmann shocked all of us by all of a sudden declaring her candidacy for your White Property inside the early minutes from the debate, but in retrospect, it looks like a canny move. In an evening that provided small in terms of drama, Bachmann's largely symbolic announcement became major news.
The Minnesota congresswoman's overall performance general came as no surprise to those who have witnessed her win over crowds at conservative events. And when she still came off as maybe less than polished at occasions, her power compensated. Most critically, she displayed an potential to weave personal narrative (raised in a broken home, mother to foster children) with policy pronouncements (unapologetically anti-abortion). And while she has been in the House of Representatives for only 4 years, she telegraphed her expertise like a veteran, specifically in answering a question about the Libyan conflict.
Fair or not, Bachmann, pretty much overnight, will now be viewed as a critical threat to win the Iowa caucuses. Her profile is blossoming--and at this stage from the game, buzz may possibly be the single finest currency to have.
four. Can Newt Gingrich rise from the dead?
Very well, he was there. The former Property speaker, reeling from the defection of key aides, pressed onward. Gingrich was in complete Professor Newt mode, at a single point interrupting Pawlenty and browbeating/lecturing moderator John King about his position on the space plan. Gingrich is really a wise man who can't help notifying everyone inside the room of that fact--something that in a debate format can come off as pedantic.
Gingrich once more attempted to explain away his criticism with the Paul Ryan Medicare plan as well as the result was yet yet another iteration with the now-infamous "Meet the Press" interview, one where Gingrich now says he was quoted "out of context." (That made eye rolls.) Yet almost inside the same breath, he repeated his original assertion that Property leaders had been reckless in moving forward using the Ryan strategy as quickly because it did, a fair point that runs counter to the present GOP orthodoxy.
If Gingrich features a track to hew within the race as it moves forward, it might nicely be finding the courage to become the candidate in the area who breaks with an establishment that, for all intents and purposes, has abandoned him currently.
5. Can Ron Paul appear like anything at all additional than a fringe candidate?
If there is a word to describe the Texas libertarian Monday evening, it had been, well, cranky. Paul had a cantankerous answer for virtually each 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 adjust. And he showed nevertheless once more that he is not going to varnish his brand of truth-telling inside a bid to chase supporters. If he is usually to carry out effectively in primaries, the voters will have to come to him, not the other way around.
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 built about conservative values and national exceptionalism. But in the finish in the day, it did not seem to produce considerably difference. And the boyish-looking Santorum came off as edgy, as under relaxed, especially when moderator King asked him no matter whether he preferred Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien. "I do not 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 no matter whether Romney had flip-flopped on the subject. Santorum provided a discursive on a candidate's "authenticity" but avoided invoking Romney directly.
7. Is Hermanentum for true?
These 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 usually will be the situation with fringe candidates--came off as smaller than the event. At occasions he seemed out of his element, specifically when asked about foreign affairs, mixing homespun wisdom with fact-based assertions inside a manner that came out, at occasions, incoherent.
Asked in regards to the U.S. function in Libya, for example, Cain responded: "If it's not within the very important interest of America, to paraphrase my grandmother, with all the situation in Libya and numerous of these other circumstances, they are not very simple circumstances. It really is a mess. It is just an absolute mess."
Must Bachmann surge in conservative circles, 1 significant loser might 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 will be for any candidate to displace the polished Romney as the front-runner, or it uncovered a space, possibly someplace in among Romney and Bachmann, exactly where a brand 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 gaining in before Monday, several of them had been erased.
9. Will anybody else?
See preceding question. Are Rick Perry's boots created for operating? We may well determine quickly.
10. Will Sarah Palin be there in spirit?
The attainable candidate was mentioned only after, inside a softball question to Pawlenty about no matter if she produced a superior vice presidential pick than Joe Biden. Pawlenty had small to shed in praising Palin in that context. But when Palin is taking into consideration jumping inside the race, Bachmann's performance Monday may have to offer her some pause.
