Knives out for Romney, Obama? Health care looms big at GOP debate
Second GOP presidential debate tonight presents us with a few firsts… Pay attention to the topic of health care, after Pawlenty’s “ObamneyCare” broadside yesterday… Debate starts at 8:00 pm ET from Manchester, NH… New Hampshire Dem Party pre-buts the debate with noon ET press conference… Obama’s next two (very political) days in NC, FL, and Puerto Rico… Weiner’s distraction for Democrats… Santorum’s “Meet” appearance… And 2012 GOP presidential candidates embrace the Tea Party’s language.
By NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, Domenico Montanaro, and Ali Weinberg
*** Manchester United: Although tonight's GOP presidential debate in Manchester, NH is the second debate of the primary season, it presents us with a few firsts. It’s the first debate featuring Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Michele Bachmann, none of whom participated at last month’s GOP debate in South Carolina. It’s the first debate after last week’s Gingrich “Newtiny.” It’s the first debate since much of the economic news turned south. (By contrast, the South Carolina debate was right after Osama bin Laden’s death). And it’s the first debate since Tim Pawlenty took his first true jab at Romney on health care, telling FOX yesterday: “President Obama said that he designed ObamaCare after RomneyCare, and basically made it ObamneyCare.”
*** Pay attention to the topic of health care: It’s a legitimate question to ask: Who will come under more fire at tonight’s debate -- President Obama or Romney? Early presidential debates rarely include direct attacks or heated exchanges, because the candidates all are trying to make a good first (or second) impression. That said, time is a-wastin’, and Pawlenty yesterday telegraphed what could be a more aggressive debate strategy than we're used to seeing this early in the process. If Pawlenty starts in on him, will the rest of the field pile on? As we learned in the ’08 cycle (think that famous Philly debate when the issue of drivers licenses for illegal immigrants came up), the pile-on is the only effective way to stop a front-runner. What’s more, Pawlenty makes a health-care-related stop before the debate at Next Step Orthotics & Prosthetics, Inc. in Manchester at 11:00 am ET. And the liberal Dem Super PAC group Protect Your Care is airing a TV ad (being broadcast in the Boston market and on WMUR in New Hampshire) hitting the Ryan budget’s plan on Medicare. Pawlenty, of course, has his own challenges heading into this debate, including making sure he's not overshadowed by the other candidate from Minnesota making her OWN debate debut: Bachmann.
*** Debate 411: Tonight’s two-hour debate starts at 8:00 pm ET, and it’s co-hosted by CNN, WMUR, and the New Hampshire Union Leader. It takes place from St. Anselm College in Manchester. The moderator is CNN’s John King. The seven Republicans participating at the debate: Bachmann, Herman Cain, Gingrich, Ron Paul, Pawlenty, Romney, and Rick Santorum. Jon Huntsman, who has not yet announced his presidential bid, is NOT participating. The New Hampshire Democratic Party pre-buts today’s with a news conference near St. Anselm at noon ET
