The first

considerable GOP presidential debate is within the books and there appears to become near consensus about who came off nicely (Michele Bachmann) and who did not (Tim Pawlenty). On Monday, we posed ten questions that we hoped the debate would answer. For the most part, they had been. Here’s a look in the results:

1.       Can Mitt Romney clarify away Romneycare?

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In maybe the debate’s largest surprise, Romney did not seriously need to. If this debate is remembered at all, it will be the Sergio Leone-tinged episode when Tim Pawlenty was directly challenged to slam Romney making use of 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 free of charge pass from then on.

Romney’s association together with the Democratic healthcare bill will come up again—and again—but a big possibility was missed clean.

Images: Possible 2012 GOP candidates

2.       Can Tim Pawlenty quicken anyone’s pulse?

Effectively, he did, but not in the way the former Minnesota governor wanted. You could possibly make the argument that nobody came out worse Monday evening than the man they call “T-Paw.” On Twitter, comparisons were created to LeBron James wilting in the NBA Finals, for heaven’s sake.

The bottom line: Pawlenty was provided a probability to dent his largest rival and in the exact same time define himself as a fierce competitor inside the method. To borrow language from the just-completed playoffs, it had been an Alpha Dog moment.

Pawlenty seemed off his game the complete evening. After Romney pandered to the crowd by announcing the score in the Stanley Cup game, Pawlenty tried the identical tactic later. Romney, a new Englander, could only barely get away with a thing so shameless; Pawlenty, a hockey fan, had no this kind of luck.

Can he recover? Obviously. It really is early. But Pawlenty, who has had difficulty finding traction in national polls, has been counting on the goodwill of advocates within the Beltway and elsewhere to assist propel his campaign. If a few of these backers begin jumping ship, then the climb grows that substantially steeper.

3.       Can Michele Bachmann appear presidential?

Bachmann shocked all of us by all of a sudden declaring her candidacy for your White Residence in the early minutes in the debate, but in retrospect, it looks like a canny move. In an evening that offered small when it comes to drama, Bachmann’s largely symbolic announcement became key news.

The Minnesota congresswoman’s performance overall came as no surprise to individuals who have observed her win above crowds at conservative events. And even though she still came off as maybe less than polished at times, her energy compensated. Most critically, she displayed an ability to weave personal narrative (raised inside a broken residence, mother to foster children) with policy pronouncements (unapologetically anti-abortion). And though she has been within the Property of Representatives for only 4 years, she telegraphed her knowledge like a veteran, specifically in answering a question concerning the Libyan conflict.

Fair or not, Bachmann, virtually overnight, will now be viewed as a considerable threat to win the Iowa caucuses. Her profile is blossoming—and at this stage from the game, buzz may possibly be the single best currency to have.

4.        Can Newt Gingrich rise from the dead?

Well, he was there. The former Home speaker, reeling from the defection of essential aides, pressed onward. Gingrich was in complete Professor Newt mode, at 1 point interrupting Pawlenty and browbeating/lecturing moderator John King about his position on the space plan. Gingrich is often a smart man who can’t help notifying everybody within the room of that fact—something that inside a debate format can come off as pedantic.

Gingrich once more tried to clarify away his criticism in the Paul Ryan Medicare strategy and also the outcome was nevertheless another iteration of the now-infamous “Meet the Press” interview, one where Gingrich now says he was quoted “out of context.” (That produced eye rolls.) Yet virtually inside the same breath, he repeated his original assertion that Home leaders had been reckless in moving forward with all the Ryan plan 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 effectively be finding the courage to be the candidate in the room who breaks with an establishment that, for all intents and purposes, has abandoned him already.

five.       Can Ron Paul look like anything at all far more than a fringe candidate?

If there exists a word to describe the Texas libertarian Monday night, it had been, well, cranky. Paul had a cantankerous answer for virtually each and every question put 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 isn’t going to adjust. And he showed but again that he isn’t going to varnish his brand of truth-telling inside a bid to chase supporters. If he should be to perform very well in primaries, the voters will have to come to him, not the other way about.

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 approach built around conservative values and national exceptionalism. But at the finish from the day, it did not appear to create much distinction. Along with the boyish-looking Santorum came off as edgy, as less than relaxed, particularly when moderator King asked him regardless of whether he preferred Jay Leno or Conan O’Brien. “I don’t watch either,” he stammered.

Like Pawlenty, he was offered a likelihood to slam Romney and punted. King brought up a treasured Santorum topic, abortion, and asked regardless of whether Romney had flip-flopped on the topic. Santorum provided a discursive on a candidate’s “authenticity” but avoided invoking Romney straight.

7.       Is Hermanentum for genuine?

These expecting an electrifying efficiency from the former conservative talk-radio host came away disappointed. Herman Cain looked ill at ease and unprepared and—as normally may be the case with fringe candidates—came off as smaller than the occasion. At instances 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 instances, incoherent.

Asked regarding the U.S. role in Libya, by way of example, Cain responded: “If it is not within the important interest of America, to paraphrase my grandmother, using the situation in Libya and numerous of these other circumstances, they are not very simple conditions. It’s a mess. It is just an absolute mess.”

Need to Bachmann surge in conservative circles, a single big loser could 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 different techniques: Either the debate illustrated just how complicated it’ll be for any candidate to displace the polished Romney as the front-runner, or it uncovered a space, possibly somewhere in between Romney and Bachmann, where a brand new face could alter the dynamic.

Here’s suggesting that they’ll see it as the latter—and that if Huntsman had any doubts about finding in just before Monday, lots of of them had been erased.

9.       Will any individual else?

See prior question. Are Rick Perry’s boots produced for running? We might learn quickly.

10.     Will Sarah Palin be there in spirit?

The possible candidate was mentioned only once, in a softball question to Pawlenty about no matter whether she created a better vice presidential select than Joe Biden. Pawlenty had tiny to drop in praising Palin in that context. But if Palin is taking into account jumping in the race, Bachmann’s efficiency Monday will have to provide her some pause.