New Hampshire Republican Debate

[Professor S]

I'll be posting my thoughts on the debate later tonight. Here are my predictions:

- Ron Paul "shakes" his way out of serious contention with his usual uncomfortable delivery and unapologetic libertarian views. If the dialogue remains about the debt and economy and say "I told ou so in 2008", he has a shot to keep in play. If they push him on abortion and drugs, though, he'll become irrelevant.

- Herman Cain will gain some attention for his charismatic delivery, but will seriously flub at least two questions due to his ignorance regarding foreign policy.

- Rick Santorum will score major points with conservatives with his confident speaking style and devotion to social issues. He also does the best job of explaining the Ryan budget plan.

- Michele Bachman will embarrass herself and the Republican party.

- Tim Pawlenty will continue to shrink in front of the camera on the big stage. He's not bad on policy or ignorant. He's just not memorable. Perhaps his planned assault on Romney will break him out, even if it submarines chances to win in 2012.

- Newt Gingrich will say some stuf that no one will pay attention to because the failure of his campaign is more entertaining than his policy.

- Mitt Romney - The best thing he did was stand behind his controversial issues. It looks like he has decided that the best path to victory is with the silent center-right majority of the Republican party. If he sticks with this plan, and does a decent job of explaining Romneycare, he should coast through this debate (and the primaries) relatively unscathed. He does have a history of crumbling under debate pressure, though, but lets see if time has helped him adjust to the spotlight.

Check back later and see if my predictions are accurate, and share your own thoughts.