So tonight is the third or fourth (or is it fifth?) televised Republican primary debate, but there's something that makes this one unlike all the others: Rick Perry is making his debut.
With Perry now generally considered the GOP frontrunner, his debate debut is a pretty big deal to Republicans. In fact, it was such a big deal, that they decided to deny President Obama's request to speak about jobs tonight. They didn't want President Obama's discussion of the economy to get in the way of anything Perry might have to say about the global warming hoax, the assault on traditional marriage, the attack on creationism, or the War on Christmas.
Plus, Perry said that John Boehner didn't cancel President Obama's speech, then Texas would secede.
The debate begins at 8:00PM ET and will last until 9:45PM ET. It'll be broadcast on MSNBC and on the web, and we'll post a live video feed here a few minutes before the debate begins. We'll also be posting live updates, so if you're watching the debate, please join in the conservation this evening.
As far as previewing the debate goes, I generally hate debate previews. They're never right. (Remember when Tim Pawlenty was going to go after Mitt Romney? Oops.) So instead of a preview, I'll say that thing I'm most interested in is how Rick Perry handles himself, and how his opponents handle him. I'm also interested in what questions the media asks of Perry.
If I were asking the questions, here's what I'd ask of Perry:
- Why did you say Texas had the right to secede? Do you still believe that it has that right?
- Why did you say that Medicare and Social Security are unconstitutional and do you still hold the same view?
- Why did you urge consideration of "a bi-national health insurance plan" between Mexico and the United States? Do you regret signing the legislation that created the project?
So those are my top three. What are yours?